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Why Write ?

Friday, September 30, 2005 | 09:50 AM

Terrific quote from Daniel Boorstin, who wrote 2 tomes that I really enjoyed -- The Discoverers, and The Creators -- over his years as Chief Librarian at the Library of Congress.

Here's the quote:

"Daniel Boorstin, the former librarian of Congress, used to rise at 5 each morning and write for two hours before going into the office.

"I write to discover what I think," he explained. "After all, the bars aren't open that early."

Mr. Boorstin's morning sessions were even more valuable than he realized. Writing not only clarifies what you already know; it is also an astonishingly effective way to learn something new."

Its so very true. When people ask me why I blog, the answer is that it helps me organize my thoughts, memorialize them, work them out.

In short, to discover what I think.

Source:
Students Discover Economics in Its Natural State
ROBERT H. FRANK
NYT, September 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/business/29scene.html

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» Why Blog? from BusinessPundit
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» Why Write ? from I, Hans.
The Big Picture: Why Write ?: "Daniel Boorstin, the former librarian of Congress, used to rise at 5 each morning and write for two hours before going into the office. "I write to discover what I think," he explained. [Read More]

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» Blogging for Clarity from blog.websolvers
This post makes a great point regarding the notion that blogging helps one to clarify his/her thoughts. The exercise of writing itself forces a person to refine a stream of consciousness. I might also extend this to the clarity that... [Read More]

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Comments

Great post... especially the part about the bars not being open that early.

Cheers,
John

Posted by: John Bott | Sep 30, 2005 11:16:29 AM

Barry: Another great post - I can definitely relate to Mr. Boorstin's comment, except to add that reading the intelligent comments of others help me clarify and sharpen my own thinking by discovering what I know and what I don't know (which is a lot)....

Posted by: Aaron | Sep 30, 2005 8:25:52 PM

So to avoid writing...move to somewhere where the bars never close.

Posted by: Kevin | Oct 1, 2005 6:20:38 PM

Hm. When did he shower and dress?

Posted by: Jon H | Oct 1, 2005 10:02:05 PM

Nice blog bro

Posted by: milf lessons | Jun 14, 2006 12:40:04 PM

good work...

Posted by: Josh | Jun 2, 2007 11:51:24 AM

good work...

Posted by: Josh | Jun 2, 2007 11:52:29 AM