Throughout history, there have been philosophers, poets, artists, writers, world leaders, explorers, actors, inventors, and others who have lived extraordinary lives and have a wealth of wisdom to share. Many of these great people died long ago, but they live on through their written works. Reading lets us hang out with and learn from the greatest people who ever lived. If you want, you can learn about the theory of relativity from Albert Einstein himself, or listen to Shakespeare read you his poetry. You can kick it with Aristotle, or Vincent Van Gogh, or Virginia Wolf. When we read books, we are gifted the wisdom it took other people sometimes an entire lifetime to acquire. Books portals to the innermost thoughts, feelings, and ideas of the people whose fearless actions enriched and shaped the world we know today.