05 October 2017

Timeless Advice from Stephen Leacock


Bagdad on the Subway
Stephen Leacock
[n.p.]: [s.n.], 1916

Posted by Brian Busby at 12:00 AM
Labels: ,

6 comments:

  1. TracyK05 October, 2017 18:21

    Very good advice, thanks for sharing that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian Busby06 October, 2017 17:54

      I do like it. Makes me want to read a bit more O. Henry and Browning (but not Laura Jean Libbey).

      Delete
  2. Susan D05 October, 2017 23:43

    "...except tobacco"????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian Busby06 October, 2017 17:53

      Well, in 1916 it was claimed that smoking was good for you.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous06 October, 2017 01:43

    I don't know that I really agree with Leacock. I have learned more from books I did not find agreeable than the ones I did, because they make me figure out why I believe what I believe. If the book is hard to get through or uncongenial, at least I develop my self-discipline. You can't read Dante without learning a ton of new things. We should want more from our books than mere pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian Busby06 October, 2017 18:18

      I understood Leacock's advice to mean that one should read what one wants to read, rather than what one feels one should. That said, I do recognize: "If you like a book, and can read it for its one sake, then read it; if not, lay it aside." I'm a great believer in reading those I find uncongenial. Speaking of Ezra Levant, I've always maintained that writers can learn a great deal from bad writing. I can think of few books I've enjoyed reading more this year than his Trumping Trudeau: How Donald Trump Will Change Canada Even If Justin Trudeau Doesn't Know It Yet.

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)