Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man
Francis Bacon
Essays, or Counsels Civil and Moral · Essay L, “Of Studies” · excerpt
Original English. 1625 collection; linked 1884 edition. “Conference” means conversation or discussion. Excerpt ending before the next clause.
Bacon gives different forms of learning different jobs. Reading supplies material. Conversation tests the ability to respond. Writing exposes whether an idea can be stated precisely. None of these activities guarantees sound judgment; people can read selectively, speak confidently, and write an elegant mistake. Their value comes partly from what they reveal about one another. A discussion may expose a gap in a book's argument. Writing a summary may reveal that a point which sounded clear was never understood. For an important decision, moving through all three modes can be more useful than remaining in the one that feels most comfortable.
A question for today
What would become clearer if you wrote it in three plain sentences?
