The benefits of reading are felt by the heart first; deep in the snow of dedication, the Dao has already been transmitted. — Yuan Mei, Notes on the Su Garden
Imitating others leads to a dead end; creating your own self is the path to life.
Since ancient times, scholars have spared no effort; the work of youth matures in old age. What is gained from paper always feels shallow; to truly understand this matter, one must practice it personally.
Do not read without moving the brush and ink. — Xu Teli
Reading grants us much wisdom; practice grants us many methods.
Reading is like reclaiming land, clearing the brush and leveling the ground. Reading is like besieging a city, tunneling through to break through. Pursue the defeated enemy with remaining courage; contest every inch of land. Beat the落水 dog (drowning dog) thoroughly so it cannot escape again. Exclude its dregs, capture its essence. Only a reader who acts thus can be called an attacker. — Xie Jueze
Comrades who are unfamiliar with classical poetry will find it difficult to read at first. I suggest starting with annotated anthologies. Those truly beautiful poems are actually readable with just a slight ability to read Classical Chinese. — Ai Qing
Reading a learned friend is like reading rare books; reading an elegant friend is like reading famous poetry and prose; reading a prudent friend is like reading the classics of sages and worthies; reading a humorous friend is like reading chuanqi novels. — Zhang Chao
When you want to keep reading but gain nothing, temporarily set the book aside and read it again after some time. In the end, it will surely make sense to you. — James Bryce Pratt
Always keep a pencil and notebook by your side. Record every wonderful passage and phrase you encounter while reading books or poems.
There is no "shortcut" to reading. Without knowledge of elementary mathematics, we cannot understand higher mathematics; without a foundation in general political economy, we cannot read Das Kapital. Therefore, reading must follow a certain order. When we begin to read, we should adopt a sincere attitude and arrange our reading materials sequentially according to our current level. — Cao Fang
Reading bestows wealth upon us; even if offered all the treasures of India in exchange, he would not agree. For Macaulay as well, reading is an essential condition for happiness. — Edward Gibbon
We must use the shortest time and the least money to teach ordinary people to read good books and be good people. — Tao Xingzhi
There is no "shortcut" to reading. Without knowledge of elementary mathematics, we cannot understand higher mathematics; without a foundation in general political economy, we cannot read Das Kapital.
