Reading is one of the best disciplines I know of to stay "on your game" and at your highest". Reading from a great book is all about having a conversation with the author. And we become our conversations.Just think, tonight-by reading 'Polyester Prince'- biography of Dhirubhai Ambani , you can get behind this great man's eye-balls and learn what made him tick. wanna hang out with Madonna tomorrow? Grab her book. Same on Jack Welch, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Salvador Dali or the Dalai Lama. And reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you. The hand that puts down a great book will never be the same. As Oliver Wendell Holmes observed: "A mind once stretched by a new idea can never return to its original dimensions."
When I was growing up, my maternal grandfather, A.V.Subramanyam {Editor, Around Bangalore (an English Fortnightly) and also worked with the Civil Court of Karnataka} once told me: "Cut back on your lifestyle or cut back on what you spend on your food but never worry about investing money in a good book". That powerful thought has accompanied me through life. His philosophy was that all it takes is one idea discovered in a single book to lift you to a whole new level and revolutionize the way you see the world. And so my grandma's house was filled with books. And now I try to devote at least an hour or so to reading. That habit alone has transformed me. Thank you, Grandpa.
These books have shaped my thinking. They have formed my personal philosophy. They have made me the man I am. To me, my books are priceless.
The old expression is true : "Knowing how to read and not reading is almost the same as not knowing how to read." Make the time to read something good each day. Fill your mind with big ideas and dazzling thoughts. Use books to flood your soul with hope and inspiration. And thats a beautiful thing.
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