Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body. — Joseph Addison · Smartyfair

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Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body. — Joseph Addison · Smartyfair

Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body.

Joseph Addison1672–1719 · essayist · 1600s-1700s EnglandJoseph Addison was an English essayist who co-founded The Spectator, a daily paper read aloud and debated in the coffee houses of London.1 quote

Source foundStories

In plain words

Reading keeps your mind strong and healthy, the same way exercise keeps your body strong.

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reading
mind
exercise
body

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 85% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: The Tatler, No. 147 (1710) — Wikiquote sourced section, named periodical + issue.
Work: The Tatler, No. 147
Occasion: 1710
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026Sourced section: The Tatler No. 147 (1710) — re-fetched and confirmed by the reviewing librarian this pass

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More on stories

A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month's study of books.Chinese proverb

More history

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In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Marcus Aurelius

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

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