Excerpt: The Count of Monte Cristo

From The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

“I possessed nearly 5000 volumes in my library at Rome, but after reading them over many times, I found that with 150 well-chosen books a man possesses a complete analysis of all human knowledge, or at least all that is either useful or desirable to be acquainted with.  I devoted three years of my life to reading and studying these 150 volumes..."

"Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory, the second philosophy...Philosophy cannot be taught. Philosophy is the union of all acquired knowledge and the genius that applies it"