Now and then I am asked as to “what books a statesman should read,” and my answer is, poetry and novels — including short stories under the head of n… - Theodore Roosevelt

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Now and then I am asked as to “what books a statesman should read,” and my answer is, poetry and novels — including short stories under the head of novels. I don’t mean that he should read only novels and modern poetry. If he cannot also enjoy the Hebrew prophets and the Greek dramatists, he should be sorry. He ought to read interesting books on history and government, and books of science and philosophy; and really good books on these subjects are as enthralling as any fiction ever written in prose or verse.