Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatina
Books and reading
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves: such a prohibition ought to fill them with disdain.”
Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715–1771) said by 1771 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books were banned from my house, my mum thought they were ‘germ traps’, so I was always sneaking into the library, hiding under a big plant; reading. I was escaping into another world as well as finding out stuff that was news to me.”
Carole Morin wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life-affirming people are a bit creepy and self-consciously life-affirming art is usually awful. My books tend to have happy endings, or at least that’s one way of reading them. My characters are exuberant and funny as well as dark. Duality is the essence of my voice so it’s appropriate for me to have an evil twin to blame things on.”
Carole Morin wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was kind of solitary. I'd spend a lot of time on my own, reading books. I didn't integrate very well.”
Philip Ó Ceallaigh (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Since books are not their primary source materials, as they are for research in the humanities, most scientists prefer to spend their time on experiments and not on reading.”
Douglas John Foskett (1918–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books are the friends of solitude. They develop individuality and freedom. In solitary reading a man who is seeking himself has some chance of finding himself.”
Georges Duhamel (1884–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Contemporary literature, in each and every epoch, is the worst enemy of culture. A reader's limited time is wasted in reading a thousand books that blunt his critical sense and damage his literary sensibility.”
Nicolás Gómez Dávila (1913–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Carl Schmitt in theory is one thing; confined to a few conservatives on the right and a somewhat greater number of envious postmodernists on the left, Schmitt’s ideas have not reached the informed reading public. Schmitt’s books are destined to be confined to the political theory seminar room for some time to come.”
Alan Wolfe (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I was growing up reading history books as a young student, it seemed all wars had a winner. Yet in today's wars, it is increasingly clear that no one wins. Everyone loses.”
António Guterres (born 1949) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres: My Vision for Revitalizing the United Nations, Newsweek (9 January 2017)
“The scientific method is one and the same in all branches, and that method is the method of all logically trained minds. In this respect the great classics of science are often the most intelligible of books, and... are far better worth reading than popularisations of them...”
Karl Pearson (1857–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What was all that about?” “It’s an occupational hazard...You start by reading books, and you end by loving them.”
Michael Swanwick (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Learning is to a man as the leaves and branches are to a tree, and it can be said that he should not be without it. Learning is not only reading books, however, but is rather something that we study to integrate with our own way of life.”
Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) said by 1573 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To save the witch-children in Nigeria and rescue this nation from witch-believing forces, we need to get all Nigerians to exercise their common sense, reason and critical intelligence when practicing or professing their religion or belief. This is especially important when they are reading, preaching and interpreting messages and doctrines contained in their holy books.”
Leo Igwe (born 1970) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Saving Child Witches: A Nigerian Perspective (December 14th, 2008), Mukto-Mona.
“Sailing is an escape, it’s an adventure. As I kid I was always reading books about adventure, about being outside. It was always something I wanted to do and the first time I went sailing on my own, or went out with a friend, it was just freedom. No one could come and tell me, ‘Go there,’ or ‘Do this.’ It felt like a mini adventure just for me.”
Pierre Casiraghi (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s important that young people find the right books that speak to them at the right time, otherwise you might be encouraging them to dislike reading.”
Sandra Cisneros (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I want English professors to put my books on regular reading lists. An American writer. We have worked hard for fairness in the job market and housing and schooling, and our art should not be segregated out. Readers ought not to have boring preconceptions of what a story is about just because its author is "ethnic." "Ethnic writer" and "feminist writer" have been used dismissively.”
Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940) first seen 1982 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: An Answer to the Question, "Who Is an Ethnic Writer?" (1982), included in Maxine Hong Kingston: The Woman Warrior, China Men, Tripmaster Monkey, Hawai'i One Summer, Other Writings edited by Viet Thanh Nguyen
“Through meditation we become aware of our fundamental unity with all things. We cannot attain that awareness by reading books or listening to lectures. We can attain it only through direct experience. To have that experience we must pass from one state of awareness to another, moving gradually to deeper and deeper levels of our being.”
