Teenagers are in some ways the best readers because their imaginations haven't been narrowed down by boring things like jobs and the realities of money and capitalism.
Interpretation
Teenagers have a unique perspective that allows them to read creatively without the constraints of adult concerns.
In this quote, Matt Haig suggests that teenagers often possess a more vibrant and unrestricted imagination when it comes to reading. Unlike adults who may be bogged down by the mundane realities of life, such as work and financial pressures, teenagers can engage with literature more freely, enabling them to explore ideas and narratives with a fresh and inventive outlook.
In practice
In a classroom discussion on the value of literature, you might say, 'As Matt Haig observes, teenagers are often the best readers because they approach stories without the constraints of adult worries.'
Being a depressive should not imply danger any more than being a man or even a human should. Mental illness isn't a them/us issue; we are all on the scale somewhere. So we must be very careful to resist ignorance and combat the stigma that leads to dangerous silence.
It can be difficult for people to talk about it, because there still is that stigma around mental illness. But I would encourage people to do that, because they'll be surprised once they do 'come out' how many other people have had similar experiences.
Understand that thoughts are thoughts. If they are unreasonable, reason with them, even if you have no reason left. You are the observer of your mind, not its victim.
We need, ultimately, to be able to view mental health with the same clear-headedness we show when talking about physical health.
You are no less or more of a man or a woman or a human for having depression than you would be for having cancer or cardiovascular disease or a car accident.
You don't have to be a creative maverick to have a troubled mind. You just have to be human. There is no 'us' and 'them.' No one is one hundred per cent healthy, physically or mentally.
People who graduate are more resilient financially, and they weather economic downturns better than people who don't graduate. And, throughout their lives, people who graduate are more likely to be economically secure, more likely to be healthy, and more likely to live longer. Face it: A college degree puts a lot in your corner.
The door available to everyone that can lead to happiness & success is the modest door of the public library. I found it to be so in my own life and work.
People are born with intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, dignity, curiosity to learn, joy in learning.
I read Carver. Julio Cortazar. Amis's essays. Baldwin. Lorrie Moore. Capote. Saramago. Larkin. Wodehouse. Anything, anything at all, that doesn't sound like me.
What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation?
When you take the free will out of education, that turns it into schooling.
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