About this quote

People often take the simplest pleasures for granted until they face losing them. That sudden awareness can make you see how much a habit mattered without you noticing. Ask yourself when you last read just for the feel of it, not to finish something or check a box. If you want it back, give yourself a tiny, regular slot — five pages a day — and protect that time like an appointment.

When to use it

• During a late-night study session before finals: I told myself that line when I realized I'd been reading only to memorize facts, not for any pleasure.
• Reading to my five-year-old at bedtime: I used that sentence to explain why I always keep a book by my chair even on busy nights.
• After a job layoff and a week of unfocused days: I read the line aloud and promised to reclaim the novels I had shelved during long work years.
• At the optometrist after learning my vision would change: I said it to my partner to explain why losing the habit of reading felt like losing a part of my life.