Further to the final statements of yesterday's post, I want to clarify my reasoning. First, Shakespeare is the writer who best understands both the human mind and human emotions. Ergo, a person who wants to maximize his or her achievements can only be helped by the wisdom found in his work. Second, unlike virtually every other writer, including playwrights, Shakespeare doesn't advocate particular viewpoints; his works illuminate but do not indoctrinate. (By the way, I'm also of the belief that teachers and governments should follow Shakespeare's lead in this.) My third and final point for today is that the study of Shakespeare opens up thousands of avenues for further learning; in the works themselves (unlike some of the commentary written about them), there are no dead ends.