What Readers Actually Underline in Austin Kleon's Books

The lines readers share most often are the lines that tell them what to share.

Glasp readers have imported their Kindle highlights from 6 editions of Austin Kleon's books, 106 highlighters between them. Below, editions of the same book are grouped together.

Kleon's readers stop less often at how to make and more often at what to show other people.

In Show Your Work!, 16 of 37 highlighters (43%) choose the line about sharing what you love so people who love the same things can find you. In Steal Like an Artist, 11 of 21 highlighters (52%) stop at the advice to write what you like and ask what would make a better story.

The Portuguese edition of Steal Like an Artist shifts to the manifesto, chosen by 13 of 23 highlighters (57%). Keep Going and the alternate listing of Show Your Work! show higher agreement but smaller groups: 5 of 9 highlighters (56%) in each, while the Portuguese edition of Show Your Work! reaches 4 of 7 highlighters (57%).

Reader Consensus is the passage highlighted by more Glasp readers than any other passage in that edition. The counts below are all-time totals through 2026-09-17, and ties are noted.

1. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered (Austin Kleon)

Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.

Reader Consensus: 16 of 37 highlighters (43%).

The alternate listing has three lines tied at 5 of 9 highlighters (56%). The sentence above is one of them. Another is:

Being open and honest about what you like is the best way to connect with people who like those things, too.

The Portuguese edition also has a tie at the top. One of its leading lines was chosen by 4 of 7 highlighters (57%):

No minuto em que você aprender alguma coisa, olhe para o lado e ensine aos outros. Compartilhe sua lista de leitura. Aponte para materiais de referência úteis. Crie alguns tutoriais e publique-os na internet. Use imagens, palavras e vídeo. Mostre parte do seu processo, passo a passo. Como a blogueira Kathy Sierra diz: “Torne as pessoas melhores em algo que elas querem melhorar.”

📖 English edition: Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

📖 English edition, alternate listing: Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

📖 Portuguese edition: Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

2. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative (Austin Kleon)

The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best—write the story you want to read. The same principle applies to your life and your career: Whenever you’re at a loss for what move to make next, just ask yourself, “What would make a better story?”

Reader Consensus: 11 of 21 highlighters (52%).

The Portuguese edition puts its readers on the manifesto instead, with 13 of 23 highlighters (57%) choosing:

O manifesto é esse: Desenhe a arte que você quer ver, comece o negócio que quer gerir, toque a música que quer ouvir, escreva os livros que quer ler, crie os produtos que quer usar – faça o trabalho que você quer ver pronto.

📖 English edition: Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

📖 Portuguese edition: Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

3. Keep Going

A little imprisonment—if it’s of your own making—can set you free. Rather than restricting your freedom, a routine gives you freedom by protecting you from the ups and downs of life and helping you take advantage of your limited time, energy, and talent. A routine establishes good habits that can lead to your best work.

Reader Consensus: 5 of 9 highlighters (56%), tied with three other passages.

The agreement is high, but the group is small: every tied leader was selected by 5 of 9 highlighters (56%).

📖 Read on Amazon · Highlights on Glasp

❤️ Before you go

These readers turn sharing into a creative decision. They stop at loving something openly, learning in front of others, teaching what they have just learned, and making the work they want to see.

The smaller editions create striking percentages, but their denominators matter. The broadest agreement in this set comes from the larger groups around what to show: 16 of 37 highlighters (43%) choose sharing what you love, and 13 of 23 highlighters (57%) choose the Portuguese manifesto.

If any of these books are on your shelf, import your highlights and add your own underline to the count.

The Glasp Team