Writing/reading is like visiting another person's brain. And a short book or article is like a short stay. You come in, have a coffee, talk about the weather or sports, and then move on.
Interpretation
Reading and writing allow us to explore others' thoughts and experiences briefly.
This quote by Mark Manson highlights the intimate and ephemeral nature of reading and writing. It suggests that engaging with someone else's written words is akin to visiting their mind, where we can share brief moments of connection and interaction, ultimately leading to a temporary but enriching experience before we move on with our own lives.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of literature, one might quote this to emphasize the connection readers make with authors.
Whereas a lot of Buddhism concerns itself with stages of enlightenment, various precepts and moral codes, and even power structures and hierarchies, Zen is just like, 'Shut up, sit down, and observe your thoughts - oh, and by the way, what you perceive as you' doesn't actually exist.' I loved the minimalist approach of it.
I think people who become compulsive about fitness or eating right, a lot of the time it's out of fear that they're going to lose control or that they're not good enough, so I think anything done out of fear or motivated by fear is often unhealthy.
Many people come to self-help material because they feel like something is wrong with them or the way they are. The problem is that anything that tells you how to improve your life is also implying that there is something inherently wrong with you the way you are.
The first and perhaps most important thing to realize about being happier in life is to stop trying to be so happy in life.
I think humility - which I think is a very good value to adopt - is basically an extension of understanding your own ignorance.
A lot of cases, what makes you an interesting and complex person makes you a really horrible person to be with romantically.
There is no way, absolutely no way, that I would want people to stop reading the 'Odyssey.' But I want them to read it with their eyes open. To notice it and then to think what it says about us.
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
If you really want to change a culture to empower women improve basic hygiene and health care and fight high rates of infant mortality the answer is to educate girls.
Any teaching of falsehoods in science classes should certainly be identified and stopped by school inspectors. School inspectors should be looking at science teachings to make sure they are evidence-based science.
Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that they oppress, because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power. You will take it.
One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.