Revisit

“Books remain the same but we certainly have changed, and this later encounter is therefore completely new.” -Italo Calvino

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” -Heraclitus

“Intellect is a magnitude of intensity, not a magnitude of extensity.” -Arthur Schopenhauer

“A person who has read widely but not well deserves to be pitied rather than praised.” -Mortimer Adler

“If I read as many books as most people do, I would be as dull-witted as they are.” -Thomas Hobbes

What’s the last book you read that blew your mind? How old were you when you read it? How old are you now?

Instead of reaching for yet another book, why not re-read that original one? Go deeper. For example, the author Ryan Holiday has read “Meditations” over one hundred times. (Bill Clinton reads it every year too.) Does your book still blow you away? If yes, are the reasons any different now versus when you first read it? If it doesn’t blow you away, why not? What’s changed? Isn’t that interesting?

And if books aren’t your jazz, maybe it’s a film or an album or a painting. Whatever. Revisit that art and investigate your feelings towards it. You’ll be glad you did.

P.S. – Would love to know your revisit. If so inclined, email me or leave in the comments. Thanks! (And if you’re curious, here’s mine.)