# These 38 Reading Rules Changed My Life - –Hardcover over paperback. Synced: [[2023_11_30]] 6:03 AM Last Highlighted: [[2023_09_18]]  ## Highlights [[2023_09_16]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hafev7n85zrk8y0mgmw3c02c) > –Speaking of Emerson…in his essay “*Reading*,” he put down his three rules: “1. Never read a book that is not a year old [because only good books survive]. 2. Never read any but famed books [same reason]. 3. Never read any but what you like.” [[2023_09_18]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hajv8qd226mje40sp3nee17t) > If you want to understand current events, don’t rely on breaking news. Find a book about a similar event in the past. Read history. Read psychology. Read biographies. Go for information that has a long half-life, not something that’s going to be contradicted in the next bulletin. [[2023_09_18]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hajvcv2bw2b6jnbhnx8059k4) > My favorite [line from Harry Truman](https://dailystoic.com/you-must-read-to-lead/) is, “not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” When we read, we aren’t learning to impress people, to win some game of mental gymnastics. It’s to get better, to find things you can use in your real life [[2023_09_18]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hajve8th22c7cckshz8w88sh) > Look for wisdom, not facts. We’re not reading to just find random pieces of information. What’s the point of that? We’re reading to accumulate a mass of true wisdom—that you can turn to and apply in your actual life