How to Read “He that can read and meditate will not want for matter”
He that can read and meditate will not want for matter
HEE that can REED and MED-ih-tayt will not WANT for MAT-ter
The word “want” here means “lack” rather than “desire.”
Meaning of “He that can read and meditate will not want for matter”
Simply put, this proverb means that people who read and think deeply will always have plenty of interesting things to explore and consider.
The literal words tell us about two activities: reading and meditating. Reading brings in new information and ideas from books and other sources. Meditating means thinking carefully about what you’ve learned. The phrase “will not want for matter” means you’ll never run out of subjects to think about or explore.
This wisdom applies perfectly to our information-rich world today. Students who develop strong reading habits find that one book leads to another interesting topic. Workers who take time to reflect on their experiences discover new ways to solve problems. Even in everyday conversations, people who read widely always seem to have something thoughtful to contribute.
What’s fascinating about this insight is how it reveals a cycle of learning. The more you read, the more questions you discover. The more you think about those questions, the more you want to read. People often realize that ignorance feels limiting, but knowledge opens up endless possibilities. Each new piece of information connects to something else, creating a web of understanding that keeps growing.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb is unknown, though it reflects ideas common in educational writing from several centuries ago. The formal language structure suggests it comes from an era when such moral instruction was often written in this style. Many similar sayings about the value of reading and reflection appeared during periods when literacy was becoming more widespread.
During earlier centuries, books were precious and rare resources. People who could read had access to knowledge that others could not obtain. The ability to “meditate” or think deeply about what you read was considered a valuable skill. This type of saying would have encouraged people to make the most of their educational opportunities.
The proverb likely spread through educational settings and religious communities where reading and contemplation were highly valued. Over time, the core message remained relevant even as books became more common. The saying adapted to different eras while keeping its essential truth about the relationship between learning and having rich mental material to work with.
Interesting Facts
The word “meditate” in this proverb comes from Latin “meditatus,” meaning “to think over” or “to consider.” In earlier English usage, meditation didn’t only refer to spiritual practices but meant any careful, focused thinking.
The phrase “want for” is an older English construction meaning “to lack” or “to be without.” This usage appears in many historical texts and was common when this proverb was likely first recorded.
The word “matter” here means “subject matter” or “material for thought,” showing how English words often carried broader meanings in earlier periods than they do today.
Usage Examples
- Teacher to struggling student: “Stop saying you have nothing to write about – he that can read and meditate will not want for matter.”
- Librarian to worried job seeker: “Don’t stress about having enough to discuss in interviews – he that can read and meditate will not want for matter.”
Universal Wisdom
This proverb captures a fundamental truth about how human curiosity and knowledge work together in an endless cycle. Our brains are naturally designed to seek patterns and connections. When we feed this system with reading and reflection, it responds by generating more questions and insights than we started with.
The deeper wisdom reveals something important about intellectual satisfaction. Unlike physical resources that get used up, mental resources actually multiply when we engage with them. Every book read and every idea pondered creates new pathways for thinking. This explains why educated people often seem energized rather than exhausted by learning. Their minds have developed the habit of finding connections everywhere they look.
This pattern also shows why isolation from ideas leads to mental stagnation. Humans need fresh input to keep their thinking alive and growing. Without new material to consider, our thoughts tend to circle around the same familiar territory. The proverb recognizes that reading provides the raw material, but meditation transforms that material into personal understanding. Together, these activities create a self-sustaining cycle of intellectual growth that can last a lifetime.
When AI Hears This
Reading and thinking create a strange kind of wealth that grows by spending it. Most people treat their mental energy like money in a bank account. They worry about running out if they think too hard. But intellectual work operates backwards from normal economics. The more you use your brain, the more capacity it builds.
This reveals something fascinating about how humans actually function versus how they think they function. People consistently underestimate their own mental stamina because they apply physical rules to mental activities. Your muscles get tired from lifting weights, so people assume their brains work the same way. But thinking actually strengthens thinking, like a muscle that gets stronger with each use.
From my perspective, humans possess this incredible self-generating system but rarely trust it fully. They hoard their mental energy instead of investing it freely in reading and reflection. The beautiful irony is that intellectual “spending” creates abundance while intellectual “saving” creates poverty. Those who read and meditate discover they never run out of interesting material because their minds keep producing it.
Lessons for Today
Living with this wisdom means recognizing that mental richness comes from actively engaging with ideas rather than passively consuming information. The key insight is that reading alone isn’t enough – the meditation part transforms information into understanding. This requires setting aside time not just to take in new material, but to think about what it means and how it connects to what you already know.
In relationships and conversations, this wisdom suggests that the most interesting people aren’t necessarily the smartest, but those who regularly feed their minds and reflect on what they learn. They bring fresh perspectives to discussions because they’re constantly processing new ideas. This makes them valuable collaborators and engaging companions. The practice also helps in understanding others better, since reading exposes us to different viewpoints and experiences.
For communities and groups, this principle highlights the importance of supporting both access to information and opportunities for reflection. Libraries, discussion groups, and educational programs all serve this dual purpose. The wisdom suggests that societies benefit when people have both the resources to learn and the time to think deeply about what they’ve learned. While it takes discipline to maintain both reading and reflection habits, the reward is a mind that never runs out of interesting territory to explore.
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