4 ms·

Also worth reading: http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html

arbuge 12y ago
The only part I disagree with a bit is the one where he exempts books. I think it is possible to buy too many. I've probably engaged in this behavior myself. I find it hard to resist buying a good book, but I have a bunch of them now piling up physically and electronically which I find it hard to find time for. Books piling up exert pressure to be read, but simply succumbing to the pressure to read them all might result in falling victim to what Einstein talked about: "Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
- EdwardCoffin 12y ago
  I think it is possible to buy too many books, but how many that is really depends on the books, and the upper limit is perhaps higher than one might think. I don't feel books piling up exerts any pressure to read them all. I have a lot of books I don't feel compelled to read, but find it beneficial to have ready for me to use whenever: reference books. I also have a lot of books I already have read, and have no plans to reread, but will keep regardless, in case I ever need to refer to them to refresh my memory. As an example, I still occasionally will find reason to refer back to a book I read twenty years ago, to confirm something so that I can confidently cite it in a discussion I am having.
- vinchuco 12y ago
  Easy, just buy a book when you have finished reading the previous one
  - jessaustin 12y ago
    It is difficult for me to imagine, reading only one book at a time.
- eswat 12y ago
  Everyone is going to have their own special exceptions. I also don’t agree that books are easy to move: they are heavy, take up a lot of space and require special care to package properly. Which sucks because I much prefer the experience of reading a paperback compared to an ebook, especially for reference material like artbooks.
Luyt 12y ago
I translated Paul's article on Stuff in Dutch, it can be found at http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/ http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/

The only part I disagree with a bit is the one where he exempts books. I think it is possible to buy too many. I've probably engaged in this behavior myself. I find it hard to resist buying a good book, but I have a bunch of them now piling up physically and electronically which I find it hard to find time for. Books piling up exert pressure to be read, but simply succumbing to the pressure to read them all might result in falling victim to what Einstein talked about: "Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."

EdwardCoffin 12y ago
I think it is possible to buy too many books, but how many that is really depends on the books, and the upper limit is perhaps higher than one might think. I don't feel books piling up exerts any pressure to read them all. I have a lot of books I don't feel compelled to read, but find it beneficial to have ready for me to use whenever: reference books. I also have a lot of books I already have read, and have no plans to reread, but will keep regardless, in case I ever need to refer to them to refresh my memory. As an example, I still occasionally will find reason to refer back to a book I read twenty years ago, to confirm something so that I can confidently cite it in a discussion I am having.
vinchuco 12y ago
Easy, just buy a book when you have finished reading the previous one
- jessaustin 12y ago
  It is difficult for me to imagine, reading only one book at a time.
eswat 12y ago
Everyone is going to have their own special exceptions. I also don’t agree that books are easy to move: they are heavy, take up a lot of space and require special care to package properly. Which sucks because I much prefer the experience of reading a paperback compared to an ebook, especially for reference material like artbooks.

Luyt 12y ago

I translated Paul's article on Stuff in Dutch, it can be found at http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/ http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/