71How to go deeper

There will come a moment when you want to understand rather than just receive results. That's a good moment, and here's how to walk into it.

Ask "why", not only "do it". It did the thing - ask why that way, what the alternatives were, why this one is better. That's a free explanation about your own code rather than an abstract textbook example. There is no better textbook.

Read what it writes. Not with "well, it works" eyes but trying to follow the sense. It'll be murky at first, then it starts to click.

Break things on purpose. Remove a line and see what fails. That's the fastest way to understand what it was for.

Do something without it. Occasionally, something small. Not on principle, but to see honestly where your gaps are.

The important part: understanding doesn't come from reading. It comes from the amount you've built. Your fifth project will explain more to you than five courses.