Almost two years ago, I dropped a newsletter edition that was titled, “I’ve Read 39,373 Pages—Here’s My Favorite One”.

Now, after two years, I’ve read just shy of 60,000 pages over my lifetime of reading. As cool of a number it is, it wasn’t until I started doing the math that I recently began to regret it.

Let’s say the average page is about 275 words and it takes me about 45 seconds to read—to be conservative. If my numbers are right, I’ve spent roughly 750 hours reading over the last seven years. That’s equivalent to reading every hour of every day for one whole month.

And it got me thinking. There’s a lot of stuff you can accomplish in one month of focused work besides reading.

I’m not necessarily saying I wish I never started reading in the first place. But, I wish I didn’t spend the last seven years spending so much time reading books that I would never refer back to.

I used to read 50+ books a year, but now, I’m only aiming to read less than half that in 2025. Not only am I more selective with what I’m reading. But it’s also less nerve-wracking knowing I have a type of quota to reach every month.

I just got to the point to where it didn’t mean as much to me anymore. I still love to read. But for once, it’s now a hobby and not a chore.

And the real question is, what the hell am I going to do with 60,000 pages worth of information?

Back in the 1800’s, a parable of a situation similar to this was written by a Japanese master named Nan-in.

There was once a university professor who went to visit a Zen master. The professor wanted to learn about Zen but never seemed to let the master speak. He was continuously talking about philosophy, theories, and books. About all the knowledge he had accumulated over the years.

The Zen master listened quietly, then offered the man some tea.

He grabbed the tea pot next to him, and began to pour it in a small cup. He poured and poured until it began to overflow. Tea began spilling onto the table, and then onto the floor.

Still, the master kept pouring.

The professor finally shouted, “It’s full! No more will go in!”

The Zen master stopped and said, “Exactly. You are like this cup—so full of opinions and information that nothing more can go in. To learn, you must first empty your cup.”

And in some unfortunate ways, I feel like I relate to the professor. Someone who’s spent years learning everything there is to know about everything but missing the idea behind enjoying the time and patience it takes to get there.

All I’m getting at is, even though we live one life, don’t feel like you need to be the smartest person in the room. Don’t feel as though you need to read every book and take every course as a way to validate yourself.

Life isn’t about learning through books. Life is about learning through experience.

So if I had one piece of advice, it’d be to read for fun and whenever you’re at a stage in your life where you need guidance on something you’re working on. Besides that, learn outside the written word. Keep your mind open. And remember that wisdom isn’t about how much you take in—it’s about how much you live out.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m now reading Epictetus’ book titled The Enchiridion. A type of cliff-notes written by his student Arrian based off his book Discourses.

Quote Of The Week - “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” — Jordan Belfort