--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Books have to be read (worse luck it…" description: "\"Books have to be read (worse luck it takes so long a time). It is the only way of discovering what they contain. A few savage tribes eat them, but read..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/anonymous-1_assimilation_books-have-to-be-read-worse-luck-it-take_962938.jpg" --- # Books have to be read (worse luck it takes so long a… ![“Books have to be read (worse luck it takes so long a time). It is the only way of discovering what they contain. A few savage tribes eat them, but reading is the only method of assimilation revealed to the West.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/anonymous-1_assimilation_books-have-to-be-read-worse-luck-it-take_962938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/anonymous-1_assimilation_books-have-to-be-read-worse-luck-it-take_962938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/anonymous-1_assimilation_books-have-to-be-read-worse-luck-it-take_962938.jpg) > “Books have to be read (worse luck it takes so long a time). It is the only way of discovering what they contain. A few savage tribes eat them, but reading is the only method of assimilation revealed to the West.” [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. Reading is the primary means to understand a book's content, unlike other cultures that may consume books physically **In simple terms:** Reading reveals a book's ideas Key Takeaway Read to truly know a book Themes knowledge literature understanding Mood curious reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - academic study - personal development - teaching - library work Key Concepts cognitive assimilation cultural contrast Questions to Reflect On - How does reading differ from other forms of consumption? - What are the limits of reading as assimilation? A Different Perspective Physical consumption of a book does not convey its ideas; reading is necessary ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assimilation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Savages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savages/) [Tribes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribes/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“I prefer cinnamon twists over scones because they’re easier to eat while I’m reading. That’s my main priority when it comes to food. Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellery-adams/i-prefer-cinnamon-twists-over-scones-because-they-re-easier-to-eat/) [Ellery Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellery-adams/) > [“The best rule of reading will be a method from nature, and not a mechanical one of hours and pages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-best-rule-of-reading-will-be-a-method-from-nature-and-not-a/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“For instance, there is a tribe in the vicinity of Lake Rudolph that will eat no sheep or cattle, though its next neighbors do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/for-instance-there-is-a-tribe-in-the-vicinity-of-lake-rudolph-that/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I absolutely believe in assimilation. I don't believe I'm any different from straight people. My wants and needs are the same as theirs. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-absolutely-believe-in-assimilation-i-don-t-believe-i-m-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its assimilation requires the reconstruction of prior theory and re-evaluation of prior fact, an intrinsically revolutionary process that is seldom completed a single man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-assimilation-requires-the-reconstruction-of-prior-theory-and-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that tread, the globe are but a handful to the tribes, that slumber in its bosom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-tread-the-globe-are-but-a-handful-to-the-tribes-that-slumber/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are all tattooed in our cradles with the beliefs of our tribe; the record may seem superficial, but it is indelible. You cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-all-tattooed-in-our-cradles-with-the-beliefs-of-our-tribe-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I represent nine sovereign Sioux tribes. In South Dakota, some of the tribes are in the most remote, rural areas of the country. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-represent-nine-sovereign-sioux-tribes-in-south-dakota-some-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-that-in-each-generation-god-has-called-enough-men-and-women/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“tribes of Israel as a possession  e according to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tribes-of-israel-as-a-possession-e-according-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world is large,” said Okonkwo. “I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-large-said-okonkwo-i-have-even-heard-that-in-some-tribes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. . . . Children must early learn the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-our-belief-that-the-love-of-possessions-is-a-weakness-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The spectacular landscape circling the fortress supplies an essential backdrop, inspiring dreamers to wander its ruins for the sake of it; North American tourists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-spectacular-landscape-circling-the-fortress-supplies-an-essential/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The clan is nothing more than a larger family, with its patriarchal chief as the natural head, and the union of several clans by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-clan-is-nothing-more-than-a-larger-family-with-its-patriarchal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For extending its sway, partly by force of arms, partly by the voluntary submission of weaker tribes, the community soon acquires wealth and slaves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-extending-its-sway-partly-by-force-of-arms-partly-by-the/) [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. 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 Assimilation quotes > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. This policy, Rist explains, is a "means of socializing nonwhite students to act, speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/the-portland-school-board-s-policy-equated-integration-and-racial/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“Fuck I hate fucks Who think they’re so fucking great They know everything about fucking, When they’re just fucking fucks fucking! And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/fuck-i-hate-fucks-who-think-they-re-so-fucking-great-they-know/) Initially NO > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“It’s a great honor, m’ijo. We know that. I’m sure everyone in Ysleta is proud of you. But this is who you are," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/it-s-a-great-honor-m-ijo-we-know-that-i-m-sure-everyone-in-ysleta-is/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [Intellectual life requires for its expansion and manifestation the influences and assimilation of the interests and affections of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/intellectual-life-requires-for-its-expansion-and-manifestation-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-came-up-against-naked/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [Knowledge is a free good. The biggest cost in its transmission is not in the production or distribution of knowledge, but in its assimilation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-arrow/knowledge-is-a-free-good-the-biggest-cost-in-its-transmission-is-not/) [Kenneth Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-arrow/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Finally it should be the earnest wish and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/finally-it-should-be-the-earnest-wish-and-paramount-aim-of-the/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [If you would be a writer, first be a reader. Only through the assimilation of ideas, thoughts and philosophies can one begin to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-w-eckert/if-you-would-be-a-writer-first-be-a-reader-only-through-the/) Allan W. Eckert > [We must have life building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-have-life-building-man-making-character-making-assimilation/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) [Browse all 141 Assimilation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Books have to be read (worse luck it takes so long a time). It is the only way of discovering what they contain. 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