I don't think that our Founders would believe that America could long prosper if the people were not readers.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of reading for the prosperity of a nation.
Ben Sasse suggests that the Founding Fathers of America recognized a direct correlation between the education of its citizens and the nation's success. He implies that a populace that engages with literature and reading is better equipped to make informed decisions, contribute to democracy, and foster a culture of innovation and growth.
In practice
In a speech about educational reform, one might use this quote to advocate for increased literacy programs.
Among the responsibilities of each citizen in a participatory democracy is keeping ourselves sufficiently informed so that we can participate effectively, argue our positions honorably, and hopefully, forge sufficient consensus to understand each other and then to govern.
Becoming a reader grows our horizons, our appetite for the good, the true and the beautiful, and our empathy.
The health of our republic depends on shared principles like the First Amendment, but it is also built on the Teddy Roosevelt-like vigor of its citizens and local self-reliance.
Being stuck in adolescence - that's a hell. 'Peter Pan' is a dystopia, and we forget that. Neverland is a bad place to be.
Rising political tribalism, shamelessly exaggerating our opponents' claims or behavior, is leaving us vulnerable: No one loves America's internal fighting - and our increasingly siloed news consumption - more than Vladimir Putin.
Good history is good story-telling. And good story-telling demands empathy; it requires understanding different actors, differing motivations, competing goals.
There is creative reading as well as creative writing.
Man's mind is not a container to be filled but rather a fire to be kindled.
Schoolboy days are no happier than the days of afterlife, but we look back upon them regretfully because we have forgotten our punishments at school and how we grieved when our marbles were lost and our kites destroyed β because we have forgotten all the sorrows and privations of the canonized ethic and remember only its orchard robberies, its wooden-sword pageants, and its fishing holidays.
We do not learn; and what we call learning is only a process of recollection.
Mathematics is being lazy. Mathematics is letting the principles do the work for you so that you do not have to do the work for yourself
Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.
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