Inspiring Quotes about Reading and Books

For years, I’ve been curating quotes about reading and books, stashing them away in my digital knowledge vault. Now that I have collected many favorites, I’m excited to share them with you on my blog. Organized into categories, these quotes offer inspiration, motivation, and a deeper appreciation for reading.

The Power of Reading

• “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn
• “Books are the training weights of the mind.” – Epictetus
• “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” – Mark Twain
• “Your mind will give back to you exactly what you put into it.” – John Maxwell
• “If we read merely to stock our head with ideas, to feel superior to others, or to appear learned, then our reading is useless and vain.” – J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership Summary
• “The paradox of reading: The books you read will profoundly change you even though you’ll forget the vast majority of what you read.” – David Perell
• “Books hold most of the secrets of the world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had.” – E.B. White (this is part of a larger quote that I discovered through James Clear’s September 7, 2023 newsletter).

The Value of Knowledge

• “To function in a knowledge economy, most organizations need people who read.” – David Allen, Getting Things Done Summary
• “Reading an hour a day is only 4% of your day. But that 4% will put you in the top of your field within 10 years. Find the time.” – Patrick Bet David
• “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” -Descartes
• “Material wealth starts with mental wealth. Build a better mind, get a better life.” – Orange Book
• “You are what you read.” – Alex Wieckowski

The Process of Learning

• “The leader who intends to grow spiritually and intellectually must be reading constantly.” – J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership Summary
• “The smarter you get, the slower you read.” – Naval Ravikant
• “Reading is still the main way I both learn new things and test my understanding.” – Bill Gates
• “If you’re overthinking, write. If you’re underthinking, read.” – Alex Wieckowski (source)
• “Read to collect the dots, write to connect them.” – David Perell
• “Reading can teach you the best of what others already know. Reflection can teach you the best of what only you can know.” – James Clear

The Practical Benefits of Reading

• “Reading a book is among the most high-leverage activities on earth.” – Greg McKeown, Effortless Book Summary
• “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” -George R.R. Martin (source)
• “The purpose of reading is not just raw knowledge. It’s that it is part of the human experience. It helps you find meaning, understand yourself, and make your life better.” – Ryan Holiday
• “Read books that are relevant to what you want to achieve and reading will never seem boring.” – James Clear

The Habit of Reading

• “The smarter you get, the slower you read.” – Naval Ravikant
• “Read what you love until you love to read.” – Naval Ravikant
• “Live as if you would die tomorrow; learn as if you will live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “Much reading can be done through otherwise wasted minutes.” – J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership Summary
• “Reading is not a race, it’s a lifestyle.” – Meet Shah
• “Reading speed is nothing more than signaling. Skim broadly to find something worth reading. Then dive in slowly and deeply. It’s not how fast you read but what you absorb that matters.” – Shane Parrish
• “Books are an investment, not an expense.” – Alex Wieckowski
• “If they wrote it to make money, don’t read it.” – Naval Ravikant
• “A recipe for getting more out of what you read: start more books. Quit most of them. Read the great ones twice.” – James Clear

The Benefits of Critical Thinking

• “Unless our reading includes serious thinking it is wasted time.” – – J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership Summary
• “The books that make you feel dumb are often the ones that make you smarter.” – Alex Wieckowski
• “Books are more likely to change minds than conversations.” – James Clear
• “One sign you haven’t done enough reading is if you find yourself agreeing with whatever book you read last. At first, it’s easy to be swayed by any reasonable argument. Once you’ve read a lot, you can see that even the best arguments have limitations. – James Clear (source)

Reading has been an invaluable tool for my personal growth and intellectual development. While the obvious benefits of reading are well-known, some of the subtle advantages can often be overlooked. I hope this collection of quotes inspires you on your journey of reading and growth. Please share your favorite reading quotes in the comments below.