We all admire erudite people. How to become the same? The answer is simple - read more!
But you won’t be able to stay within your favorite genre. If you want to become erudite, you need to force yourself to explore the unknown shelves of bookstores.
Here are 14 timeless books covering a wide range of topics: politics, science, history, culture and more.
1. Classic: George Orwell, "1984"
George Orwell wrote this anti-communist novel in 1948, describing life in London 36 years later. He predicted a totalitarian state where the government, "Big Brother", is always watching everyone and dictating to a person what to say and what to think.
Some of his predictions have come true - for example, there are cameras everywhere in our cities, and we are searched from time to time to make sure that we do not have weapons on us.
This book is a must read - it talks about the consequences of giving the government too much control over citizens and their lives.
2. Pop culture: JK Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”
If you haven't read this or the next six books in the Harry Potter series, run to the bookstore.
The novel is about a boy who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard and goes to study at Hogwarts School of Wizardry.
3. Pop Culture: John Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
4. History: Anne Frank, “Refuge. Diary in letters"
5. Science: Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species
The work on the theory of evolution revolutionized science and became the cornerstone of modern biology.
Even if you do not agree with Darwin's theory, you still need to read the book - just for self-education.
And if the evolutionary view is close to you, it is even more worth reading “The Origin of Species” to better understand the theory.
6. Science: Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
This book by the famous theoretical physicist and cosmologist was published in 1988.
In it, Hawking offers clear explanations of modern scientific concepts - time travel, general relativity and the history of the creation of the Universe.
7. Science: Bill Bryson, A Brief History of Almost Everything
Interestingly, the author is not a scientist. He was just very curious and decided that he wanted to understand science, and then he wrote this book to make the path easier for his followers.
8. Philosophy: Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
"The Art of War" was written in the 5th century BC. e., but remains relevant today.
The author is the military strategist Sun Tzu, and his work was a textbook on military affairs. But over time, people have discovered that the techniques described in the book are useful in times of peace, and the recommendations to “know yourself” and “know your enemy” help to achieve success in a variety of situations.
The book contains 13 chapters describing various aspects of military affairs, and sports coaches, lawyers and entire corporations use the valuable advice of the ancient commander today.
9. Philosophy: Robert Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
This book helps you understand and use philosophical concepts in real life. It tells the story of a father and son who travel through the American northwest on a motorcycle.
There's a ton of timeless advice here to help you live a more fulfilling and happy life.
10. Art: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
The plot of this play revolves around two young lovers whose families are at odds with each other. The story of forbidden love has become a vital part of world culture.
11. Technology: Walter Isaacson, "Steve Jobs"
This fascinating biography is based on years of work, personal interviews with Steve Jobs and more than a hundred of his acquaintances: family members, friends and colleagues.
The book, written by Isaacson at Jobs's request, explains why the Apple co-founder had such a simultaneously magnetic and intimidating nature, and tells the story of how Apple and Pixar were built and how they became the huge companies we know today.
This is a look at the technical industry from the inside, and a source of inspiration that can help you rethink a lot, and a fascinating story about the life of an interesting person.
12. Psychology: David McRaney, "You're Not That Smart"
This book shows that, without realizing it, we are always under the influence of certain psychological attitudes, and it is impossible to get rid of this influence, no matter how hard you try.
His investment philosophy teaches you to make informed decisions that can bring significant profits in the long term.
Ecology of life: What is literacy. Is it only the correct spelling of words and the correct use of punctuation marks? I'm sure it's something more.
Is literacy important for a person? And for a writer?Should you become a writer if you have problems with literacy - errors in words and punctuation marks, confusion in formulating thoughts on paper?
This article is about the fact that most often the ability to express thoughts colorfully and accurately on paper goes hand in hand with literacy..
It is important to understand how to improve personal literacy, whether this can be done, and what steps to take to achieve this. The benefits of literacy are obvious, since in the age of unprecedented development of technology and virtual communication, people have partially lost the sense of their native language and forgotten the language rules.
This text is intended to remind you of the benefits of reading, the importance of maintaining the purity of language; will talk about ways to improve your own literacy not only in order to start writing correct articles, but also for general personal development. Without a high level of knowledge of the native language, there is no full-fledged, accomplished and cultured person.
“If culture is a home,” he said, then language is the key and
to the front door, and to all the rooms inside.
Without a tongue, he said, you will get lost, you will remain homeless,
without full self-identity.”
