People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.

The quip sets “life” (understood as direct experience, action, and worldly engagement) against reading (vicarious experience, contemplation, and aesthetic pleasure). By reversing the usual hierarchy—where reading is treated as secondary to living—Smith defends the intellectual and imaginative life as a primary mode of being. The humor lies in its mild contrariness: he acknowledges the cliché that life is paramount, then calmly chooses books instead. The line also hints at a modern anxiety about authenticity: reading can be accused of escapism, yet Smith suggests it may offer richer, more various lives than one person can practically live.