--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man's bookseller should keep his…" description: "\"A man's bookseller should keep his confidence, like his physician. What can become of a world where every man knows what another man reads? Why, sir, b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/anonymous-1_another-man_a-man-s-bookseller-should-keep-his-confi_2599611.jpg" --- # A man's bookseller should keep his confidence, like his… ![“A man's bookseller should keep his confidence, like his physician. What can become of a world where every man knows what another man reads? Why, sir, books would become like quacks' potions, with every mountebank in the newspapers claiming one volume's superiority over another.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/anonymous-1_another-man_a-man-s-bookseller-should-keep-his-confi_2599611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/anonymous-1_another-man_a-man-s-bookseller-should-keep-his-confi_2599611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/anonymous-1_another-man_a-man-s-bookseller-should-keep-his-confi_2599611.jpg) > “A man's bookseller should keep his confidence, like his physician. What can become of a world where every man knows what another man reads? Why, sir, books would become like quacks' potions, with every mountebank in the newspapers claiming one volume's superiority over another.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If everyone's reading choices were public, books would become commodities, losing their personal, private value. **In simple terms:** Public reading erodes privacy. Key Takeaway Respect literary privacy. Themes privacy literature culture Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - publishing - education - social media - marketing Key Concepts information ethics media studies Questions to Reflect On - Should reading preferences be private? - How does public knowledge of reading affect publishing? A Different Perspective Complete transparency may stifle diverse reading habits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-man/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bookseller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookseller-480444/) [Bookseller Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookseller-confidence-1933312/) [Booksellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/booksellers/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Like Physician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-physician-1749244/) [Man Bookseller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-bookseller-1933313/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Physicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicians/) [Quacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quacks/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Superiority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superiority/) [Volume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > ["Out of Print" is bookseller speak for "We can't be hedgehogged".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/out-of-print-is-bookseller-speak-for-we-can-t-be-hedgehogged/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I have been told by an eminent bookseller, that in no branch of his business , after tracts of popular devotion, were so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/i-have-been-told-by-an-eminent-bookseller-that-in-no-branch-of-his/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The probability of finding a particular book increases in relation to the clarity of the store's focus, the diligence and shrewdness of the bookseller,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-probability-of-finding-a-particular-book-increases-in-relation-to/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [You cannot invent an algorithm that is as good at recommending books as a good bookseller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-cannot-invent-an-algorithm-that-is-as-good-at-recommending-books/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [ A sign of the times: there are no longer any chairs in the bookshops along the embankments. \[Noël\] France was the last bookseller who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-de-goncourt/a-sign-of-the-times-there-are-no-longer-any-chairs-in-the-bookshops/) [Jules de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-de-goncourt/) > [That's your truck parked up by the factory isn't it?" Magnus pointed. "It's awfully butch for a bookseller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/that-s-your-truck-parked-up-by-the-factory-isn-t-it-magnus-pointed-it/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Overall, I'd say I was an awesome bookseller, but probably not the best book shelver. I loved recommending books and helping people find books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/overall-i-d-say-i-was-an-awesome-bookseller-but-probably-not-the-best/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“Hetty shivered. Goodness, he had no business looking at her like that. Physician my eye! Physicians definitely didn't look like him; they were short,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-lodge/hetty-shivered-goodness-he-had-no-business-looking-at-her-like-that/) [Susan Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-lodge/) > [A doctor, like anyone else who has to deal with human beings, each of them unique, cannot be a scientist; he is either, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/a-doctor-like-anyone-else-who-has-to-deal-with-human-beings-each-of/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I feel like a physician, one who's done a scan of the patient's body and seen evidence of a potentially serious issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/i-feel-like-a-physician-one-who-s-done-a-scan-of-the-patient-s-body/) [Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/) > [“I recalled how the old bookseller had always told me that books have a soul, the soul of the person who wrote them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-recalled-how-the-old-bookseller-had-always-told-me-that-books-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love seeing the bookshops and meeting the booksellers-- booksellers really are a special breed. No one in their right mind would take up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-seeing-the-bookshops-and-meeting-the-booksellers-booksellers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that… The real job of every moral teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They have taken the care and upbringing of children out of the hands of parents, where it belongs, and thrown it upon a gang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-have-taken-the-care-and-upbringing-of-children-out-of-the-hands/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Laws should be made, not against quacks but against superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-should-be-made-not-against-quacks-but-against-superstition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. 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I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Another man quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I took ten days off and by 11 o’clock on the first morning I had drunk fourteen cups of coffee, read all the newspapers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/i-took-ten-days-off-and-by-11-o-clock-on-the-first-morning-i-had/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [One day I woke up and Juventus wanted me, another Manchester United and what I know is that there were approaches made. But an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-jimenez/one-day-i-woke-up-and-juventus-wanted-me-another-manchester-united/) [Raul Jimenez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-jimenez/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/) [Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) [Anthony Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-sargent/) > [“Hell, I bet there's another man right now on the other side of this planet, standing in the pouring rain, fighting desperately for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-montes/hell-i-bet-there-s-another-man-right-now-on-the-other-side-of-this/) [EL Montes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-montes/) > [The perception of what we as professors provide has changed. Constant and demanding e-mails are just another manifestation of what our society has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-payne/the-perception-of-what-we-as-professors-provide-has-changed-constant/) [Dan Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-payne/) > [Fighting, to me, seems barbaric. I don't really like it. 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