E. O. Wilson is best known as a biologist. He has won a long list of awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for nonfiction. His recent book, Letters to a Young Scientist is as fine an example of a book of scientific essays as you are likely to find. It’s on a par with Lewis Thomas’ Lives of a Cell.

Charlie Rose asked Wilson how his work had changed now that he was in his eighties. His answer is good advice for anyone of any age who’s thinking about writing a book.

“I want to make sure that if I have anything worth saying, I get it out.”

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