Ray Bradbury

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.  Just get people to stop reading them."

— Ray Bradbury

American Novelist

1920 -

If you have read Fahrenheit 451, you will understand the irony of this statement.  Fahrenheit 451 is about a culture where books are burned.  And if you haven't read it, you should.  But Bradbury is correct.  Not reading books is even more dangerous than burning them.  If a person doesn't read, he is limiting his understanding of the world around him and the pleasure he can find in inhabiting another world.

In my classes I often meet business people who admit to not reading a book about since school.  This is very sad and senseless.  Books help us understand the past so that we are better prepared for the future.  Books teach us and educate us about the world in which we live.  I tell people if they want to understand what makes people tick, they should read novels.  For novelists to be able to tell a great story, they have to understand at some level what makes people tick.

I am also surprised by want-to-be writers who don't read.  This is particularly true of some people who write poetry.  They say they write it but don't read it.  A curious fact.

As creative leaders, we need to be constantly learning and growing.  Books are one avenue for learning?  When was the last time your read a book?  What books are you reading now?  What are your favorite books?

This video of Ray Bradbury is a must see for all lovers of books and lovers of the work of Ray Bradbury.