Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatinaNederlands
Books and reading
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“What happened to her books?” “They went up in smoke. Confiscated by the Red Guards, who promptly burnt them in public, right in front of her apartment building.”
“The only person who knew what was in the books was my mother's brother, Uncle Bill, and affected to despise them. He said that fiction was a waste of time, the opium of the bourgeoisie, that you had to get a real grip on the facts of life.”
Lorna Sage (1943–2001) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 180 (2001 Fourth Estate)
“The censors are going to stop crime by censoring the films. Why don't they put an end to diseases by burning the medical books which describe them?”
Rupert Hughes (1872–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is regrettable that some Fini supporters have aped Travaglio, plundering his books and writings to the full.”
Fabrizio Cicchitto (born 1940) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For him delicious flavors dwell In books as in old Muscatel.”
Frank Dempster Sherman (1860–1916) first seen 1885 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Book-Collector", in The Century, vol. 31, no. 1 (November 1885) p. 160. Also in Madrigals and Catches (New York: White, Stokes, & Allen, 1887) p. 52
“Books make men alone for themselves.”
Berthold Auerbach (1812–1882) said by 1882 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Christianity, and Catholicism in particular, are based on sacred books aimed at illiterate communities of shepherds.”
Piergiorgio Odifreddi (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I like books that tell the story of 'how we used to be', that tell the story of the years when I was a poor child, like all Italians.”
Renzo Arbore (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was seemingly from books that he learned his surgery...He may have used the knife when embalming the bodies of dead popes, but he was careful to avoid it on living patients.”
Guy de Chauliac (1300–1368) said by 1368 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Charles H. Talbot, in David C. Lindberg, Science in the Middle Ages (University of Chicago Press, 1978), p. 410
“I insist that, although I have had to work very hard on my intellectual formation, I have benefited the most from my relationships with others...everything I've learned, I've learned while getting to know people. I prefer a friendship that enriches me, not hearing about the kids, or about the war, or anything like that. And traveling. I've learned more from traveling than from books.”
Aída Cartagena Portalatín (1918–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We use books like mirrors, gazing into them only to discover ourselves.”
Joseph Epstein (writer) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Plausible Prejudices: Essays on American Writing (New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1985), "The Noblest Distraction", p. 395
“The eighteenth century was seized by a rage for order, manifest in a range of new phenomena: the price tag, standardised weights and measures, the proliferation of signposts on public highways, the increased use of account books and calendars.”
Henry Hitchings (born 1974) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Henry Hitchings, Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Book that Defined the World, first edition 2005, 2006 paperback edition, page 46 (ISBN 0719566320).
“Books, like one's children, have a way of growing up rather fast. In the process, they spring surprises on their unsuspecting parent!”
Okey Ndibe (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every literary tradition requires a support system. Good publishing and promotion are as important as awards and prizes. Even though writers do not write only for prizes, they need prizes to reward creativity, energize the creative space, and call attention to books. We need more awards and prizes. I am grateful to the Nigeria LNG Limited for raising the bar; God bless them.”
Obari Gomba wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All my life, books have always played a part”
Tolu Ogunlesi (born 1982) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I must thank my parents who surrounded me with books from the very beginning… thus helping me to start on this adventure with the printed word”
Tolu Ogunlesi (born 1982) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have found out that writing is not only about sharing your thoughts and ideas with your readers. You also share little bits of your soul with them, bits that you didn’t know existed and which you stumble over while writing. So, to come back to the question, I would say any books or texts on self-discovery would fit this stage of my life.”
Efua Traoré (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No matter who you are– an administrator, a driver, a pastor–it is possible for God to call you into Christian writing, because God wants to use books to reach many people, in places where we ourselves cannot reach. And in times when we cannot say anything, what we have written can communicate.”
Lawrence Darmani (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think the term “market” is the problem with the publication market. The concept is restrictive in essence because of its focus on returns, and as a result, it works to ensure that only certain kinds of books get to see the light of day”
Masande Ntshanga (born 1986) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Publishing Experimental Literature | Interview with Masande Ntshanga 7 October 2024
“My memory of books is also linked to lasting love. My first best friend, F., and I had a separate ritual of spending hours discussing our thoughts on characters and I think it tethered us to each other.”
Eloghosa Osunde wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the year 1321, I had an audience of our lord the pope, and presented him two books on the recovery of the Holy Land, and safety of the faithful; one bound in red, the other in yellow. At the same time I brought under his notice four geographical maps, one of the Mediterranean Sea, another of the land and sea, the third of the Holy Land, the fourth of Egypt.”
