Read Books, Not Covers

If you read 12 books on one subject, you will become an expert. If you look at 12 covers* of books about the same subject, you will become a moron with an opinion.

Covers are loud. They are bold. They are impossibly simple. Covers have no room for nuance because nuance makes the world complicated. That’s why buying books and reading them are two different hobbies.

Stop glancing at covers. Read a book. Read it front to back. Use a highlighter. Write notes in the margin. Ask questions. Learn. You can’t fake your way to expertise. It’s built through hard, time-consuming work.

It’s worth the effort, though.

*Read this again, but replace the word “cover” with “headline”