Mark Twain put it beautifully when he said:
"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."
If a book is worth reading, it's worth re-reading time, and time, and time again.
The weird and wonderful thing about re-reading books is that the content within the pages never changes, but you do as a person.
Your understanding of things grows over time, you pick up on details you missed before, and specific themes that didn't have any meaning the first time around all of a sudden change how you think.
Some books, as they say, are like fine wine: they get better with time.
Here are 3 of them books…
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
It's incredible how some books turn up at the perfect time in one's life.
For me, one of those books was Seneca's Letters from a Stoic.
I remember it as clear as day when I first bought myself a copy on my Kindle, and as they say, the rest is history.
In Letters from a Stoic, Seneca writes a series of letters to his friend, Lucilius, basically advising him on how to become a better human being.
What's so special about Letters from a Stoic is that even though Seneca was writing to his friend nearly 2000 years ago, at the time it felt like he was writing directly to me in a time when I required so much-needed guidance.
Whenever I feel anxious, a bit down in the dumps, and in need of guidance, Letters from a Stoic is always one of the first books I turn to.
Here's a short snippet from Letters from a Stoic…
"Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them."
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm is considered one of the greatest books ever written, and its author, George Orwell, is one of the most brilliant and respected authors in history.
At Animal Farm, the animals are well and truly fed up.
Not only are they sick of breaking their backs from working so hard, but they are also sick of being mistreated by their owner, whom they deem cruel.
They dream of a rebellion and a life where animals rule the roost.
A world where every animal is free to live a better, more fruitful life.
Eventually, that rebellion becomes a reality, and the animals manage to overthrow their owner.
Now, Animal Farm is under their control, and everything they dreamed of can come true.
Except it doesn't, and life on Animal Farm isn't anything like they hoped it would be.
In fact, everything is much, much worse than they could ever have imagined.
Animal Farm really is the epitome of a book that ages like a fine wine and tastes better every time you read it.
Not only is it downright phenomenal, but it's also downright horrifying, and frightening as it is, you can't help but see the resemblances between the fictional Animal Farm and the real modern-day world.
Here's a short snippet from Animal Farm…
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Creating art isn't hard.
Sitting your ass down to create art is hard.
The War of Art, written by Steven Pressfield, is pretty much regarded as a creator's and entrepreneur's bible.
In the book, Pressfield outlines how to force our way through periods when we lack creativity and times when it feels like we're trying to move an immovable object.
That immovable force is what Pressfield perfectly labels: Resistance.
The beauty of Resistance is that it's non-discriminatory, and no matter who we are, how successful and great we think we are, it rears its ugly head to every one of us.
Luckily for us, though, we have The War of Art to prepare us for when Resistance is knocking on the door.
If I could give anyone who does any form of creative work, who's lacking inspiration and feels like they're not getting anywhere, without a doubt, the first book I'd give them is The War of Art.
Here's a short snippet from The War of Art…
"Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it."
Want to be notified whenever I publish a new article? Click here.
Also, become part of a growing community and subscribe to my Substack for absolutely free!