Adam Philips^[Hyde, Lewis. A Primer for Forgetting: Getting Past the Past, 2019.] and Andy Matuschak^[https://pca.st/hahu40h9] agree on one thing. The biggest benefit from a book doesn't come from its informational content, but from the way it changes how you think. This stays with you even after you've forgotten 90% of the book. Which is why I'm not too hung up on using spaced repetition strategies or my zettelkasten as a means of remembering what I read. Perhaps a good metaphor for this process is the ingestion of psychoactive substances. A psychoactive substance passes through the body, and it alters one's state of consciousness as it does so. Remnants of this altered consciousness can linger on, transforming our lives in non-linear ways. See also: [[Books are banks of attention]]