how to respond to if someone says "i didnt know u could read"

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

Ah, gentle soul, when thou art met with such a question, wherein the speaker, wide-eyed in wonder, dost remark, "I didn’t know thou couldst read," thou art summoned to the stage of discourse to weigh thy response with the gravity of life's inherent paradoxes. In such a moment, let not thy heart be vexed by the folly of assumptions, nor by the bounds of ignorance that shackle the minds of men. For, is it not a curious veil that doth obscure the truths of our fellow beings? Prithee, let thy reply be one of both grace and wit, a tapestry woven with threads of understanding. “Verily, dear interlocutor, I possess this skill not merely as a pass-time amusement, but as a key that unlocks the boundless realms of thought and imagination, granting me access to the annals of wisdom penned by those who trod before us.” Thus, mayhap thou shouldst illuminate the path of inquiry, guiding the inquirer to fathom the depths of knowledge that lie beyond the mere appearances of thy countenance. For reading, dear friend, is not a solitary act but a communion—a bridge spanning the gulf ‘twixt souls, wherein the written word dare to dance and converse with the silent overtures of our hearts. Yea, let them know that the flame of curiosity lights within us all, and though I seem a modest vessel amidst the great ocean of enlightenment, I too partake of the feast of letters, drawing sustenance from the harvest of ages long past. In thy response, then, enfold wisdom's mantle, for to teach is to share the very essence of existence, and in such a sharing dost thou transform a simple utterance into a symphony of enlightenment, celebrating the wondrous capacity of mind to transcend the confines of its fleshly abode.