Doris Lessing on the art of reading well — Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)
“There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those, dropping them when they bore you, skipping the parts that drag-and never, never reading anything because you feel you ought, or because it is part of a trend or a movement. Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty-and vise versa. Don’t read a book out of its right time for you. ”
― Doris Lessing
photo credit: sdobie via photopin cc
Advertisements
4 comments on “Doris Lessing on the art of reading well — Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)”
Leave a Reply
BACK TO CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL
A Good Confession
Recent Posts: AT A GENTLE PACE - Bridget Whelan's lifestyle travel blog
LOVE this. Too true.
And my eighth grade reading workshop teacher always said if you got partway through a book and didn’t like it anymore to go ahead and put it down, because who are you benefiting? You have an obligation only to yourself when it comes to reading (besides school assigned material), so read what you want to. On the other hand, if you wish to read something informative and “improve your mind” and it’s a bit tedious, don’t just give up.
Your teacher was very wise – it’s liberating to give yourself permission to let go of a book. Or to realise that it doesn’t say much about the book or you if you decide to come back to it at some other time. Part of me clings to the idea that if I’ve started I’ve a moral duty to finish…
Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
Thanks for reblogging