“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

— Anonymous

When we were young, the teachers in our elementary school often told us not to write down anything on our books.

Forget them now, the books that you have bought are your properties, you have full rights to take notes on them.

Underlining, highlighting, or writing notes on the margin of the book is not only to highlight important sentences or summarize ideas but helps you to be more active in reading.

Active reading will also help to remember ideas longer.

The value of a book is not the physical book or paper with printed text on it. The value of the book is what valuable lessons you can learn from it and can apply them practically.

I also do believe that the authors of the books will be much happier when they know that the readers are interested in their works by taking notes on the book. It is a sort of active reading.

Important:

Please DO NOT take notes on public library books. They are not your properties.

So forget the teachers that yielded at you and also encourage your children or kids around you to take notes directly on the books, if they wish to do so. No problems if the book is his or her property (or your properties).

Life is short. Reading time is also limited. So don’t spend time reading bullshit resources. The value of news, even it is useful, normally will not last long with time. You will forget about them after a short time. Spend your limited reading time to read other valuable books instead.

Choose the books that have passed the test of time. Time will filter empty promise books from the great ones. Normally good books are old books that passed the test of time.

Read the best ones a few times or more.

Never read a book with an empty mind.

Unknown

So take notes as many as you need. Then, start to apply them in your real life if it is possible.

In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”

— Charlie Munger

Pick a great book today, and start a new lifelong habit: reading at least 25 pages/day.