The Big Idea: Reading Voraciously for Success

• billionaires read voraciously
• Warren Buffett reads 8 hours a day
• a rich man’s house always has a library — Jim Rohn
• Alexander the Great used to travel with a library
• survival machines that can simulate the future are one jump ahead of survival machines who can only learn by overt trial (takes time and energy) and error (can be fatal) — Richard Dawkins (The Selfish Gene)
• our brain is built to simulate instead of learning by trial and error
• people who only learn by trial and error will often quit because failure takes its toll
• books are the easiest way to learn from other people’s mistakes and lessons
• read Made in America by Sam Walton
• the best mentors (living and dead) are easily accessible by reading their books
• great leaders and successful people have a cabinet of advisors
• make war with a multitude of (wise) counselors
• don’t waste time reading random or new books until you’re done with the top 100 books
• 25% of the books you read should be about health
• just be consistent about reading, then later learn to speed read
• don’t worry about getting every point from every book the first time, you can return later
• read a how-to book to get drowsy for power naps
• read a biography right before bed to absorb the author’s courage
• classic fiction is also good right before bed
• most how-to books have one or two main points, which are in the intro chapter
• reread the greatest books until they are instinctive to you
• read one book a week at minimum

Tai Lopez is an entrepreneur, investor, and blogger who runs an awesome online book club. 67 Steps is a lecture series teaching how to be successful in health, wealth, love, and happiness.  I’m a big fan.