H. Hosseini “And it flies through the mountains”
At the end of last year, a colleague asked me how to become literate. She tries to write posts for social networks, she always has a lot of interesting ideas swarming in her head, but there are huge problems with literacy! And not only with punctuation marks, but also with the wording of the phrases themselves. And as far as I can see from the people I communicate with at work, this is a common sore spot.
Unfortunately, today's trend is that people make mistakes more and more often, more and more often they cannot quickly and clearly formulate their thoughts in order to put them on paper. People don’t know how to write concise letters, and then they are surprised that no one answered their letters. General literacy has deteriorated greatly.
I had a “funny” incident. When almost 10 years ago my future husband and I filled out an application for marriage in the registry office, the registry office employee could not hide her delight and surprise when she accepted our completed application. Seeing our bewilderment, she immediately explained that in a long time we were the first couple to fill out the application correctly the first time. Sad.
Let's remember our main question: is it worth starting to write something, thinking about future writing, if you have problems with literacy? My unequivocal answer is – it’s worth it. But you just need to start writing for yourself, without dreaming of the glory of a writer. First, you need to get into a certain shape (like athletes), which will later allow you to write for others, and not on the table. But in order to get into shape, you need to work hard, until you sweat.
And before moving on to the essence of our question, I propose to formulate for yourself what literacy is. Is it only the correct spelling of words and the correct use of punctuation marks? I'm sure it's something more.
Yes, the absence of errors is important, of course. And it is advisable to have innate literacy or some kind of inner sense that helps to write words correctly and choose commas correctly. But this is not all that for me is included in the broad concept of “literacy.” It is important to feel the language, to understand in what situations or contexts certain words, phrases and expressions should and can be used. This also includes life experience, erudition, observation, and curiosity. Without this, a person cannot be fully literate.
So,Is it possible to improve your literacy level and how to do it?
Yes, you can and should do this throughout your life.
I suggest the following 10 steps to improve personal literacy:
1. Constantly turn to special resources-assistants.
3. Get yourself a Russian language dictionary in the format of a reference book.
4. Solve crosswords and puzzles.
5. Write dictations.
6. Attend literacy courses.
7. Submit written texts to a literacy test
8. When in doubt about the spelling of words, it is better to replace the word, a phrase with a similar meaning, or check the spelling with colleagues or friends.
9. You need to practice writing texts a lot. It’s better to start with simple short stories about everything. Here you can take the akyn’s rule - what I see, I sing. The main thing is simplicity. Don't invent topics, don't take too complex subjects to describe, just look around. For variety, you can write down your dreams. This is doubly useful
10. Write expositions. Do you remember from school what this is? This is a written retelling of a short story in your own words. It is useful to combine reading with writing. We read a short story, rewrote it in our own words, and then compared it with the original.
The main thing is to exercise daily, then progress will not be long in coming. Good luck!
How to become a smart girl, an interesting and erudite conversationalist? Modern girls, oddly enough, have a desire to be not only beautiful and sexy, but also smart. Moreover, it is the presence of intelligence that gives modern young ladies the right to be filled with self-esteem.
Someone will offer the argument that intelligence is an innate quality. Perhaps this is true. But every girl can develop her erudition and become more intellectually perfect. The only important thing is to really want it.
The mind can be conventionally described as a body of knowledge. And in order for someone to say that you are an intelligent person, you really have to know a lot. This cannot be achieved if you do not expand your own horizons constantly, and not from time to time.
Eloquence will be a great opportunity to show others your mental abilities. But most often he also has to deliberately learn. And for this it is not enough to look through the explanatory dictionary. Fortunately, thanks to the tips described below, you will cope with this difficulty with dignity.
- Reading
It is possible to develop your intelligence and eloquence by reading books regularly. But it is better to refrain from currently popular romance novels and hastily written detective stories. Nobody dares to challenge other people's tastes.
But not any of the books for developing the mind and eloquence skills will be useful. Various kinds of encyclopedias will have a positive impact in this regard and will help in becoming smarter. Studying such books is a very exciting activity. Try to choose those encyclopedias that at least roughly relate to the topics that interest you. This way you combine benefits and a pleasant pastime.
Of course, it is useful to read philosophical literature. Ancient philosophers tried to capture a lot of interesting things and personal considerations in the form of literary sources. Of course, philosophical categories for understanding may not be given immediately. But everything that at first seems complex and completely incomprehensible to perceive will gradually become elementary with continued practice. By reading philosophical works and learning to understand them, you will be able to join the minds of the great.
