A few months ago, I posted a piece titled “My 25 Favorite Quotes About Writing.” I’ve deluded myself into thinking thousands of you enjoyed that post and are now hungry for more heady, witty quotes from dead people (mostly).
This time around, however, the focus of the quotes is on reading rather than writing. I figured this would have an even broader appeal than the previous post, seeing as how almost everybody is a reader (of sorts), while – based on the spelling and grammar I see in tweets and Facebook posts – only about 0.083 percent of people are writers.
Sorry, that last line was uncalled for. But then again, so is the existence of my entire blog.
So, without further insults or hostility, here are 25 of my favorite quotes about reading:
1) “There's so much more to a book than just the reading.” –Maurice Sendak
2) “There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” –Marcel Proust
3) “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” –Rene Descartes
4) “He that loves reading has everything within his reach.” –William Godwin
5) “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.” –Jerry Seinfield
6) "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." –Dr. Seuss
7) “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” –Henny Youngman
8) “We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” –B. F. Skinner
9) “Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” –John Locke
10) “Who I am, what I am, is the culmination of a lifetime of reading, a lifetime of stories. And there are still so many more books to read. I'm a work in progress.” –Sarah Addison Allen
11) “Never judge a book by its movie.” –J.W. Eagan
12) "A book, too, can be a star, explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." –Madeleine L'Engle
13) "If the crowns of all the kingdoms of Europe were laid down at my feet in exchange for my books and my love of reading, I would spurn them all." –François Fénelon
14) “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley
15) "The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me just as if I had gained a new friend. When I read over a book I have perused before, it resembles the meeting with an old one." –Oliver Goldsmith
16) "No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." –Lady M. W. Montagu
17) “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” –Emilie Buchwald
18) “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” –Frederick Douglass
19) “Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable.” –Grace Slick
20) “Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” –Groucho Marx
21) “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” –Groucho Marx
22) “Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” –Mary Schmich
23) “A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” –Samuel Johnson
24) “Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.” –P.J. O'Rourke
25) “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” –Ray Bradbury
How about you? Yeah, you. Do you have a favorite quote (or two) about reading that you’d like to share? (Don’t worry if you can’t think of one off the top of your head; you can just google “great quotes about reading” and you’ll find a ton. That’s all I did.)
This time around, however, the focus of the quotes is on reading rather than writing. I figured this would have an even broader appeal than the previous post, seeing as how almost everybody is a reader (of sorts), while – based on the spelling and grammar I see in tweets and Facebook posts – only about 0.083 percent of people are writers.
Sorry, that last line was uncalled for. But then again, so is the existence of my entire blog.
So, without further insults or hostility, here are 25 of my favorite quotes about reading:
1) “There's so much more to a book than just the reading.” –Maurice Sendak
2) “There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” –Marcel Proust
3) “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” –Rene Descartes
4) “He that loves reading has everything within his reach.” –William Godwin
5) “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.” –Jerry Seinfield
6) "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." –Dr. Seuss
7) “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” –Henny Youngman
8) “We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” –B. F. Skinner
9) “Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” –John Locke
10) “Who I am, what I am, is the culmination of a lifetime of reading, a lifetime of stories. And there are still so many more books to read. I'm a work in progress.” –Sarah Addison Allen
11) “Never judge a book by its movie.” –J.W. Eagan
12) "A book, too, can be a star, explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." –Madeleine L'Engle
13) "If the crowns of all the kingdoms of Europe were laid down at my feet in exchange for my books and my love of reading, I would spurn them all." –François Fénelon
14) “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley
15) "The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me just as if I had gained a new friend. When I read over a book I have perused before, it resembles the meeting with an old one." –Oliver Goldsmith
16) "No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." –Lady M. W. Montagu
17) “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” –Emilie Buchwald
18) “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” –Frederick Douglass
19) “Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable.” –Grace Slick
20) “Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” –Groucho Marx
21) “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” –Groucho Marx
22) “Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” –Mary Schmich
23) “A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” –Samuel Johnson
24) “Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.” –P.J. O'Rourke
25) “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” –Ray Bradbury
How about you? Yeah, you. Do you have a favorite quote (or two) about reading that you’d like to share? (Don’t worry if you can’t think of one off the top of your head; you can just google “great quotes about reading” and you’ll find a ton. That’s all I did.)
