Summary: Mortimer Adler’s book teaches how to read deeply for understanding, not just for information. It explains four levels of reading: elementary, inspectional, analytical, and syntopical. Reading well helps you think critically and join the “great conversation” of ideas.
How you read is just as important as what you read. And learning to read well may be the single most important skill you can learn in life. (View Highlight)
Every book you finish is a piece of the puzzle you are putting together. It, in a way, gives a clue to the next book you need to consume. (View Highlight)
“To agree without understanding is insane. To disagree without understanding is impudent.” (View Highlight)
“The relatively ignorant often wrongly disagree with the relatively learned about matters exceeding their own knowledge.” (View Highlight)
“What reaches the heart without going through the mind is likely to bounce back and put the mind out of business. Propaganda taken in that way is like a drug you do not know you are swallowing. The effect is mysterious; you do not know afterwards why you feel or think the way you do.” (View Highlight)
You have to read history as a detective, discovering for yourself what truly happened. The victor often writes history, and we must consider this when studying the past. (View Highlight)
“A mind not agitated by good questions cannot appreciate the significance of even the best answers.” (View Highlight)