--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I then completely gave up reading…" description: "\"“I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching television, which freed up a considerable amount of time (say one hour or more a day, enough..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg" --- # I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching… ![“I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching television, which freed up a considerable amount of time (say one hour or more a day, enough time to read more than a hundred additional books per year, which, after a couple of decades, starts mounting).” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg) > ““I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching television, which freed up a considerable amount of time (say one hour or more a day, enough time to read more than a hundred additional books per year, which, after a couple of decades, starts mounting).”” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Giving up passive media frees substantial time for deep reading, dramatically increasing knowledge and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Dropping TV and papers frees reading time. Key Takeaway Replace passive media with books. Themes productivity knowledge habit formation Mood reflective motivational Type self‑help inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - academic study - skill acquisition - daily routines Key Concepts time management cognitive enrichment Questions to Reflect On - What could you read instead of TV? - How much time could you reclaim? A Different Perspective The time saved may be offset by other obligations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Considerable Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considerable-time-2903025/) [Enough time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough-time/) [Freed Considerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freed-considerable-5606686/) [Gave Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-reading-568556/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Reading newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-newspapers/) [Television Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-freed-5606685/) ## Related quotes > [Many in the precariat know they have to spend considerable time just waiting for opportunities to arise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/many-in-the-precariat-know-they-have-to-spend-considerable-time-just/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [We are the masters at the moment and shall be for some considerable time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-shawcross/we-are-the-masters-at-the-moment-and-shall-be-for-some-considerable/) [Ryan Shawcross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-shawcross/) > [“When I read about the dangers of drinking, I gave up reading”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/when-i-read-about-the-dangers-of-drinking-i-gave-up-reading/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [When I was 14 a chaplain at school gave me a reading list. I read everything and I went back to him with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/when-i-was-14-a-chaplain-at-school-gave-me-a-reading-list-i-read/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [It was at this time that she entirely gave up on reading. The covers of books looked like coffins to her, either shabby or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/it-was-at-this-time-that-she-entirely-gave-up-on-reading-the-covers/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/when-i-read-about-the-evils-of-drinking-i-gave-up-reading/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [Reading isn't good for a ballplayer. Not good for his eyes. If my eyes went bad even a little bit I couldn't hit home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/reading-isn-t-good-for-a-ballplayer-not-good-for-his-eyes-if-my-eyes/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [Formula One gives a platform to companies like Rolex - and that's just in media space, watching television or reading newspapers, digital or physical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/formula-one-gives-a-platform-to-companies-like-rolex-and-that-s-just/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [I'm a news junkie who's constantly reading newspapers and magazines. I look around and see what's happening in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/i-m-a-news-junkie-who-s-constantly-reading-newspapers-and-magazines-i/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [Reading newspapers in the state of Maine is like paying somebody to tell you lies,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lepage/reading-newspapers-in-the-state-of-maine-is-like-paying-somebody-to/) [Paul LePage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lepage/) > [I grew up reading the newspapers, mostly the sports section. I was a wrestler and would check to see if I was ranked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/i-grew-up-reading-the-newspapers-mostly-the-sports-section-i-was-a/) [Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/) > [My doctors told me this morning my blood pressure is down so low that I can start reading the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/my-doctors-told-me-this-morning-my-blood-pressure-is-down-so-low-that/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I am an old consumer of papers. I cannot avoid reading my newspapers every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-am-an-old-consumer-of-papers-i-cannot-avoid-reading-my-newspapers/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Two hours on television just doesn't automatically happen. I'm up early, I'm reading newspapers online, talking to my staff, coming up with ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/two-hours-on-television-just-doesn-t-automatically-happen-i-m-up/) [Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/) > [You all would be really shocked, if you were dropped back down into when I went to college, by the narrowness of the opinions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/you-all-would-be-really-shocked-if-you-were-dropped-back-down-into/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Enough time quotes > [If I died If I died tonight would you notice? Would you even care? If I died tonight would you find it humorous? Would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-died-if-i-died-tonight-would-you-notice-would-you-even-care-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you spend too much time thinking about doing something, you won’t ever have enough time to experience it or feel it. And feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-lister/if-you-spend-too-much-time-thinking-about-doing-something-you-won-t/) [Ann Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-lister/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Man: You are all going to live... (Smith family cheers) Man: ... for 24 more hours. Which is just enough time for you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/american-dad/man-you-are-all-going-to-live-smith-family-cheers-man-for-24-more/) [American Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/american-dad/) > [“Artists are never poor, they just don't get enough time to make money !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmananda-patra/artists-are-never-poor-they-just-don-t-get-enough-time-to-make-money/) [Brahmananda Patra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmananda-patra/) > [We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-tsukiyama/we-live-a-short-enough-time-on-this-earth-a-man-should-do-what-he/) [Gail Tsukiyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-tsukiyama/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [If you really like Someone, there's no such things as not haveing enough Time for them…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-really-like-someone-there-s-no-such-things-as-not-haveing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m worried that I haven’t said a lot of this very well, and that we don’t have enough time for me to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dibdin/i-m-worried-that-i-haven-t-said-a-lot-of-this-very-well-and-that-we/) [Emma Dibdin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-dibdin/) > [My loves in life are food, history and rugby. I'd love to be a history professor or a rugby player but I prefer rugby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-wallace/my-loves-in-life-are-food-history-and-rugby-i-d-love-to-be-a-history/) [Gregg Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-wallace/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) [Amiea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiea/) > [I wish there were more minutes in an hour, more hours in a day, more days in a week, more weeks in a month,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-there-were-more-minutes-in-an-hour-more-hours-in-a-day-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/satire-is-tragedy-plus-time-you-give-it-enough-time-the-public-the/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) [Browse all 941 Enough time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching television, which freed up a considerable amount of time (say one hour or more a day, enough time to read more than a hundred additional books per year, which, after a couple of decades, starts mounting).”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspapers-and-watching-television/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enough time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspapers-and-watching-television/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_enough-time_i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspa_710809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I then completely gave up reading newspapers and watching television, which freed up a considerable amount…” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I then completely gave up reading...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspapers-and-watching-television/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-then-completely-gave-up-reading-newspapers-and-watching-television/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```