Muktananda (1908–1982) said by 1982 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most fundamental part of her life involved a love of books. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and have nothing to worry about except the next page of whatever she was reading.”
Genevieve Cogman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Novel reading called for wading through too much type. I had no patience for that. The very word "fiction" I abhorred. I wanted truth. Short stories, poems, paragraphs, brief essays, picture books-anything boiled down was more to my liking.”
Art Young (1866–1943) said by 1943 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I used to hate reading out loud as a kid because of my dyslexia, so my books are a message to kids. It doesn’t matter what your situation is in life – your path is what you choose it to be.”
Octavia Spencer (born 1970) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Octavia speak on why she wrote books in 2020.
“Perhaps of the books that we were reading, the one that really stands out the most about the American dream is The Street (by Ann Petry).”
Gloria Naylor (1950–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I learned from reading bird books that nothing happens outside of historical context. In birding as in everything, personalities and events unfold over time, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon you wake up to discover that you are part of the stream.”
Noah Strycker (born 1986) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’ve been impacted by many books, but one that has profoundly impacted me as a writer is Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. After reading it as a teenager, I began to think seriously about how I could use words to create images and to effectively show the reader what I was thinking. Before then, my focus had been on producing fiction to entertain myself.”
Peace Adzo Medie (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Born to parents who are both educators, my siblings and I were surrounded by books and that inculcated in us an interest in reading, writing and learning very early. Growing up in a family of eight taught me the need for peaceful coexistence, free sharing of my gifts, caring for younger siblings and benefiting from the care of older siblings.”
Marian Asantewah Nkansah (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As for my writing, you can easily imagine that the fact of having lived outside for a long time inspired me a lot and then, I like books and reading which are my main sources of inspiration in.”
Pyabelo Chaold Kouly (1943–1995) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: source|Article by Ayodélé Mané Aguiar published in Amina in 1987,
“Things don't just change with the squares, they also start with individuals, for example by reading books. But you have to be intellectually free. Instead, even today, when I said that I consider Julius Evola an artist worthy of interest, I caused scandal in certain left-wing press, in a prejudiced and superficial way.”
Lucio Dalla (1943–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I visit Africa as much as I can and all my books have an African setting. I get my ideas from reading, listening to people and observing people too.”
Ifeoma Onyefulu (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you want to have a creative culture, you can’t get it by reading books. You get it by example.”
Barbara Corcoran (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now all I can see is how simple he made everything sound. Reading the Fillory books you would think that all one has to do is behave honorably and bravely and all will be well. What a lesson to teach young children. What a way to prepare them for the rest of their lives.”
Lev Grossman (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I've never studied Italian, I learned it through contact with people, reading children's books and watching cartoons. But now I can even tackle Dante.”
Nicolai Lilin (born 1980) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From an interview with Maurizio Crosetti (16 December 2009), "Lilin, vita blindata Faccio il tatuatore in clandestinità", Repubblica.it
“I enjoy the reading and thinking as well as the discussion and exchange that an academic life involves. I love the smell of old books and newspapers in libraries and archives, and the possibility of original ideas that emerge from long hours in a quiet place.”
Gabeba Baderoon (born 1969) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Catching up with Gabeba Baderoon". Research Penn State. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
“I do think reading is an intimate conversation we can have with ourselves and each other. Even if we don’t explicitly say the horrors of our lives out loud, the characters in the books can bridge an understanding that we survived something or a knowing of something, between family members and our communities. (2020)”
Angie Cruz (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am slowly trying to learn quantum mechanics. Right now I’m reading Noson Yanofsky and Mirco Mannucci’s Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists, and Manjit Kumar’s Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality. Both are excellent books.”
David S. Touretzky (born 2000) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In order to create a culture of reading among children, we need to make books accessible to them and write stories they can relate to”
Dudu Busani-Dube (born 1981) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: South African authors Dudu Busani-Dube and Cynthia Jele to launch KZN book festival 13 December, 2023
“Prior to reading Malorie’s books I had never heard of a world that existed where Africans were the ruling class. It was unique and it made me feel warm inside, to imagine a world where this could be a possibility.”
