--- description: Warren Buffet dedicates 80% of his day to reading. title: The Reading Habits of Ultra-Successful People image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451ba9dd3e7aa177/698890d28e060163544659e7/reading-habits-ultra-successful-people.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Reading Habits of Ultra-Successful People by [Andrew Merle / Medium](/author/medium/) ## Andrew Merle / Medium Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2016 8:30 PM CUT  Conceptual Books Conceptual BooksGetty Images by [Andrew Merle / Medium](/author/medium/) ## Andrew Merle / Medium Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2016 8:30 PM CUT Want to know one habit ultra-successful people have in common? They read. A lot. In fact, [when Warren Buffett was once asked about the key to success, he pointed to a stack of nearby books](http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/08/24/peculiar-habits-of-successful-people/14447531/ "undefined") and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” Buffett takes this habit to the extreme — [he read between 600 and 1000 pages _per day_ when he was beginning his investing career, and still devotes about 80% of each day to reading](http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-favorite-business-books-2014-8 "undefined"). And he’s not alone. Here are just a few top business leaders and entrepreneurs who make reading a major part of their daily lifestyle: * **Bill Gates** [reads about 50 books per year, which breaks down to 1 per week](http://www.techinsider.io/why-bill-gates-reads-50-books-a-year-2015-11 "undefined") * **Mark Cuban** [reads more than 3 hours every day](http://www.entrepreneurslife.com/thoughts/entry/mark-cuban-on-knowledge-acquisition-michael-dell-and-more/ "undefined") * **Elon Musk** [is an avid reader and when asked how he learned to build rockets, he said “I read books.”](http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-habit-common-among-successful-people-2016-1 "undefined") * **Mark Zuckerberg** [resolved to read a book every 2 weeks throughout 2015](http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-habit-common-among-successful-people-2016-1 "undefined") * **Oprah Winfrey** [selects one of her favorite books every month for her Book Club members to read and discuss](http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-habit-common-among-successful-people-2016-1 "undefined") And these aren’t just isolated examples. [A study of 1200 wealthy people found that they all have reading as a pastime in common.](http://www.businessinsider.com/rich-people-like-to-read-2015-8 "undefined") But successful people don’t just read anything. [They are highly selective about what they read, opting to be educated over being entertained](http://www.businessinsider.com/rich-people-like-to-read-2015-8 "undefined"). They believe that books are a gateway to learning and knowledge. In fact, there is a notable difference between the reading habits of the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy. According to [Tom Corley](http://richhabits.net/about-rich-habits-thomas-corley-bio/ "undefined"), author of [_Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals_](http://www.amazon.com/Rich-Habits-Success-Wealthy-Individuals/dp/1934938939?tag=bisafetynet-20 "undefined"), [rich people (annual income of $160,000 or more and a liquid net worth of $3.2 million-plus) read for self-improvement, education, and success. Whereas poor people (annual income of $35,000 or less and a liquid net worth of $5,000 or less) read primarily to be entertained.](http://www.businessinsider.com/rich-people-read-self-improvement-books-2014-6 "undefined") Successful people tend to choose educational books and publications over novels, tabloids, and magazines. [And in particular they obsess over biographies and autobiographies of other successful people for guidance and inspiration](http://www.fastcompany.com/3052716/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/heres-what-the-most-successful-people-read-and-why "undefined"). There are many examples of successful people dropping out of school or foregoing a formal education, but it is clear that they never stop learning. And reading is a key part of their success. If reading as a pathway to success isn’t enough to get you motivated, consider these health benefits of reading: [Reading has been shown to help prevent stress, depression, and dementia, while enhancing confidence, empathy, decision-making, and overall life satisfaction](http://www.fastcompany.com/3048913/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/how-changing-your-reading-habits-can-transform-your-health "undefined"). Whether reading is already a way of life for you, or you’re just getting started, here are some book lists to consider: * [9 of Warren Buffett’s Favorite Books](http://business.financialpost.com/business-insider/warren-buffett-book-picks "undefined") * [17 of Bill Gates’ Favorite Books](http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-favorite-books-2015-10 "undefined") * [Books Extremely Successful People Read (From President Obama to Bill Clinton to Sheryl Sandberg)](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/successful-people-favorite-books-%5Fn%5F3935567.html "undefined") * [20 Books that the World’s most successful people read and recommend](https://www.themuse.com/advice/20-books-that-the-worlds-most-successful-people-read-and-recommend "undefined") * [25 Must-Read Books for Success](http://www.success.com/article/25-books-for-success "undefined") And here are a few lists of 2016 must-reads: * [10 Must-Read Business Books for 2016 (Inc.)](http://www.inc.com/anna-hensel/ss/most-anticipated-business-books-of-2016.html "undefined") * [16 Must-Read Business Books for 2016 (Forbes)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidburkus/2016/01/10/16-must-read-business-books-for-2016/#73d9584248ba "undefined") * [9 Business Books to Read in 2016 (Stanford)](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/nine-business-books-read-2016 "undefined") Happy (and successful) reading! _Andrew Merle writes about good habits for happiness, health, productivity, and success. Read more at_ [_andrewmerle.com_](http://www.andrewmerle.com/ "undefined") _and follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://www.twitter.com/@andrewmerle "undefined")_._ _This_ [_article_](https://medium.com/life-learning/the-reading-habits-of-ultra-successful-people-d565b26f15f5#.sovtkkt2e "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Medium.com_](http://www.medium.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4309264/reading-habits-successful-people/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4309264/reading-habits-successful-people/"},"headline":"The Reading Habits of Ultra-Successful People","datePublished":"2016-04-29T20:30:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:20.328Z","description":"Warren Buffet dedicates 80% of his day to reading","url":"https://time.com/4309264/reading-habits-successful-people/","keywords":["motto","Books","advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451ba9dd3e7aa177/698890d28e060163544659e7/reading-habits-ultra-successful-people.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrew Merle / Medium"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt451ba9dd3e7aa177/698890d28e060163544659e7/reading-habits-ultra-successful-people.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"98603521","caption":"98603521","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4309264/reading-habits-successful-people/","name":"The Reading Habits of Ultra-Successful People"}}]}] ```