In your everyday life, this will find expression in the fact that your own reasoning will become more logical and reasonable. It is likely that you will be able to form your own clear and fairly realistic position in life, or at least an opinion on a number of important issues. A natural consequence of this will be certain changes in your worldview.
It is very useful to read articles and books on psychology. Humans are extremely complex creatures. And many of us are completely incapable of reacting correctly to the words or actions of others, not knowing what psychological personality traits are hidden behind them. And by reading books on psychological topics, you will certainly learn to understand all the subtleties inherent in the human mind.
Such study will only benefit you. After all, even in order to be able to present yourself correctly and form a worthy impression of yourself to others, you need to know about at least some forms of presenting information. Psychology will allow you to become truly smart, and not just arrogant. This will make you a higher-flying person in the eyes of others.
- TV
Not all book information seems attractive to people due to the need to read for hours. If you belong to this category and want to become smarter, then you can watch educational TV shows to broaden your horizons. The number of television channels and the programs they broadcast today is enormous. And besides entertaining shows and series, it is quite possible to find something that will contribute to the acquisition of mental skills and knowledge. Always choose watching, for example, a program about animals, rather than some cooking show.
- Internet
A huge information space allows you to find an answer to almost any question. If you don’t know something or have heard some unfamiliar term, do not put it off until tomorrow, but immediately satisfy your curiosity and find out the information you are interested in, thereby expanding your knowledge base.
- Develop memory and cunning
You will become more intelligent if you periodically develop your memory as well as your cunning. The knowledge gained will not be of much use if your memory is, as they say, worthless. Well developed, she will be a great helper in your life. And not only for the reason that you will be able to remember every little thing.
Thanks to your developed memory, you will establish yourself in your eloquence. After all, it won’t be difficult for you to remember some clever quote from a recently read work and deftly insert it into the conversation. It is appropriate to talk about such a trick here. If you can't remember something, then never say it out loud.
Searching for the necessary information in the depths of your memory will not give you authority if in the end you “did not produce” the desired result. Better use a cunning closely related to the mind. It will allow you to deftly and quite decently avoid answering. Being cunning in some matters is generally very useful. A true woman should always be a little cunning. This quality has always allowed women to achieve what they need from men.
- Try writing a book
You will be able to develop your eloquence and your own mind faster if you start writing a book. This is not a necessary condition, but it greatly facilitates the task of developing mental abilities. This activity will allow you to improve your grammar. And for smart people with such a quality as literacy, everything should be in perfect order.
Writing your own book will also allow you to gain the skill of expressing your thoughts clearly, concisely, beautifully and with utmost clarity. By constantly updating and expanding your vocabulary, and this is absolutely necessary to do so that the sentences of your speech are not of the same type and, as they say, dry, you will also latently develop your imagination. And a developed imagination will always serve as a generator of new ideas. As a result, others will perceive you not only as very smart, but also as a creative thinker.
Perhaps writing a book will become a prerequisite for the formation of your individual style. Meanwhile, it is the individual style that is clearly visible from the first lines that is a very valuable skill. They can rightfully be proud. But for most it appears only with experience. Of course, at first you will consider writing your own book just as a hobby. But who knows, maybe this activity will open up broad horizons for you in the art of writing. Most famous authors started this way.
- Learn to speak correctly
It is not so important to become a smart girl, as it is important to show your intelligence to others. Having learned to express your thoughts beautifully and extremely clearly on paper, clearly expressing your thoughts out loud will not be an issue. In the art of oratory, it is recommended to practice in front of a mirror. Practice clear pronunciation. To do this, you can read aloud the texts you created yourself. Gradually your voice will become more confident and smooth.
It is quite easy to find a suitable opportunity for practice. The main thing is to find a person with similar interests, so that the conversation really goes on at the proper level, and does not represent ordinary chatter about trifles.
Communication will also allow you to obtain new pieces of information on topics that interest you. Communication is extremely important also because, in the pursuit of knowledge and developed eloquence, it is easy to become a very closed person, as if cut off from real life.
And even without direct communication, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to find out how smart, well-read and eloquent a person you have become. By choosing smart people to communicate with, you can clearly assess what else you need to strive for. And it is not at all necessary to copy such an “ideal” person. It will be useful to you as a new source of information.
