Why you should read more books, according to 2 deep thinkers on the subject

There's a wave of articles being published these days about why the world's most successful entrepreneurs love to read, and which books influenced them the most.

A recent article by Bill Gates with his reading list for 2017 went viral on LinkedIn. Then there are the articles about the "one book that influenced Jeff Bezos the most," or "how Elon Musk learned everything he knew from books." These are quick and fun reads, and they offer helpful suggestions for titles you might want to download on your Kindle app, or perhaps even purchase in a good old-fashioned book store (what's that?).

Of course, I can't be the only one that doesn't buy into the sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle implication that many of these articles make: Read the same books as these mega-successful entrepreneurs and increase your own chances of being successful. 

While I won't argue with the possibility that by reading certain books you can boost your chances of career and financial success, I believe there are other even more rewarding reasons for reading: As a source of intellectual stimulus or emotional pleasure, for instance. Reading is also, I believe, the most powerful, affordable, and readily accessible vehicle for changing what and how you think. Reading can change your life. 

I recently rediscovered two books sitting on the shelves of my home library that explore this topic, and which I thought you might appreciate if you're a book-lover like me. One is by a 19th-century author from New England. The other is by a writer from the 20th and 21st century--also from New England. 

In 1845, the philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau lived in a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. He documented his time living alone, away from the bustle of civilization, and shared what he learned from his experience, in a book of essays that has become a classic of American literature, Walden. 

In his essay, "Reading", Thoreau expounds on why he believes books are so valuable, and why reading is such a vital and rewarding activity. For him, the written word is the greatest art form there is, even greater than painting or sculpture:

No wonder that Alexander carried the Iliad with him on his expeditions in a precious casket. A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art. It is the work of art nearest to life itself. It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually breathed from all human lips; not be represented on canvas or in marble only, but be carved out of the breath of life itself. The symbol of an ancient man's thought becomes a modern man's speech.

In Thoreau's world, books possess value that is commensurate with monetary wealth:

Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them.

And what about the writers of these books? Thoreau places them at the pinnacle of society:

Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind.

Another case for why we should read can be found in a book by Harold Bloom, the eminent professor of literature at Yale, author of more than 20 books, and recipient of the MacArthur "genius" award. In How to Read and Why, a book-length meditation on reading which includes his recommended reading list, Bloom starts with two reasons why we should read. First, reading is a source of wisdom in a world saturated with information:

There is no single way to read well, though there is a prime reason why we should read. Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found? If you are fortunate, you encounter a particular teacher who can help, yet finally you are alone, going on without further mediation.

And then he shares his second reason for reading, but with an ironic twist: As a solitary activity, reading actually helps you conquer loneliness.

Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you, because it is, at least in my experience, the most healing of pleasures. It returns you to otherness, whether in yourself or in friends, or in those who may become friends. Imaginative literature is otherness, and as such alleviates loneliness. We read not only because we cannot know enough people, but because friendship is so vulnerable, so likely to diminish or disappear, overcome by space, time, imperfect sympathies, and all the sorrows of familial and passionate life.

Echoing Bloom, I read to make sense of my world. I read because I can rarely find someone who I can share my deepest thoughts and feelings with. And, channeling Thoreau, books are my most valued possessions, and my love for them is something I try to gift to my children.

Why do you read? What is it about books and reading that you love? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading. Please follow me here on LinkedIn.

A version of this article also appeared on Inc.com.