--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Attacking bad books is not only a waste…" description: "\"Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/anonymous-1_attacking_attacking-bad-books-is-not-only-a-waste_1856749.jpg" --- # Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also… ![“Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, wit and malice as I can contrive. One cannot review a bad book without…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/anonymous-1_attacking_attacking-bad-books-is-not-only-a-waste_1856749.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/anonymous-1_attacking_attacking-bad-books-is-not-only-a-waste_1856749.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/anonymous-1_attacking_attacking-bad-books-is-not-only-a-waste_1856749.jpg) > “Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, wit and malice as I can contrive. One cannot review a bad book without showing off.” [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. Criticizes reviewing bad books as self‑indulgent and a display of wit rather than genuine critique. **In simple terms:** Reviewing bad books can become ego‑driven. Key Takeaway Focus on constructive criticism rather than ego. Themes literature criticism ego Mood reflective critical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - writing a review - academic analysis - publishing commentary Key Concepts self‑indulgence intellectual vanity Questions to Reflect On - How can criticism be both honest and humble? - What purpose does a negative review serve? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of honest negative feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking/) [Attacking Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking-bad-2473173/) [Bad Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-book-836736/) [Bad Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-books/) [Bad character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-character/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Review Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/review-bad-1903372/) [Reviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviews/) [Showing off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showing-off/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-time/) [Wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-time/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [One cannot review a bad book without showing off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/one-cannot-review-a-bad-book-without-showing-off/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I prefer a good review. A bad review that dismisses us... I take it with a grain of salt. I go, 'Okay, they didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-prefer-a-good-review-a-bad-review-that-dismisses-us-i-take-it-with/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I never expected to be in the papers. I personally never expected to be in the papers. The height of my ambition for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-never-expected-to-be-in-the-papers-i-personally-never-expected-to/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [The most important in movie is having a bad character; Not the Hero and the Heroine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-important-in-movie-is-having-a-bad-character-not-the-hero/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good books get praised, bad books get praised. Good books get ignored, bad books get ignored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-books-get-praised-bad-books-get-praised-good-books-get-ignored/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“we are bad books about our favorite topics. I am my dumbest dollar & I am what is left when it learns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-bad-books-about-our-favorite-topics-i-am-my-dumbest-dollar-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we thought more for ourselves we would have very many more bad books and very many more good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-thought-more-for-ourselves-we-would-have-very-many-more-bad/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don't watch it, you start showing off. And then you're not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-do-something-too-good-then-after-a-while-if-you-don-t-watch-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [True relationship isnt about kisses, lavishing dates, showing offs or make outs. It is all about a single soul dwelling in two bodies; those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-relationship-isnt-about-kisses-lavishing-dates-showing-offs-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [why do you like fights Darry~Ponyboy He just likes to show off his muscles~Sodapop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-you-like-fights-darry-ponyboy-he-just-likes-to-show-off-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is too short to read a bad book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/life-is-too-short-to-read-a-bad-book/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [If a book really wants the patronage of a great name, it is a bad book; and if it be a good book, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-a-book-really-wants-the-patronage-of-a-great-name-it-is-a-bad-book/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [I don't think there is such a thing as a bad book for children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-think-there-is-such-a-thing-as-a-bad-book-for-children/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Yeah, I picked up a book and I read. You can get something out of a book, even a bad book ... but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/yeah-i-picked-up-a-book-and-i-read-you-can-get-something-out-of-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## 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. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. 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 Attacking quotes > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/wine-is-the-first-weapon-that-devils-use-in-attacking-the-young/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [I've gotten better at calling out coverages, communication, and being vertical when they're attacking me in the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-zubac/i-ve-gotten-better-at-calling-out-coverages-communication-and-being/) [Ivica Zubac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-zubac/) > [Before I signed for Liverpool, I was playing for Newcastle as a No. 10 - basically, I was always attacking. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/before-i-signed-for-liverpool-i-was-playing-for-newcastle-as-a-no-10/) [Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/) > [It's a big part of my game, attacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/it-s-a-big-part-of-my-game-attacking/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/this-is-really-good-donovan-caine-said-attacking-his-third-strawberry/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [Dravid Could play attacking cricket like me but i could never play like him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/dravid-could-play-attacking-cricket-like-me-but-i-could-never-play/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [Islamic fundamentalism is attacking us at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/islamic-fundamentalism-is-attacking-us-at-home/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [“California cat that chased off attacking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/california-cat-that-chased-off-attacking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) [Browse all 580 Attacking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, wit and malice as I can contrive. 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