Quote of the Day: Robert E. Wood on the Classics

One summer a student of mine was working as assistant to a Texas Utility lineman who discovered that he was majoring in philosophy. "Philosophy!" he said. "I love Plato's Republic!" When asked what else he read in philosophy or even in Plato, he said, "Nothing, just the Republic. Whenever I finish it, I start all over again, rereading and rereading." The man had discovered a classic, a work that has been reread innumerable times by reflective readers throughout the centuries. As I tell my students, Aristotle gets smarter every time I read his work. Robert E. Wood in this book, page 181

I was delighted to find this story in Wood's book. Wood once told me part of this story in person. (My memories suggest some different wording, something along the lines of "He figured out what a classic is!" But definitely the same story.)

This is very true of many books. If only we all had time to read them all. Oh well--at least we can all read some of them, right?

What's one I've never read that some of you smart people out there might chide me over--and I might deserve it, too? Austen? Cervantes? King Lear?

And what's one classic from my neck of the woods that I'd recommend for all of you, one relatively short and accessible but also brilliant, beautiful, soul-healing, and very re-readable? I'm going with . . . The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius! Magnificent!

But you wanna know what Wood says in the next paragraph? Well, you're in luck because I'm about to tell you! He says . . .

But our ultimate aim has been to prepare the way for a deepened approach to the study of theology.

That's right. And here are some other things you could do: Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Read Genesis every week. Learn Greek and read the letters of John in the original--every day for the rest of your life. Those are classics. And they're even better than Plato!