In the sort of screen dappled with different states of mind which my consciousness would simultaneously unfold while I read, and which ranged from the aspirations hidden deepest within me to the completely exterior vision of the horizon which I had, at the bottom of the garden, before my eyes, what was first in me, innermost, the constantly moving handle that controlled the rest, was my belief in the philosophical richness and beauty of the book I was reading, and my desire to appropriate them for myself, whatever that book might be. Marcel Proust
About This Quote

The very first thing you need to do when you’re reading a book is to identify the book as a work of philosophy. Then, you should think about taking those ideas and using them in your own life. This is an important first step because everything else that happens after that will be based around those philosophies and may very well not be what the author intended. Once you’ve done that, you should start reading.

Read but don’t absorb. Read but don’t digest. Keep yourself off-balance so you can better understand the text and so you can better apply what it says to your life.

Source: Swann's Way

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