> But increasingly, I realize that my time is better spent building something myself. > Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creati

> But increasingly, I realize that my time is better spent building something myself. > Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. -- Albert Einstein I think you can also read in various ways. You can just absorb it uncritically, or try to find flaws or supportive anecdotes for it, or just freely associate about the thoughts and emotions it makes one aware of etc. But he and you do have a point, there's got to be a balance. Second-hand expertise is valuable, we can't all find out which berries are toxic individually. But with many things that aren't quite so critical, learning through mistakes can be quite empowering, and sometimes you find out it's not a mistake, but something new and good outside of the usual rut.