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I believe it.

Real programmers read far, far more code than they write.

Reading code, and writing readable code, are perhaps the two most valuable skills in the profession.

I would extrapolate this out one layer higher and say that communication is the most valuable skill. This expresses itself both verbally and in written form.

That's a good way of looking at it. Code is also a form of communication. By writing code, you're communicating the the computer, with other developers who will come and read it, and with your future self who may not remember what you were doing.

I'd assert reading code being far more valuable, especially when dealing with others' unreadable code.

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