A person, for example, reads in adulthood a book that is important for him, and it makes him say, "How could I have lived without reading it! " and also, "What a pity I did not read it in my youth! " Well, these statements do not have much meaning, especially the second, because after he has read that book, his life becomes the life of a person who has read that book, and it is of little importance whether he read it early or late, because now his life before that reading also assumes a form shaped by that reading. Italo Calvino
About This Quote

In one sense, it's true that a person's life will be different as a result of the book he or she reads as an adult. However, the statement is divorced from the life choices made by the reader as a result of reading the book. For example, I remember reading a book as a child that was important to me. If I had not read it, I would never have gone to college and eventually become a teacher. My life would have been different without that reading, but that reading made my life better, not worse.

Source: Mr Palomar

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