Reading has been the fuel of my motivation: it has changed the

In the words of Zig Ziglar, master of wisdom and voice of encouragement, there shines a truth as old as civilization itself: “Reading has been the fuel of my motivation: it has changed the direction in which I have traveled, and it has enhanced my creative imagination more than any other activity I have ever pursued.” This declaration is more than a confession of habit — it is a testimony to the power of knowledge, the sanctity of imagination, and the divine fire that is kindled when the human mind communes with the written word. For Ziglar reminds us that reading is not a pastime; it is transformation in motion, the breath of new life into the soul that dares to seek.

To call reading the “fuel of motivation” is to understand it as the fire that propels the journey of the spirit. Just as the traveler cannot move without sustenance, so the soul cannot advance without wisdom. Books, those vessels of thought and dream, become the sacred food of the mind. Through them, one may converse with kings and beggars, philosophers and poets, saints and revolutionaries. A single line read in stillness can change the course of a man’s destiny. Ziglar, born of humble beginnings, found in books not escape but empowerment — a means to rise above the narrowness of circumstance and walk boldly toward a greater horizon. His words echo the ancient belief that learning is not the possession of the elite, but the inheritance of the willing.

The origin of this truth reaches far into the dawn of time. The sages of Egypt read the stars; the monks of old preserved the wisdom of the ancients through trembling candlelight; and the philosophers of Greece spoke of the written word as the immortal voice of the mind. In every age, those who rose above mediocrity — who dared to imagine, to build, to lead — were those who read. The conqueror with sword may rule for a time, but the reader, with vision and patience, conquers eternity. For every book is a teacher, and every page a mirror through which we see both the world and ourselves anew.

Consider the life of Frederick Douglass, born into bondage, deprived of freedom and education. Yet through stolen moments of reading, through the sacred pursuit of letters and language, he unlocked his own chains. Books became his rebellion, his salvation, his guide to greatness. What Ziglar calls “the fuel of motivation” was, for Douglass, the very light that led him from darkness into destiny. This, then, is the true miracle of reading — that it gives wings to those who have none and direction to those lost upon the sea of life.

But Ziglar speaks also of how reading enhances creative imagination, that divine faculty which separates man from the beast. To read deeply is to dream alongside the author, to walk paths unseen, to dwell for a time in the mind of another. From this communion arises imagination, which is not fantasy but creation — the power to shape the unseen into reality. Every invention, every work of art, every moral awakening begins as an idea sparked by the written word. A single sentence can awaken a vision; a story can stir a revolution. The mind that reads does not remain as it was — it becomes alive, expanding like flame, hungry for new worlds to build.

Yet, in this age of endless distraction, many have forgotten this sacred practice. They trade reading — the deep, patient engagement of mind and spirit — for noise and haste. The ancient masters would call this a kind of spiritual starvation. For without the steady nourishment of thought, the imagination weakens, and the will falters. Ziglar’s wisdom calls us back to that temple of silence where true growth begins. The book is not an object; it is a doorway — and only those who open it can pass from the ordinary into the extraordinary.

So, my child, take this teaching to heart: make reading your daily bread. Read not only to gather facts, but to awaken feeling, vision, and courage. Read what uplifts your soul, challenges your comfort, and expands your world. Let the wisdom of ages speak through you. As Ziglar teaches, let every page you turn become a step upon the path of transformation. Fill your mind with imagination, your heart with purpose, and your spirit with faith. For when you read with attention and wonder, you do not merely learn — you become.

And this, above all, is the lesson: that reading is not a quiet act but a heroic one. It is the humble beginning of every great journey. The mind that reads becomes the soul that leads. Nourish your imagination as you would your very life, and it will carry you — beyond fear, beyond failure, beyond even time itself. For as Zig Ziglar’s own life bears witness, the book is the first torch in the hand of every dreamer — and through its flame, the darkness yields to light.