Quote of the Day by Malcolm X: ‘I could spend the rest of my life reading…’

“My alma mater was books, a good library… I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”

This quote by African American revolutionary and civil rights activist Malcolm X from The Autobiography of Malcolm X emphasises the importance of books in one's life. It suggests how books carried a significant meaning in Malcolm X's life as his main source of information, showing his deep love for learning and the power of self-education.

As the world today stays absorbed in their mobile phones, constantly consuming a variety of content, the importance of books has quietly diminished. Everything you want to know now is just a Google away.

Unlike the content we consume on social media offering fleeting attention, books offer something that digital media cannot – depth.

The quote underscores curiosity and reaching out to the vast knowledge which even a 100-page book can impart. Knowledge taken from books can be lifelong and self-directed – where learning is not confined to grades or degrees but is an ongoing journey of discovery, fueled by curiosity.

They offer feedom to explore any topic, offering the readers to form one’s own understanding of the world.

Takeaway 2: When the world feels overwhelming and uncertain, books remain a constant source of comfort and clarity – take your pick from Charlie Mackesy's The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Takeaway 3: In this fast-paced world, books teach us patience and focus. When you read a book, you slow down, you pay attention – just what everyone needs today.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Literary Theory by Terry Eagleton

The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

An Autobiography by Jawaharlal Nehru