"To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any other exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent, the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object."
--Henry David Thoreau
I like this quote because it highlights that reading isn't just an activity for pleasure. If a good story is all you ever get out of reading, you aren't reading well. This doesn't discount the benefits of a good story; there is a time and place for that. But it also points the way to something richer and deeper. It shows that we must be actively thinking, pondering, and wondering as we read. This is reading well.
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