Learn more about writing with this collection
How to strengthen your willpower
How to overcome temptation and distractions
The role of motivation in willpower
Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy reading. My rule is 100 pages minus your age — so if you’re 30 years old and a book hasn’t captivated you by page 70, stop reading it.
That way, as you age, you have to endure crappy books less and less.
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312 reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s line was “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
If a book changed someone’s life — whatever the topic or style — it’s probably worth the investment. If it changed them, then it will likely at least help you.
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208 reads
“We should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching and the spirited and noble-minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application — not far far-fetched or archaic expressions or extravagant metaphors and figures of speech — and learn them so well that w...
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266 reads
Humans have been fighting and dying and struggling and doing the same things for eons. To not avail yourself of their knowledge is arrogant and stupid.
Too much depends on you for you to learn solely by experience — you must also learn by the experiences of others. Drink deeply from history...
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192 reads
If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you’re functionally illiterate.
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195 reads
The path to wisdom is long and circuitous with twists and turns, ups and downs, highs and lows. Maybe you’re in the middle of a low right now, or you’re at the very bottom of the valley. This can be a scary place to be, because it can feel like you’ll be stuck there forever. It can be impossible ...
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159 reads
Take the time to type out quotes and passages from great books to feel great writing come through you.
For example, craft a “commonplace book” — a collection of quotes, ideas, stories and facts that you want to k...
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279 reads
Far too many good brains have been afflicted by the pointless enthusiasm for useless knowledge.
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221 reads
Even though reading is better than a lot of other activities, you can still do it poorly or for poor reasons.
To be a great reader, it is not enough that you read, it’s also how you read. The following strategies by no means are a complete list, but if you implement even a ...
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338 reads
You were in high school when you read The Great Gatsby for the first time. You were just a kid when someone tell you the story of Odysseus.
The point is: You got it, right? You’ve already read them or learned about them, so you’re done, right?
We cannot be content to simply p...
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222 reads
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Life is too short. If it doesn’t feel worth it to you and you’re not having fun with it, there’s absolutely no shame in not finishing a book. You are not reading books for your curriculum.
It's okay if you prefer classics over productivity books. A book that interests you is good for your ...
You ought to read a ton of books, and only implement a fraction of the ideas, depending on what you have time for.
The poi nt isn’t to read Crime and Punishment on day one. The point is to get you reading. So start with what’s easy and what you’re into. Seriously, guilty pleasures abound (I like I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Shit My Dad Says).
Once you’ve tested the waters (maybe 2 — 3 months), sta...
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