Below is a lesson from Chris Kolenda on Linked In on why re-reading unlocks new growth, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Why Re-Read Your Favorite Book?

Chris Kolenda

April 30, 2026

Why re-read Tolkien? The books are the same, but you are different.

Last week’s article discussed self-imposed limits on our growth, what I called AGL: Artificial Growth Limitations.

Did you know that breaking these self-imposed limits can include repeating important experiences, such as rereading great books or revisiting powerful historical sites?

I periodically reread my favorite books, like Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Plato’s Republic, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Homer’s The Iliad and the Odyssey, because I always derive new insights to apply.

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

• The book doesn't change — you do. Every re-read is a new experience because you bring a different version of yourself to it.
• Re-reading is a powerful way to break self-imposed limits on growth — what Kolenda calls AGLs (Artificial Growth Limitations).
• Gandalf's leadership style is a masterclass in restraint — he rarely imposed answers, letting Frodo and Aragorn wrestle with challenges because ownership drives follow-through.
• Rapid-firing solutions, even good ones, can actually rob people of the opportunity to wrestle with a problem and own the outcome.
• It's more important for someone to have a good solution they own than to be handed a better one they didn't arrive at themselves.
• The Heraclitus Principle of Growth — you never have the same experience twice if you're actively deriving new insights and applying them.
• Growth moves along an infinity loop with six points: Observe → Interpret → Discern → Experiment → Execute → Reflect
• Powerful experiences — books, historical sites, adventures — keep paying dividends if you keep returning to them with open eyes.