Regardless of their physical condition, Americans value the importance of exercising – whether it’s going to the gym, playing golf or tennis, walking or running, and engaging in daily physical activities, all are considered beneficial for health. We are also paying more attention to our nutrition intake than ever before, carefully checking calories and additives when choosing bottled or canned foods at the supermarket, as well as limiting the intake of sugar and alcohol.
Similarly, this concern should also extend to mental and emotional health. We take seriously self-help books such as “The Healthy Mind Toolkit” and “Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry”. When feeling troubled or depressed, some seek psychological therapy or take medication, while others find strength and solace in religious beliefs and practices.
So, what about intellectual life, the source of thought, imagination, and reason? In the pursuit of physical and mental health, how many people also consider incorporating intellectual life into their considerations?
Intellectual Life: If this term conjures up any images in your mind, perhaps you envision a scholar with a pale complexion, surrounded by books, papers, laptops, and empty coffee cups in a study room at the library, or maybe you think of a professor with a string of letters after their name: B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Scholar, teacher, and writer Zena Hitz insists in her work “Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life” that intellectual life belongs to anyone who desires it.
She writes, “If intellectual life is not the province of an elite few, but a common inheritance of humanity, then it first of all belongs to ordinary people. All intellectual life, however ultimately profound, begins in everyday and unassuming questions.”
A.G. Sertillanges’ classic work “The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods” also expresses a similar viewpoint. While his work is more targeted towards students and teachers, just as Hitz expressed in “Lost in Thought”, Sertillanges opens the door to intellectual life for anyone wishing to enter.
So, what does this overlooked garden of thought, this intellectual life open to all, really mean?
Definitions may vary, but they share commonalities. Nurturing and maintaining intellect requires deliberate solitude, pondering questions that arise within, and drawing inspiration from sources of wisdom – books, music, or art – to stimulate internal dialogue. Wisdom is our ultimate goal, allowing us to understand ourselves as much as possible, to love learning and seek truth, thus becoming a more complete self.
Journalist and novelist Arnold Bennett, in his short work “How to Live on 24 Hours a Day” published a hundred years ago and still in print today, divides the week into parts and discovers that most of us have a few hours of free time each day to “think about things that really matter: questions of happiness, the direction of our progress in life, what life offers us, the share reason has in our actions, and the relationship between our principles and behavior.”
Bennett believes that literature, history, and art are worthwhile subjects to study. He suggests setting aside time each day to detach from the mundane, allowing reading and art to inspire thought and contemplate life’s significant questions. Various distractions – notably phones and screens in today’s world – are enemies of such contemplation and should be carefully avoided.
If you wish to cultivate your intellectual life, you first need to set aside dedicated time for it each day, while shunning all distractions. Below are some auxiliary methods recommended by Hitz and others to guide you into the intellectual life.
Hitz points out, “Intellectual life, being the foundation of human dignity, transcends political and social life.”
Learning for professional development is undoubtedly beneficial, but it does not fall within the scope of what we’re discussing here. Moreover, if the knowledge gained is used to boast or suppress others, it completely contradicts the initial purpose of this inner exploration. No – intellectual life involves studying and reflecting on philosophy, history, literature, and art to enrich our souls, not as tools for material gain or showcasing superiority.
Our busy lives bring about many daily questions, such as “What’s for dinner tonight?”, “Should we invite Uncle Ted for Thanksgiving?” or “Why did you vote for that presidential candidate?” These questions, while necessary, often overshadow deeper questions in life, such as “Why do we exist?”, “What is beauty?”, and “Am I leading a meaningful life?”
Whether reading Aristotle or Dostoevsky, immersing oneself in Brahms’ works, or writing a poem, engaging in such spiritual retreats allows for moments of reflection, enabling these inner questions to surface. As we ponder and explore answers, we’ll find that the questions themselves lead to more inquiries.
For those unaccustomed, silence may seem daunting. The world in which we live is filled with noise – conversations, radios, car horns, phone pings… clamor and commotion abound.
Sertillanges once remarked, “Do you want to lead an intellectual life? Then create a quiet space within yourself.”
Christian writers and believers have long believed that we encounter God in the stillness of our souls. It is there that we can also meet our inner selves.
Sertillanges wrote in his book, “Over-reading dulls the intellect rather than nourishing it.” Bennett wholeheartedly agrees.
He says, “I know people who read all day long, but the benefit these readings bring them is no more nourishing than slicing bread and spreading butter. They read as they drink, speeding recklessly along the literary highway, the sole aim being ‘motion,’ and they will tell you how many books they have read in a year.”
Like Sertillanges, Bennett emphasizes the importance of absorbing reading content and suggests spending time – even extended periods if necessary – reflecting on what has been read and examining how it illuminates the darkness within us.
Of course, outside the time reserved for intellect, we can still read for leisure according to our interests.
In “Lost in Thought”, Hitz repeatedly expresses the magic that occurs when books like Elena Ferrante’s “Neapolitan Novels” or Augustine’s “Confessions” illuminate her thoughts.
Bennett recommends works from the Stoics such as Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus: “Read a chapter every night – they are short! Focus on that chapter the next morning. Then you will see results.”
Past wisdom can be a springboard guiding us to tap into the hidden wisdom within ourselves.
It’s simple. If we stick to our plans, hard work will surely bring delight. By cultivating the garden of our thoughts, we become part of this soil ourselves and often unintentionally bring these reflections and learning flowers to our families, friends, and the world at large.
Hitz concludes, “Let us remind ourselves of the breadth of human endeavor and the depth accessible to anyone who takes some time to think. Let us unleash humanity’s wisdom and imagination, anchoring everything in what truly matters within ourselves.”
Date: October 8, 2025
Reporter: Jeff Minick
Translator: 柳嵊濤