How to Get the Most Out of Reading (A Stoic Guide)
Ryan Holiday shares a Stoic approach to reading, arguing that quality and retention matter far more than how many books you finish.
The gist
-
Focus on ideas retained rather than books finished, and reread important works instead of skimming hundreds of mediocre ones.
-
Underline, take notes, and argue with authors as you read to turn a passive habit into something that sticks.
-
Use the 100-pages-minus-your-age rule to quit books guilt-free when they stop teaching or challenging you.
-
Tackle dense, ambitious books that take weeks to finish, and seek out authors who contradict your existing views.
What they recommend · 11 picks
Books
8 picks · Ryan Holiday ·Ryan's books →
"One of the series I'm proudest of reading — not just Robert Caro's The Power Broker, but the series on Lyndon Johnson. This is a year's worth of reading for most people. It took..."
"One of the series I'm proudest of reading — not just Robert Caro's The Power Broker, but the series on Lyndon Johnson. This is a year's worth of reading for most people. It took..."
"What I love to dive into is a big biography. There's Chernow's Grant, Hamilton, and Mark Twain book."
Ryan, Andrew and Tom agree on 6 things
See what they all use, in their own words. Paid ads are left out.
See what they all swear by Or pick your own peopleProductivity
3 picks · Ryan Holiday ·Ryan's productivity →
"This is the note card system that I learned from my teacher, Robert Greene. So, I read books, I'm an active reader, I'm taking notes, I'm folding pages, and then what I'm doing,..."
"Great readers know when to quit a book. My favorite rule is 100 pages minus your age."
"Keep a commonplace book. Collect the thoughts, the wisdom, the ideas that strike you so you can access them easily. Marcus Aurelius' Meditations in a way is his commonplace book."
Also mentioned
Related episodes
Episodes covering similar topics
More from Ryan Holiday