David McCullough
presented an address at Boston College on May 19, 2008. The topic of his
discourse was “The Love of Learning.” I was assigned last week to read and annotate his talk. This was my first time
to read his remarks, and I was quite impressed by it. I want to share some of
his ideas with you.
There is much information in our
world today, but information is not learning. McCullough says, “Learning is not
to be found on a printout. It’s not on call at the touch of the finger.
Learning is acquired mainly from books, and most readily from great books. And
from teachers, and the more learned and empathetic the better. And from work,
concentrated work.”
McCullough obviously knows that
nothing is gained without time and effort. One must work in order to learn, and
it does not matter what the task is. We could ask any young child who is
learning to read or write or do math. Learning is work, and work takes time! We
can learn from good books, through great teachers, and by work.
The author quotes Abigail Adams
as saying more than 200 years ago: “Learning is not attained by chance. It must
be sought with ardor and attended with diligence.” Then he says, “Ardor, to my mind, is the key word.”
Merriam-Webster defines ardor as “warmth of feeling, extreme vigor or energy.” Thus, McCullough
titled his address “The Love of Learning.”
McCullough describes the writing
of his biography of John Adams and how he wanted to read what John and Abigail
Adams read. He did this because “We’re all what we read to a very considerable
degree.” In his quest to read the books read by President and Mrs. Adams, he
read many books, including Cervantes who wrote Don Quixote, a book that I have not yet read.
Did you know that many of our
common sayings come from Cervantes? “Cervantes is part of us, whether we know
it or not. Declare you’re in a pickle; talk of birds of a feather flocking
together; vow to turn over a new leaf; give the devil his due, or insist that
mum’s the word, and you’re quoting Cervantes every time.”
McCullough quotes Thomas
Jefferson as writing, “I cannot live without books,” to John Adams. Jefferson
and Adams were friends and shared a love for reading. John Adams once told his
son John Quincy to “Always carry a book with you on our travels.”
Speaking to the graduates of
Boston College, McCullough offers similar counsel: “Make the love of learning central
to your life…. If what you have learned here makes you want to learn more, well
that’s the point….Read. Read. Read. Read the classics…. Read our country’s
history…. Read into the history of Greece and Rome. Read about the great
turning points in the history of science and medicine and ideas.
“Read for pleasure…. But take
seriously – read closely – books that have stood the test of time. Study a
masterpiece, take it apart, study its architecture, its vocabulary, its intent.
Underline, make notes in the margins, and after a few years, go back and read
it again.
“Make use of the public
libraries. Start your own personal library and see it grow. Talk about the
books you’re reading. Ask others what they’re reading. You’ll learn a lot….”
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