Mortimer J. Adler Quotes
True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom in learning from books as well as from nature.
A lecture has been well described as the process whereby the notes of the teacher become the notes of the student without passing through the mind of either.
The complexities of adult life get in the way of the truth.
... always keep in mind that an article of faith is not something that the faithful assume. Faith, for those who have it, is the most certain form of knowledge, not a tentative opinion.
In the case of good books the point is not to see how many of them you can get through but rather how many can get through to you.
Enlightenment is achieved only when, in addition to knowing what an author says, you know what he means and why he says it.
You must be able to say "I understand, " before you can say "I agree, " or "I disagree, " or "I suspend judgment.
What reaches the heart without going through the mind is likely to bounce back and put the mind out of business.
In short, we can only learn from our "betters".
The mind can atrophy, like the muscles, if it is not used.
Most of us are addicted to non-active reading. The outstanding fault of the non-active or undemanding reader is his inattention to words, and his consequent failure to come to terms with the author.
From your point of view as a reader, therefore, the most important words are those that give you trouble.
The reader who fails to ponder, or at least mark, the words he does not understand is headed for disaster.
Don't try to resist the effect that a work of imaginative literature has on you.
The student can read as fast as his mind will let him, not as slow as his eyes make him.
In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.