Here’s the thing about the thinking/reading situation. I happened upon a lot of the things I believe now from observing the world around me and thinking about it. You don’t *need* to read these things to reach the same conclusions...

But I’ve found reading is something that allows me to form the arguments I need to defend the ideas. It gives me the tools to spread ideas. And it answers the questions about implementation and action that I don’t happen upon from just thinking.

The issue isn’t even about the specific act of reading because there are many other ways to learn. It’s what the underlying principle of reading is which is seeking out people that know more than you.

Thinking is like the second step. And for some reason a lot of men think reaching Step 2 means they’re qualified to insert themselves into conversations with people on Step 9.