About this quote

Reading gives you private ways to try other lives and see other places without quitting your own. It’s a low-cost, low-risk way to test feelings and choices by spending hours inside someone else’s decisions. If routine has you boxed in, pick a book from a different country or era and notice how your sense of possibility shifts. Do one small thing: set aside two short reading sessions this week and treat them like short trips.

When to use it

• On the subway after a long day at the office I tell my friend, "I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place," and dive back into my book to stop replaying work problems.
• During finals I hide in a campus coffee shop and say to my roommate, "I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place," before returning to study with clearer focus.
• When the baby finally naps I whisper to my partner, "I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place," and spend the hour with a novel to recharge.
• After a long run I sit on a bench, catch my breath, and read a short story while thinking, "I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place," which keeps me grounded and calm.