Rules of How (Not) to Read According to Schopenhauer

Reading tips from one of Germany’s most prominent minds

Schopenhauer is famous for his harsh criticism and pessimism. When it comes to reading, he is not as gloomy but nevertheless a bit harsh.

In his essay On Reading and Books he advises against certain reading habits.

Don’t Read too Much

“It would be a good thing to buy books if one could also buy the time to read them; but one usually confuses the purchase of books with the acquisition of their contents.”

Reading is no exception to the law of diminishing returns. Schopenhauer uses the analogy of the mind being like a tablet being overwritten. The more we read, the fewer the traces that will remain at the end.

It is delirious wanting to retain everything we read. It would be like wanting to retain everything we have ever eaten — including those times we got food poisoning.

It is a good thing we don’t get to retain it all!

As we read, we repeat the thoughts of the writer. Thinking and reading are like perfecting any skill — we repeat after the teacher. But mindless drilling is not good for anyone. Those who read a lot — or a great part of the day — lose themselves in thoughtless diversion; they lose their ability to think for themselves.

Just like a man that is always riding, compares Schopenhauer, would forget how to walk. Many people while read themselves stupid.

To prevent this, think about what you have just read. Reflect on it. But do so actively.

Read the Great Classics

“There is nothing that so greatly recreates the mind as the works of the old classic writers. After reading them for half an hour, we feel refreshed, purified, and elevated…”

Schopenhauer insists that we read the works of great minds. What could these be? He left no specific list, but loosely defined, it means any good book surpasses the author’s conversation: there is more to the words contained within.

He is not strict about this rule either. The works of simpler minds are worth reading too. But only if the book is the fruit of all thoughts and study of an author.

After finishing a classic or a good book, reread it. Any important book should be — immediately — read twice. The first time around, we won’t grasp the book in its entirety. The second time, we gain an advantage: we know the ending. Afterwards, we are no longer caught emotionally, we distance ourselves and our mood is different.

Avoid Bad Books

“One can never read too little of bad or too much of good books. Bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind.”

Good and bad books branch into two types of literature — the real and the apparent. Real literature is pursued by people who live for science and poetry. Meanwhile, apparent literature is pursued by those who live on science and poetry.

Real literature, whose works are produced only a handful per century, comes to stay. But don’t read the commentaries or gossip, read them first-hand — direct from the source.

Apparent literature, on the other hand, is like the gallop of the horses; it produces a lot of noise, but once it passes nobody asks who they are.

For Schopenhauer, it is folly and perverse that the public leaves the noblest and rarest minds unread. He criticizes most people for reading worthless books that multiply themselves like flies.

Why do people keep reading them? Because they want to read the newest books. The noisiest. Nine out of 10 books in Schopenhauer’s time were aimed at taking money. That was around 150 years ago. It still holds true.

We Are a Rough Gem

“No literary quality can be attained by reading writers who possess it.”

We don’t know whether within us is a sapphire, a ruby, or a diamond. It is not up to what we read, but up to polishing ourselves to see what we are made of.

Whether it is persuasiveness, imagination, drawing comparisons, characteristics of our voice, or personality, none can be taught by reading. When reading we recognize these characteristics, and if it is within us we can bring them forth and make them conscious.

The body assimilates what is homogeneous and retains what interests us.

For writers, reading does give us something: the boldness or inclination to use devices from those who’ve paved the way. We can see how these methods are used, portrayed, and measure their effect. We, then, use them to our advantage. We can learn the correct use of these techniques, but they cannot be taught.

Conclusion

Schopenhauer values quality over quantity. After reading a quality work, reread it. Remember to digest its contents and think about what the author is saying. Jotting down the main points or writing a quick summary is always a good idea.

Avoid bad books as they can be bad posture. They may warp your thinking. Finally, remember that you are unique, whatever you extract from the book depends a great deal on you.