Words of Wisdom

Here is something my grandfather once told me, and he often repeats it to me; he quotes Sir Francis Bacon: 

"Some books are meant 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 dilligence and attention."

The actual quote words are from http://saxonwithaxe.xanga.com/574627774/item/.

I am finding more and more that this is true.  There was a period of time from my 6th grade year to about a year ago where I felt a compulsion to finish every book I ever started, no matter how bad it was.  I am still trying to break this habit, and I have succeeded in discontinuing a few quite awful books (one after only reading three or five pages!).  That being said, I did discontinue one book during my period of obsessive readings of entire texts.  This was Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian, and I stopped about 70 pages in because I was having a thoroughly difficult time understanding the jargon and naval terminology.  I must have been 15 or so, and was not eager to do background research on ships of the time.  I had wanted to read it because of the movie that came out.  Now I am at the age where  (given the time) I would willingly find a book of British and Napoleonic ships and warfare and attempt to read O'Brian again...Well, I am rambling, and I would like to close with something else that my grandfather has assured me of: that I will never, as long as I live, read every book I would like to read.  While I know that Grandpa is completely correct in his assertion, I still have a notion that I might just get close to fulfilling my literary dreams.