On Reading Slowly

Against speed reading and in defense of taking your time with books.

The modern world is obsessed with speed. We want faster internet, faster cars, faster food, faster results. This obsession has infected even our reading habits, with speed reading techniques promising to help us consume books at breakneck pace.

But what if speed is the enemy of understanding? What if the point of reading isn't to get through as many books as possible, but to engage deeply with the ideas they contain?

Reading slowly isn't about being inefficient—it's about being present. When you read slowly, you give yourself time to think, to question, to connect ideas. You allow the author's words to sink in and take root in your mind.

Speed reading, by contrast, is often just a form of skimming. You might get the gist of what the author is saying, but you miss the nuances, the implications, the deeper layers of meaning. You consume information without digesting it.

The best books are meant to be savored, not devoured. They contain ideas that need time to unfold, arguments that need to be followed carefully, insights that only reveal themselves to patient readers.

This isn't to say that all reading should be slow. Sometimes you need to skim a news article or quickly reference a manual. But for books that matter—books that have the potential to change how you think—slow reading is essential.

When you read slowly, you're not just consuming content. You're having a conversation with the author. You're thinking alongside them, questioning their assumptions, testing their arguments. You're making the book your own.

The goal isn't to read more books—it's to read better books, and to read them better. A single well-read book is worth more than a dozen speed-read books. It's the difference between having information and having wisdom.

So slow down. Take your time. Let the words sink in. The books will wait for you.