Sense of Wonder

Much of this was written by a Gene Roddenberry who created Star Trek.  I like the lot but was particularly drawn to, “Great books are especially valuable because a great book often contains within its covers the wisdom of a man or woman's whole lifetime.”
To me the great books are a no brainer.  It is the obscure or pleasant surprise I like.  It is one of the reasons I have been drawn to obscure music artists.  I am of the opinion everyone has something to say.  For me sometimes something profound and life changing is found in  say track five of an album few have heard of.
I know for me there may be many important things that happen but there is one thing that strikes to the core of my being and succinctly says what I am about.
So to me what this guy says is important.  It really sums up why I am all ears and eyes.  To e it summarizes being on the look out.
"I consider reading the greatest bargain in the world. A shelf of books is a shelf of many lives and ideas and imaginations which the reader can enjoy whenever he wishes and as often as he wishes. Instead of experiencing just one life, the book-lover can experience hundreds or even thousands of lives. He can live any kind of adventure in the world. Books are his time machine into the past and also into the future. Books are his "transporter" by which he can beam instantly to any part of the universe and explore what he finds there. Books are an instrument by which he can become any person for a while—a man, a woman, a child, a general, a farmer, a detective, a king, a doctor, anyone.
Great books are especially valuable because a great book often contains within its covers the wisdom of a man or woman's whole lifetime. But the true lover of books enjoys all kinds of books, even some nonsense now and then, because enjoying nonsense from others can teach us to also laugh at ourselves. A person who does not learn to laugh at his own problems and weaknesses and foolishness can never be a truly educated or a truly happy person. Also, probably the same thing could be said of a person who does not enjoy learning and growing all his life."
Between every gold nugget may be a lot of dirt but it is worth digging to find the gold.