The Cliffs Notes paradox

Part of the magic of an actual book is that the reader ends up understanding. It seeps in, the aha’s are found, not highlighted.

It doesn’t matter how much we summarize, at some point, effort is required. More summaries won’t automatically lead to more understanding.

TLDR is internet-speak for “Too long, didn’t read.” It’s one of the consequences of too much to choose from, combined with a lazy quest for convenience. It’s a checklist mindset. And all we get after we finish a checklist is a bunch of checked boxes, not real understanding.