Patrick Henry one of the truly great men involved in the founding of the US and arguably the greatest orator of his day gave this encouragement regarding reading:
“Cultivate your mind by the perusal of those books which instruct while they amuse. History, geography, poetry, moral essays, biography, travels, sermons, and other well-written religious productions will not fail to enlarge your understanding, to render you a more agreeable companion, and to exalt your virtue.”
Both the source and the content of this exhortation commend it to us and to our children.
Quoted in Give Me Liberty: The Uncompromising Statesmanship of Patrick Henry