Masali Baduza (born 1996) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The image/word relationship will always exist, but I would like to see more essays, more photography books, in which generally you could think, look and let yourself be carried by the images without reading anything, until reaching your own conclusions.”
Joaquim Paiva (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am in the line of Buddha and Christ. ... My religion is not grasped through schooling, or reading books.”
Sayo Kitamura (1900–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She idolized Louis Pasteur and Marie Curie—"people who discovered things"—and devoured s like 's . "Those books were so exciting," remembered Elion. "It was like reading a novel. It was a mystery story that they could solve, and they became people. They weren't just names.”
Sharon Bertsch McGrayne (born 1942) first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (451 pages; 1993 1st edition)
“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”
Mark Twain (misattributed) first seen 1841 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed to Markus Herz by Ernst von Feuchtersleben, Zur Diätetik der Seele (1841), p. 95. First attributed to Twain in 1980s, as in The 637 best things anybody ever said, (1982), Robert Byrne, Atheneum. See talk page…
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
Ray Bradbury (misattributed) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Actually a statement by Joseph Brodsky, as quoted in The Balancing Act : Mastering the Competing Demands of Leadership (1996) by Kerry Patterson, p. 437.
“Isn't it odd how parents grieve if their child spends six hours a day on the 'Net, but are delighted if those same hours are spent reading books?”
Nicholas Negroponte (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Did you read any philosopher? Or in your formation did you never spend time reading, for example, Hegel? As an example, Hegel says, ‘The truth is in the whole’, it’s always in the whole that you find the truth. [Having declared himself still one of the greatest managers in the world, Mourinho was asked if he could still lay claim to that title if he did not win the Premier League with United.]”
José Mourinho (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I took a course in speed reading, learning to read straight down the middle of the page, and I was able to go through War and Peace in 20 minutes. It's about Russia.”
Woody Allen (born 1935) first seen 1967 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed to Allen by Herb Caen in Reader's Digest, October 1967. For additional citations see this entry from Quote Investigator.
“All poets who, when reading from their own works, experience a choked feeling, are major. For that matter, all poets who read from their own works are major, whether they choke or not.”
E. B. White (1899–1985) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How to Tell a Major Poet from a Minor Poet" in The New Yorker (1938); reprinted in Quo Vadimus: Or, the Case for the Bicycle (1939)
“When I die, my epitaph or whatever you call those signs on gravestones is going to read: "I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like." I am so proud of that I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved. And when you come to my grave you will find me sitting there, proudly reading it.”
Will Rogers (1879–1935) first seen 1930 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: One of his most famous and most quoted remarks. First printed in the Boston Globe, June 16, 1930, after he had attended Tremont Temple Baptist Church, where Dr. James W. Brougher was minister. He asked Will to say a few…
“It is strange that there should be so little reading in the world, and so much writing. People in general do not willingly read, if they can have any thing else to amuse them.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1783 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (1 May 1783) p. 513
“when I go to read my work at colleges, I find the students reading and discussing contemporary writing by women as if there never had been a time when a Distinguished Critic could say "Women can't be writers"-even in jest. I am grateful and glad for that change, but it has not been won without pain.”
Erica Jong (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He [the child] does not despise real woods because he has read of enchanted woods: the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted.”
C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Three Ways of Writing for Children" (1952)
“I attacked with great resolution the editorial matter, and, reading it from beginning to end without understanding a syllable, conceived the possibility of its being Chinese, and so re-read it from the end to the beginning, but with no more satisfactory result.”
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) said by 1849 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Angel of the Odd" (1850).
“To read fiction means to play a game by which we give sense to the immensity of things that happened, are happening, or will happen in the actual world. By reading narrative, we escape the anxiety that attacks us when we try to say something true about the world. This is the consoling function of narrative — the reason people tell stories, and have told stories from the beginning of time.”
Umberto Eco (1932–2016) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Six Walks in the Fictional Woods (1994) Chapter Four: "Possible Woods