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As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
by haakonhr 6y ago
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
- trey-jones 6y agoA great quote, and very applicable here. I think the author discounts the potential of the human mind to do things without their owners' knowledge or permission. What I'm trying to say is that when we read a book for knowledge I think we must trust our subconscious to do the heavy lifting. I am a believer that our brains incorporate lessons read and experienced into decision making, even if we're not consciously calling on it or thinking about it directly.
- YinglingLight 6y agoWhile all retainment is a fraction of the source material, long form (books, essays) offer a level of understanding. Reddit, and HN in some facets, is nothing but trivia porn. You cannot recall the interesting 'factoids' encountered merely the day before.
- jfarmer 6y agoA compelling quote, but alas: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/06/20/books/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/06/20/books/
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- TT3351 6y agoI see your (apocryphal) quote about eating books and raise you another: "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention." -Francis Bacon
- cocoapuffs7 6y agoIt's not a coincidence that we have idioms such as 'digesting an idea' or 'ruminating' . It takes time to assimilate and relate concepts, it is not a write operation.