“ Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. ”
Francis Bacon, The Essays of Francis Bacon (1597). copy citation
| Author | Francis Bacon |
|---|---|
| Source | The Essays of Francis Bacon |
| Topic | reading writing precision |
| Date | 1597 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/575/575-h/575-h.htm |
Context
“Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know, that he doth not.”
source
Meaning and analysis
