The Single BEST Way to Get Smarter

“You’ll be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read,” was the motto of one of my mentors Charlie Tremendous Jones. One caveat I’d add: The people you meet may change your life all right—but they may not make you any smarter. Reading great books will.

Far too many people save the pleasure of reading for leisure time—and then blush to admit that they have so little of it. Then sometimes the issue is a mere unwillingness to spend the...