Reading is merely a surrogate for thinking for yourself; it means letting someone else direct your thoughts. Many books, moreover, serve merely to show how many ways there are of being wrong, and how far astray you yourself would go if you followed their guidance. You should read only when your own thoughts dry up, which will of course happen frequently enough even to the best heads; but to banish your own thoughts so as to take up a book is a sin against the holy ghost; it is like deserting untrammeled nature to look at a herbarium or engravings of landscapes. Arthur Schopenhauer
About This Quote

It is extremely important that one read books that they enjoy and understand what the author is trying to say. However, reading should never be seen as a replacement for thinking for yourself. As much as one can learn from books, one should never allow someone else to control your thoughts.

Source: Essays And Aphorisms

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