3 ms·

Reading is not just a proxy for thinking. It's the gateway to a world of knowledge. Macchiavelli described this beautifully in a letter to Francesco Vettori in

Reading is not just a proxy for thinking. It's the gateway to a world of knowledge. Macchiavelli described this beautifully in a letter to Francesco Vettori in 1513 from exile in the Tuscan countryside. [1] It's the best description I have ever read of the life of the mind. Here's the money paragraph in full. When evening comes, I return home and enter my study; on the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt, and put on the garments of court and palace. Fitted out appropriately, I step inside the venerable courts of the ancients, where, solicitously received by them, I nourish myself on that food that alone is mine and for which I was born; where I am unashamed to converse with them and to question them about the motives for their actions, and they, out of their human kindness, answer me. And for four hours at a time I feel no boredom, I forget all my troubles, I do not dread poverty, and I am not terrified by death. I absorb myself into them completely. And because Dante says that no one understands anything unless he retains what he has understood, I have jotted down what I have profited from in their conversation and composed a short study, De principatibus, in which I delve as deeply as I can into the ideas concerning this topic, discussing the definition of a princedom, the categories of princedoms, how they are acquired, how they are retained, and why they are lost. And if ever any whimsy of mine has given you pleasure, this one should not displease you. It ought to be welcomed by a prince, and especially by a new prince; therefore I am dedicating it to His Magnificence Giuliano. Filippo da Casavecchia has seen it. He will be able to give you some account of both the work itself and the discussions I have had with him about it, although I am continually fattening and currying it. [1] http://www2.idehist.uu.se/distans/ilmh/Ren/flor-mach-lett-vettori.htm http://www2.idehist.uu.se/distans/ilmh/Ren/flor-mach-lett-ve...

illegal_in_ca 9y ago
Yup, that's how you read a book. I would, however, cut the the paragraph as follows. Everything after is just an adversisement for the authors blog. When evening comes, I return home and enter my study; on the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt, and put on the garments of court and palace. Fitted out appropriately, I step inside the venerable courts of the ancients, where, solicitously received by them, I nourish myself on that food that alone is mine and for which I was born; where I am unashamed to converse with them and to question them about the motives for their actions, and they, out of their human kindness, answer me. And for four hours at a time I feel no boredom, I forget all my troubles, I do not dread poverty, and I am not terrified by death. I absorb myself into them completely. And because Dante says that no one understands anything unless he retains what he has understood, I have jotted down what I have profited from in their conversation and composed a short study..."
- jrimbault 9y ago
  > just an advertisement for the author's blog Well... It's one of the many "blogs" worth reading. And a very old one. (sidenote: I'm really not sure you can even call it a "log" of any kind)
  - illegal_in_ca 9y ago
    Hey thanks for correctly my typo when you quoted my.

illegal_in_ca 9y ago

Yup, that's how you read a book. I would, however, cut the the paragraph as follows. Everything after is just an adversisement for the authors blog. When evening comes, I return home and enter my study; on the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt, and put on the garments of court and palace. Fitted out appropriately, I step inside the venerable courts of the ancients, where, solicitously received by them, I nourish myself on that food that alone is mine and for which I was born; where I am unashamed to converse with them and to question them about the motives for their actions, and they, out of their human kindness, answer me. And for four hours at a time I feel no boredom, I forget all my troubles, I do not dread poverty, and I am not terrified by death. I absorb myself into them completely. And because Dante says that no one understands anything unless he retains what he has understood, I have jotted down what I have profited from in their conversation and composed a short study..."

jrimbault 9y ago
> just an advertisement for the author's blog Well... It's one of the many "blogs" worth reading. And a very old one. (sidenote: I'm really not sure you can even call it a "log" of any kind)
- illegal_in_ca 9y ago
  Hey thanks for correctly my typo when you quoted my.