Bruce Springsteen was Born to Read

Regardless of what you do, if you don't read, you will never be able to reach your intellectual powers. 

October 27, 2020

“When you're young, you believe the world changes faster than it does. It does change, but it's slow. You learn to accept the world on its terms without giving up the belief that you can change the world. That's a successful adulthood—the maturation of your thought process and very soul to the point where you understand the limits of life, without giving up on its possibilities.” ― Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen released a new album last Friday, his 20th over a career that has spanned 47 years. When most people are retiring at age 71, Springsteen keeps churning out music with powerful, descriptive lyrics that flow from his observations of life around him. He truly writes from the heart.

But instead of penning a long novel, Springsteen writes words with cords, deriving ideas from his obsessive reading behavior that started after his first successful album. His manager, Jon Landau, told him that to achieve the sustainable success he craved, he would have to read constantly. So Springsteen became a reader after spending much of his young life as a television viewer. Springsteen began to fall in love with American novelist Flannery O'Conner. In an interview with Walker Percy's nephew, he explained his initial draw to O'Connor: "The really important reading that I did began in my late twenties, with authors like Flannery O'Connor. There was something in those stories of hers that I felt captured a certain part of the American character that I was interested in writing about. They were a big, big revelation.”

To understand Springsteen, you must understand his commitment to his craft. In that absolute commitment, Springsteen changed his habits. He went from watching “The Honeymooners” in his room alone to reading John Steinbeck, among many others, which helped his mind develop the character we have come to love in his music. Had Springsteen not listened to Landau, he might have still written songs, but there’s a strong chance those characters won't carry the same depth or impact. Springsteen is similar to Charlie Munger, or Warren Buffett, who learned early that reading was the most critical tool to achieve and sustain success. All three believe that regardless of what you do, if you don't read, you will never be able to reach your intellectual powers.

Here are 5 ways to read more often:

  1. Determine your monthly reading goal. Start slow and build a solid plan.

  2. Make a list of books to read each month.

  3. Read at least 20-30 pages a day.

  4. Invest in tools to help encourage reading.

  5. Make reading appointments.

Reading made a difference in Springsteen's life. He is still going strong after all these years. Even though he understands the limits of his life, he never has given up on the possibilities. We all must take his advice.

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