“If you ask a living teacher a question, he will probably answer you. **If you are puzzled by what he says, you can save yourself the trouble of thinking by asking him what he means. If, however, you ask a book a question, you must answer it yourself.** In this respect a book is like nature or the world. When you question it, it answers you only to the extent that you do the work of thinking and analysis yourself.” ([Location 320](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004PYDAPE&location=320) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[self-reflection]], [[reading-books]], [[knowledge-workers]], **Source** -- [[20250103084100 - B - How to Read a Book]]