Warren Buffett, who <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/05/the-buffett-formula-how-to-get-smarter/">says he spends 80% of his time </a>reading and writing, attributes a huge amount of his success to a single book: The Intelligent Investor , by his mentor Benjamin Graham. For Malcolm Gladwell, it was Richard Nisbett's The Person and the Situation <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/books/review/malcolm-gladwell-by-the-book.html">that inspired his string </a>of New York Times bestselling books. These are what economist Tyler Cowen calls " <a href="http://ryanholiday.net/quake-reading/">quake books </a>"-pieces of writing that are so powerful they shake up your entire worldview.

The power of knowledge

As author and avid reader <a href="http://ryanholiday.net/how-to-read-more-a-lot-more/">Ryan Holiday explains </a>: "Whatever problem you're struggling with is probably addressed in some book somewhere written by someone a lot smarter than you." Every story has been experienced, recorded, and published by someone at some point in time. Beyond just stories, books provide life lessons-a set of proven theories and anecdotes that you can apply to your own life. So there's the why of reading, but what about the how ? Too often we get through a book, flip the last page, sit back, and think, "What the hell did I just read?" Reading and being able to use what you've read are completely different things.

Use what you read 

A random sampling of the world's most successful people will show one common trait: a love of reading. Reading is the easiest way to continue the learning process, increase empathy, boost creativity, and even just unwind from a long day. But books can also change the way we think and live.

Reading with intention can change your life

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