Marino Sanuto the Elder (1260–1343) said by 1343 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reported in Jules Michelet, History of France, tr. G. H. Smith (New York, 1882), vol. i, p. 408
“This was as far back as 1964. When I was in primary five (5) because our headmaster who was our teacher would buy abridged volumes of 13th century story books, such as Animal Farm, Treasure Island, Macbeth and others.”
Jerry Agada (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There were so many books, but I would say that I was influenced the most by the storytelling of S.M.O Aka; it was lively, vivid, relatable, simple, and accessible. I was also greatly influenced by Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer stories.”
Olubunmi Familoni wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For no matter what the factual data were, all the books written about Blacks by their conquerors reflected the conquerors' viewpoints. Nothing else should have been expected.”
Chancellor Williams (1893–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hymn-books are non-essentials to the preaching of Jesus Christ.”
Mojola Agbebi (1860–1917) said by 1917 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Being human is my job, everytime someone books me, I have to draw from the actual reality of it, and if I haven't lived the actual reality of it, there is nothing to draw from”
Bonko Khoza (born 1991) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bonko Khoza opens up about life, fame and the pitfalls of the South African entertainment industry, 20 August 2025, IOL, by Alyssia Birjalal
“The best writing is a conversation that you as a reader want to return to. There are some books I will be learning from, and some I’ll be arguing with, my whole life.”
Imani Perry (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By publishing myself, I am able to produce books at prices that are quite affordable for the Malian public.”
Moussa Konaté (1951–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Another big problem is that when books are launched, it’s in a gentrified area, so nobody else knows what is happening”
Edwige-Renée Dro wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are just writing and writing, and I think we are writing enough. Let’s now think of ways of building strong publishing houses on the continent, so our books can get to people”
Edwige-Renée Dro wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“there were many more books from the African continent available in England than in Africa itself”
Edwige-Renée Dro wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Writers need to have spaces where they can talk about their books/work but I also think the main thing is to get away from this intellectualisation of story writing”
Edwige-Renée Dro wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I've never pushed them, and I never will. They both have dream books in which they write their short and long-term goals, and how they will achieve it.”
Amor Vittone (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The pandemic has put into sharp relief the digital divide. For a long time to come, e-books will not be an option for most South Africans, and for this reason the paper publishing industry must stay alive.”
Mark Gevisser (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Personally, I am against a two-year or four-year ban. I do not see any reason why a cheat should be given a second chance? Not only should he be banned for life, but all his performances should be erased from the books. Allowing these cheats to come back and compete against the honest athletes is a disservice to the sport. This is not fair. It is like an encouragement to the cheats.”
Saïd Aouita (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books are by their very nature democratic and critical tools: there are many of them, they often contradict each other, they allow for choice and reasoning. For this reason too, they have always been opposed by theocratic thought, censored, prohibited, and often burned at the stake along with their authors. (p. 45)”
Corrado Augias (born 1935) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[A]ll conscientious professors were inclined to give coefficients of resistance only for the gravity system, and all their books and teachings were on the gravity system, except for tensions of materials working in that way.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Italy and Spain at this epoch had no text-books of their own; all were translations from the French and English works.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need more books by Africans on Africa.”.New African Movement(1947)”
Herbert Dhlomo (1903–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The legal abilities of educated aristocrats developed through the commercial availability of printed books. Henry’s legal system was perhaps the first to benefit extensively from a boom in the printing of legal textbooks. Greater literacy meant that more trained lawyers could practise away from Westminster and still stay connected to legal developments and ideas.”
Sean Cunningham (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
Cicero (disputed) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed to Cicero in J. M. Braude's Speaker's Desk Book of Quips, Quotes, & Anecdotes (Jaico Pub. House, 1966), p. 52.
“All virtue lies in individual action, in inward energy, in self-determination. The best books have most beauty.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books are the true levellers. They give to all who faithfully use them the society, the spiritual presence, of the best and greatest of our race.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“God be thanked for books. They are the voices of the distant and the dead, and make us heirs of the spiritual life of past ages.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the best books great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let every man, if possible, gather some good books under his roof, and obtain access for himself and family to some social library. Almost any luxury should be sacrificed to this.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nothing can supply the place of books. They are cheering or soothing companions in solitude, illness, affliction. The wealth of both continents would not compensate for the good they impart.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The diffusion of these silent teachers books through the whole community is to work greater effects than artillery, machinery, and legislation. Its peaceful agency is to supersede stormy revolutions. The culture which it is to spread, whilst an unspeakable good to the individual, is also to become the stability of nations.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Seek truth from thought, not in mouldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pool.”
Rumi (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.”
Michel de Montaigne (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source