I have a friend who was vehemently arguing with me that in the "real world" you have to memorize your checklist because you just dont have time to pick it up and read it off in certain situations (he was using the before takeoff checklist as an example).
I mean obviously I have the flows memorized but the idea of "backing up" your flow with your "memorized checklist"??!!! The whole point of doing the checklist is that our memories aren't fool-proof no matter how much you think it might be!!
I'm sure he didn't start out this way when he was a new hire.. probably picked it up somewhere along the way from someone else who told him that it was OK and even practical. Even though he's a good friend, I don't look forward to flying with pilots who practice these kind of habits.