Of course, today the required amount of information can be easily obtained from the Internet. However, you will remember knowledge conveyed by real people and addressed individually to you better. An excellent mind is not only about the amount of knowledge and the ability to recall it at the right time.
- Develop your thinking
Intelligence presupposes, first of all, a trained brain. If you want to become smarter, various logic problems, crosswords, unusual tasks, puzzles and other developmental exercises will be great helpers in this regard. From them, the performance of your brain can always remain at the proper level. As a result, in life you will be able to demonstrate to others your original ideas and non-standard format of thoughts.
It is generally not recommended to follow patterns in life. They inevitably narrow the range of our possibilities. But a non-standard approach to solving problems brings tangible benefits. With experience, you will develop such a characteristic as unpredictability. And by the way, she is highly valued by all men, as is wit.
Finally, it must be said that in pursuit of developed intelligence and skills in terms of eloquence, one should not forget about one’s own health. Excessive passion for intellectual improvement often leads to a person literally burning out. And then there will be no benefit from a remarkable mind. Therefore, when training your brain activity, be sure to give yourself rest.
Fresh air, quality sleep and proper nutrition should be mandatory companions in your life. Only in combination with them will intelligence and eloquence have a positive impact on your life. We answered the question: how to become smarter as a modern girl. Now it’s up to you - boldly get down to business and you will definitely become an intelligent and interesting person.
To reinforce this, watch this interesting video.
Children learn a foreign language playfully, in parallel with their general development. Scientists associate this with the characteristics of memory and psyche.
For an adult, learning a foreign language is always a challenge. And always a huge benefit. This is an excellent workout for the brain and prevents memory loss in old age. You will also be able to communicate with people from different countries and expand your horizons.
Method 2. Read more
When our parents needed new information, they opened a book. Generations Y and Z gain new knowledge on the Internet. The volume of reading may not have decreased, but the quality often suffers. After all, books are read thoughtfully and sequentially, but articles are usually simply scrolled with the eyes.
Subordinate your reading to a plan: make a list of books, distribute them by areas of knowledge and genres. Services like or Livelib will help you create such a list. Then methodically read the books one after another. Just do it right - use .
Method 3. Turn to art
Art is not only contemplation. With its help you can develop perception and thinking.
Choose for yourself some area of human cultural activity and try to understand it. For example, fine art. Visit exhibitions, watch documentaries, read biographies of artists. Gradually you will begin to understand painting, and at the same time you will learn a lot and take a new look at social processes.
Method 4. Watch video lectures
Method 5. Watch smart TV shows
Users of the World Wide Web often associate television with evil. Today it is even fashionable to boast: “We don’t have a TV at home!”
Indeed, the quality of content on many channels leaves much to be desired, but there are alternatives. For example, Discovery. This TV channel produces very high-quality popular science programs that cannot be legally downloaded on the Internet.
Watch scientific programs in the foreign language you are studying - this is double brain training.
Method 6: Play video games
Contrary to popular opinions about harm, computer games develop reaction, imagination and logical thinking. Scientific studies have shown that children who play video games get higher grades than their peers.
Playing complex quests is like solving puzzles. The player has to make difficult decisions in a short time, choosing the lines of plot development. And it powerfully trains the brain.
Method 7. Solve puzzles
If video games are still not your thing, buy a good old Rubik's cube, tangram or puzzle. Alternatively, download .
Puzzles “rejuvenate” the brain, develop memory, thinking and perseverance. They are also excellent time killers: if you get carried away, you can spend more than one hour solving the puzzle. What else do you need on a train or plane?
Method 8. Make new acquaintances
Networking not only helps you build a career, but also develops your memory for names and faces.
In addition, a new person is always a source of new knowledge. Communication with a smart interlocutor, even virtual, enriches you spiritually and intellectually.
Method 9. Get enough sleep
The vast majority of studies have proven that a healthy adult needs 8 hours of sleep. And in the dark, comfort and without extraneous noise. These factors affect the quality of your sleep.
The connection between good sleep and similar mental activity has also been proven. Read on to dispel any last doubts.
Lack of sleep is detrimental to the brain.
Due to the inhibition of neural processes in the parietal lobe, problems arise with reaction speed, and when the prefrontal cortex slows down, problems with vision and formulation of thoughts begin.
Method 10. Switch to a healthy diet
Avocado, salmon, blueberries, oatmeal - there are many that prevent memory impairment.
