"The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read." Mark Twain
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
I have never met a good writer who isn't a voracious reader.
I have never known of a great leader who wasn't a student of other great leaders.
I have never heard of a great thinker who wasn't an even better listener.
It is my opinion that writers, leaders and thinkers are made. They are self-made.
Writers, leaders and thinkers all share a curiosity about the world around them and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. They read in search of answers, often without knowing the questions.
They also read literature. A great mind is not developed solely by reading self-help books. A great mind is developed by exposure to great thoughts, most often found in great literature of all sorts. Fiction, and poetry can teach us about the human condition. Philosophy and science can teach us how to think. History and biography can teach us about leadership and failure.
Often times a writer or a leader will find success while not having been previously in the public eye. She was an overnight success, the pundits say. In fact that couldn't be farther from the truth. She grew page by page. In the library. Between the covers of a great book!
The ending of this post filled me with hope! I am currently reading "The Island of Dr. Moreau," by H.G. Wells. It is required for a disabilities studies through literature class, but I am grateful to read something I wouldn't otherwise. Lately, the more I write, the more I marvel over literature. It's easy to take for granted until you've actually put pen to paper, searching for the just-right turn of a phrase.
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