---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever a text-book is written of real…"
description: "\"Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth, you may be quite certain that some reviewer will say that it will be difficult to teach from..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg"
---

#  Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth…

![“Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth, you may be quite certain that some reviewer will say that it will be difficult to teach from it. Of course it will be difficult to teach from it. It it were easy, the book ought to be burned.” quote by Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg)

> “Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth, you may be quite certain that some reviewer will say that it will be difficult to teach from it. Of course it will be difficult to teach from it. It it were easy, the book ought to be burned.”

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Educational works of true value are inherently challenging; ease would indicate lack of depth.

**In simple terms:** Good textbooks are hard to teach.

Key Takeaway

Embrace difficulty.

Themes

education philosophy learning

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- teacher training
- curriculum design
- self‑study

Key Concepts

pedagogy epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why might simplicity betray superficiality?
- How can educators balance rigor with accessibility?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Educational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational/) [Reviewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviewers/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [“You remember that illuminated text over the dining-room door--"The Lord Will Provide." We've painted it out, and covered the spot with rabbits. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/you-remember-that-illuminated-text-over-the-dining-room-door-the-lord/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [Words mean more than we mean to express when we use them: so a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/words-mean-more-than-we-mean-to-express-when-we-use-them-so-a-whole/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“Instead of making myself write the book I ought to write, the novel that was expected of me, I conjured up the book I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/instead-of-making-myself-write-the-book-i-ought-to-write-the-novel/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [Your book bill ought to be your biggest extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/your-book-bill-ought-to-be-your-biggest-extravagance/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“A good book ought to have something simple about it. And, like Eve, it ought to come from somewhere near the third rib: there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/a-good-book-ought-to-have-something-simple-about-it-and-like-eve-it/)

[Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/)

> [“Man reading ought to be a man intensely alive. The book ought to be a ball of light in his hands. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/man-reading-ought-to-be-a-man-intensely-alive-the-book-ought-to-be-a/)

[Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/)

> [ “as \[ale\] is the liquor of modern historians,..., it ought likewise to be the potation of their readers, since every book ought to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/as-ale-is-the-liquor-of-modern-historians-it-ought-likewise-to-be-the/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [Until a teacher learns to use elements like time, space, materials, groupings, and so forth flexibly, it's incredibly difficult to teach students as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/until-a-teacher-learns-to-use-elements-like-time-space-materials/)

[Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/)

> [I can only think that the book is read because it deals with the difficulties of schooling, which do not change. Please note: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/i-can-only-think-that-the-book-is-read-because-it-deals-with-the/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [As commentators like the American psychologist Gary Marcus have noted, it's extremely difficult to teach a computer to recognise cats. And that's not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-chatfield/as-commentators-like-the-american-psychologist-gary-marcus-have-noted/)

[Tom Chatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-chatfield/)

> [It's all complete instinct and intuition, and that's extremely difficult to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/it-s-all-complete-instinct-and-intuition-and-that-s-extremely/)

[Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/)

> [“It is very difficult to teach navigation theory to someone who clings to the shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bly/it-is-very-difficult-to-teach-navigation-theory-to-someone-who-clings/)

[Carol Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bly/)

> [“Nothing You Encounter in Life is Too Difficult - It's There to Teach you a Lesson Fred Cheshire, "There's Nothing I Can't Do -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariam-cheshire/nothing-you-encounter-in-life-is-too-difficult-it-s-there-to-teach/)

Mariam Cheshire

> [“It is hard to teach an old dog to sit, as well as it is difficult to teach an old Laplandian rafter to swim.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arto-paasilinna/it-is-hard-to-teach-an-old-dog-to-sit-as-well-as-it-is-difficult-to/)

[Arto Paasilinna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arto-paasilinna/)

> [“It's difficult to teach how to write novels, but teaching swimming is just as hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-s-difficult-to-teach-how-to-write-novels-but-teaching-swimming-is/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More by Alfred North Whitehead

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/philosophy-begins-in-wonder-and-at-the-end-when-philosophic-thought/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Aristotle discovered all the half-truths which were necessary to the creation of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/aristotle-discovered-all-the-half-truths-which-were-necessary-to-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [On the ostensible exactitude of certain branches of human knowledge, including mathematics. The exactness is a fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/on-the-ostensible-exactitude-of-certain-branches-of-human-knowledge/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [It is this union of passionate interest in the detailed facts with equal devotion to abstract generalisation which forms the novelty in our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-this-union-of-passionate-interest-in-the-detailed-facts-with/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of infinitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/our-minds-are-finite-and-yet-even-in-these-circumstances-of/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The many become one and are increased by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-many-become-one-and-are-increased-by-one/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/art-is-the-imposing-of-a-pattern-on-experience-and-our-aesthetic/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The future belongs to those who can rise above the confines of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-future-belongs-to-those-who-can-rise-above-the-confines-of-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Common sense is genius in homespun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/common-sense-is-genius-in-homespun/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Everyone is a philosopher. Not everyone is good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/everyone-is-a-philosopher-not-everyone-is-good-at-it/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Do not teach too many subjects and what you teach, teach thoroughly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/do-not-teach-too-many-subjects-and-what-you-teach-teach-thoroughly/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

[Explore all 356 Alfred North Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth, you may be quite certain that some reviewer will say that it will be difficult to teach from it. Of course it will be difficult to teach from it. It it were easy, the book ought to be burned.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alfred North Whitehead"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real-educational-worth-you-may-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real-educational-worth-you-may-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real_2185509.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whenever a text-book is written of real educational worth, you may be quite certain that some reviewer will…” — Alfred North Whitehead",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alfred North Whitehead",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Whenever a text-book is written of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real-educational-worth-you-may-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/whenever-a-text-book-is-written-of-real-educational-worth-you-may-be/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```