Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgement and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshaling of affairs, come best from those that are learned.

To spend too much time in studies, is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgement only by their rules, is the humour of a scholar.They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. 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 makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And there fore, 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. Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathermatics, subtile; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend: Abeunt studia in mores. Nay, there is no stond or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies.

論讀書
--培根
讀書可以作為娛樂，作為裝飾，作為能力的培養。娛樂的作用通常見于離群獨處時；裝飾的作用體現在高談闊論中；至于才能，則表現在裁處事務上。行家里手雖能事無巨細--予以處理或判明是非，但運籌全局、合理謀劃則少不了茂士英才。讀書費時過多，無異于懶惰；裝飾之用過濫，顯得矯揉造作；辦事只知照本宣科，實為書呆子氣。讀書彌補天性的缺陷，經驗又彌補讀書的不足：人的天性猶如自然的花木，需要學習予以整枝培育；讀書自身無邊無際，需要經驗予以制約。取巧者蔑視學問，無知者羨慕學問，明智者運用學習；因為學問本身并沒有教人如何運用；運用的智慧不在書中，而在書外，全憑觀察所得。讀書時不要與作者作對，不要詰難他；但也不要輕信，以為書上什么都對；更不要尋章摘句，用來炫耀；而應該著意掂量，仔細斟酌。有的書可供品嘗，有的書只能吞食，少數的應該細細咀嚼，-一消化；那是說，有的書只需讀其中一部分；有的書用不著讀得太認真；但少數好書則需要認真細致地通讀。有的書還可以請人代讀，取其摘要就行；但這只限于不甚重要的論述和次等書籍；否則，經過摘錄的書猶如經過蒸餾的水，變得淡而無味了。讀書使人充實；交談使人機敏；摘錄使人精確。因此，一個人讀書時如果很少摘錄，則需有超群的記憶；如果他很少與人交談，則應有隨機應變之才；如果他很少讀書，則需要取巧有術，讓人覺得他并非孤陋寡聞。歷史使人聰明；詩歌使人機智；數學使人精密；哲理使人深刻；道德使人正經；邏輯與修辭使人能言善辯：總之，讀書能陶冶人的性情。讀書得當，決不會使人心智受損，只會益智增才。

※本文作者：佚名※