Enrich your diet with fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains and seafood, give up cholesterol-laden treats, and you will feel that your brain is gaining new power.
Frontline workers are advised to drink more fluids throughout the day. And it’s better to alternate coffee with green tea and mineral water.
4. Play board games
5. Be friends with smart people
6. Read a lot
8. Study completely different topics that interest you
Perhaps you have always wanted to learn drawing, but now you work as a lawyer and think that taking such courses is too late and completely useless. Doctors and psychologists advise you to leave such thoughts and sign up for all kinds of master classes and classes that interest you, because you don’t know how useful they can be to you at one time or another in your life.
A clear example of this advice is Steve Jobs. After graduating from school and entering university, the future founder of Apple enrolled in calligraphy courses. It would seem, how can correct and beautiful writing of letters be useful to an entrepreneur and developer? It turned out that it could. Steve remembered his calligraphy skills 10 years later, when he created his first Macintosh. Thanks to Jobs, the computer now has a set of different types of fonts and proportional scaling.
9. Learn languages
In order to learn the basics of a language or raise its knowledge to a completely different, higher level, in the modern world it is not necessary to look for a tutor, enroll in expensive courses or go to another country to immerse yourself in the language culture of native speakers. The Internet is replete with a variety of useful and convenient sites; developers are creating more and more successful applications that allow us to learn languages in a playful way. The most popular among such resources are Livemocha, Busuu, Memrise, LinguaLeo and English as 2nd Language.
10. Give yourself a few minutes of rest.
Doctors advise spending a few minutes a day in silence. Do not read anything, do not watch anything, do not be distracted by any external stimuli. Just give yourself time to think about something, remember, dream or reflect. You can combine this “mental vacation” with physical training, for example, running.
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In order to become more erudite, smarter and more literate, it is not necessary to sit day and night in the nearest library surrounded by encyclopedias and scientific articles. It is enough to know a few simple ways in which you can really become a more interesting conversationalist and increase your IQ level.
1. Use the Internet correctly
What do you do as soon as you have a free minute and have the opportunity to laze around? Or when you are sitting alone in a cafe and the dish is not being served for a long time? As practice shows, you are trying to “kill” time, boredom or loneliness with the help of your phone. You start scrolling through your Instagram feed, responding to messages on social media, and so on. But this time can be spent usefully. The Internet provides us with many interesting opportunities and resources: online courses, educational communities, interesting blogs, language games and applications, and much more. Spend 5 minutes of your time not looking at pictures of food and selfies of the same type, but learning new useful information.
2. Write down everything you learn
It sounds crazy, but according to some scientists, writing down everything you learn during the day will help you increase your intelligence level. These don’t have to be entire opuses, just write a few words and phrases - plus, this activity will perfectly train your memory.
3. Make a list of completed tasks
Previously, we made lists of things that definitely need to be done, not forgotten, in time, not missed. Now scientists are advocating that we create a list of those things that we have already “dealt with.” In this way, we can “trick” our brain - seeing how much we have already accomplished, we will want to increase the number of our accomplishments.
4. Play board games
Some of the popular board games can serve not only as a means of entertainment, but also act as excellent “helpers” in training memory, intelligence and ingenuity. Get your friends and family together more often and play Scrabble, chess, Battleship, checkers, and so on.
5. Be friends with smart people
Look for a company in which you can feel not entirely “in the know.” Try to be around smart, interesting, highly educated and erudite people as often and as long as possible, and then your IQ will noticeably increase. Here's what one developer Manas Saloy says about this:
I try to spend as much time as possible with my bosses. I have never had a problem accepting that I have a fairly average intelligence compared to them and there is a lot that I don't know yet... Try to be humble and always look for opportunities to learn.
6. Read a lot
Yes, this is some “Captain Obvious” advice, but reading is still one of the most important ways to train your brain. Experts only argue about what is best to read every day - newspapers, scientific literature or any books that you like. But they all agree on one thing - you need to read as often as possible.
7. Explain new information to others
It is not enough to simply read a scientific article or learn about some interesting but previously unknown phenomenon. We need to understand this new information. And the best way to test your knowledge of a subject is to try to explain its essence to others. If it works, you can safely give yourself a “5”, but if you get confused, stammer, speak unrelatedly and in the end your interlocutor does not understand anything, then you missed something and you need to repeat what you read again.