Ben Okri Quotes

One of the marks of an educated man today is to know what not to read--what not to see or what not to listen to.

I read Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Reader's Digest... I read some responsible journalism, and from that, I form my own opinions. I also happen to be intelligent, and I question everything.

When I was younger I used to read everything. 'Why is this guy saying this, why is this article saying this.' That's one of the things Coach Saban has taught me, he does not listen or read anything that's out there at all. He says 'why am I going to waste my time?'

No matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how many people are chasing you, what you don't read is often as important as what you do read.

The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.

I am led by what I find to be true, not what I find to be popular.

He has only half learned the art of reading who has not added to it the more refined art of skipping and skimming.

My father always said, 'Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their book shelf' - so I make sure I read.

A lot of the tabloid stories are written so well, they're very clever and very funny. But you have to focus on what's really important and not read them - don't dive into it and don't get caught up in it.

Everybody's saying, be skeptical of Wikipedia. That is true. They should also be skeptical of everything. We should all be critical consumers of the media.

I never open the newspaper, never. I never go to a website; I never turn on the T.V. hoping to find something I can attack. It isn't what I do. I defend.

I'm not a rubber stamp, and people know that. If you can convince me of the merits, you will have my vote every time.

I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. That doesn't make a good citizen.

I don't listen to opinions.

The problem with the Internet is that it gives you everything - reliable material and crazy material. So the problem becomes, how do you discriminate?

I read books like mad, but I am careful to to let anything I read influence me.

Ten percent of the American population thinks that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Those are the people that have not learned the skill of filtering information from the vast barrage of inaccurate information that we're all faced with everyday. I think that's a very 21st century skill.

I don't read all the newspapers.

Thy books should, like thy friends, not many be, yet such wherein men may thy judgment see.

If you believe everything you read, better not read.

I don't read much, to tell you the truth, about me, you know. I don't read my articles very much or stuff like that, but I have read things upon occasion, and some of it is true, and some of it isn't true, you know. I mean it's just the way it goes, you know.

People still believe what they read is necessarily the truth.

The child has no way of knowing what's good information.

It's more necessary than ever before to ensure that discernment and the development of a critical mind guide our take on the world and inform our relationship to the media and information.

As an independent skeptical of all news stations and wanting to understand diverse perspectives, I tend to navigate between CNN, ABC, PBS, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, CNBC, and yes, FOX.