These are excerpts from the author’s book “Deep,” which contains eight of his small books published in the form of Wisdom Literature covering different aspects of life: Facing troublemakers, dealing with pain, personal financial issues, gastronomy, reading, criticizing, inspiring, and feeling always good to go.

Series 5: Reading.

The Purpose of Reading

• One of the loftiest goals of reading is pleasure. If you feel pleasure while reading, you don’t need to be in a hurry to find another purpose to justify adoring books.

• What is meant by the purposes of reading is ultimately its benefits. And the benefits of reading are limitless.

• Knowledge is not the ultimate purpose of reading but a means to many other purposes. Don’t worry if these purposes are sometimes not perfectly clear to you as long as you love reading and practice it sincerely.

• Reading for the sake of ostentation is, of course, denounced. But sharing ideas and brainstorming are not without benefits. Just choose with whom you share your readings, choose carefully what you share, and listen closely to what others have to say.

• The purpose of book discussions is not to arrive at a unified view of what is being presented. Rather, it is to experience an enriched discussion with divergent opinions.

• As you seek to know others and their cultures as one of the main purposes of reading, you will be surprised by the no less wonderful gift of getting to know yourself better.

• Passing the time is one of the most popular motives for reading among the general public. Don’t be shy about admitting it if that sometimes applies to you. Reading to pass the time isn’t a disadvantage in and of itself, but the best thing is that you’ll be surprised at the many benefits showered on you as you pass your time that way.

• Even the academic books that you read for the purpose of passing a particular exam have many benefits that you won’t see while thinking about the exam questions. Give the book the opportunity to inspire you later in one way or another when your immediate academic need for it elapses.

• The priorities of your reading goals change with age. Each stage of life has its own temperament, and there is nothing to worry about in any way.

• To devoted lovers of reading, the purposes of reading seem ultimately to be leading to one another.