---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For most people, what is so painful about…"
description: "\"For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to share it with. In part what the book club op..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg"
---

#  For most people, what is so painful about reading is that…

![“For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to share it with. In part what the book club opens up is that people can read a book and then have someone else to talk about it with. Then they see that a book can lead to the pleasure of…” quote by Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg)

> “For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to share it with. In part what the book club opens up is that people can read a book and then have someone else to talk about it with. Then they see that a book can lead to the pleasure of conversation, that the solitary act of reading can actually be a part of the path to communion and community.”

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

## About This Quote

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

Reading feels painful when it lacks a social context; sharing transforms solitary reading into communal dialogue and connection.

**In simple terms:** Reading is lonely unless shared.

Key Takeaway

Seek discussion partners for books.

Themes

community conversation reading connection

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

inspirational social

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- online forums
- study groups
- friend gatherings

Key Concepts

social learning shared experience literary communion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you create a sharing space for your reading?
- What benefits arise from discussing books with others?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone enjoys group discussion; some prefer private reflection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-club/) [Book Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-talk-2449144/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Read A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-a-book/) [Read Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-book/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-read/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Solitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is the first book, maybe the only book to talk about how the problem of climate change can be addressed in a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-first-book-maybe-the-only-book-to-talk-about-how-the-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“-and finally, to all of you who've come here tonight to celebrate children's books: every time you find the right, the necessary book for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/and-finally-to-all-of-you-who-ve-come-here-tonight-to-celebrate/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [Well, I talk about one moment in the book, but I don't know if that's my moment of discovery. It was a moment. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vespa/well-i-talk-about-one-moment-in-the-book-but-i-don-t-know-if-that-s/)

[Jeff Vespa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vespa/)

> [“It is the first book, maybe the only book to talk about how the problem of climate change can be addressed in a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-first-book-maybe-the-only-book-to-talk-about-how-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What I had come to love about book club (besides the fabulous desserts and free liquor) was how in hearing so many opinions about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-landvik/what-i-had-come-to-love-about-book-club-besides-the-fabulous-desserts/)

[Lorna Landvik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-landvik/)

> [I grew up in a completely bookless household. It was my father's boast that he had never read a book from end to end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-grew-up-in-a-completely-bookless-household-it-was-my-father-s-boast/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [“Give your brain a break and read a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lyon/give-your-brain-a-break-and-read-a-book/)

[Jeff Lyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lyon/)

> [“Before I Talk, I Should Read A Book”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-b-52s/before-i-talk-i-should-read-a-book/)

[The B-52s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-b-52s/)

> [Ive never read a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-bullard/ive-never-read-a-book/)

[Jimmy Bullard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-bullard/)

> [When I'm deciding to read a book, I never open to the first chapter, because that's been revised and worked over 88 times. I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/when-i-m-deciding-to-read-a-book-i-never-open-to-the-first-chapter/)

[Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/)

> [Usually when I'm on a plane, I try to enjoy the fact that I have to be still for eight hours and read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiel-huisman/usually-when-i-m-on-a-plane-i-try-to-enjoy-the-fact-that-i-have-to-be/)

[Michiel Huisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiel-huisman/)

> [Free time is a terrible thing to waste. Read a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri-2/free-time-is-a-terrible-thing-to-waste-read-a-book/)

[E. A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri-2/)

> [“When you read a book, you don't give up on it. You might soon feel like your part of the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/when-you-read-a-book-you-don-t-give-up-on-it-you-might-soon-feel-like/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [We should read music in the same way that an educated adult will read a book: in silence, but imagining the sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-kodaly/we-should-read-music-in-the-same-way-that-an-educated-adult-will-read/)

[Zoltan Kodaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-kodaly/)

> [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

## More by Bell Hooks

> [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Most folks believe we are hardwired biologically to long for sex but they do not believe we are hardwired to long for love. Almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/most-folks-believe-we-are-hardwired-biologically-to-long-for-sex-but/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [Couples who rarely or never have sex can know lifelong love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/couples-who-rarely-or-never-have-sex-can-know-lifelong-love/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The power of patriarchy has been to make maleness feared and to make men feel that it is better to be feared that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-power-of-patriarchy-has-been-to-make-maleness-feared-and-to-make/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“I feel enormously blessed to be a successful black woman writer in this culture, but I have found my small fame, such as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/i-feel-enormously-blessed-to-be-a-successful-black-woman-writer-in/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [Language is also a place of struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/language-is-also-a-place-of-struggle/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [In this culture, the phrase 'black woman' is not synonymous with 'tender,' or 'gentle.' It's as if those words couldn't possibly speak to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/in-this-culture-the-phrase-black-woman-is-not-synonymous-with-tender/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [It's interesting to look at all the aspects where everyday Americans, many of whom are not college educated, are thinking deeply now about our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/it-s-interesting-to-look-at-all-the-aspects-where-everyday-americans/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The true teacher is within us. A good teacher is someone who can help you to go back and touch the true teacher within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-true-teacher-is-within-us-a-good-teacher-is-someone-who-can-help/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Advancing the notion that there can be many "feminisms" has served the conservative and liberal political interests of women seeking status and privileged class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/advancing-the-notion-that-there-can-be-many-feminisms-has-served-the/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I love my family, even as I critique their dysfunctionalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/i-love-my-family-even-as-i-critique-their-dysfunctionalities/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [You must have courage to love, you have to have a profound will to do what is right to love, and it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/you-must-have-courage-to-love-you-have-to-have-a-profound-will-to-do/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [To truly love we must learn to mix various ingredients - care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/to-truly-love-we-must-learn-to-mix-various-ingredients-care-affection/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Often emphasis on identity and lifestyle is appealing because it creates a false sense that one is engaged in praxis. However, praxis within any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/often-emphasis-on-identity-and-lifestyle-is-appealing-because-it/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

[Explore all 541 Bell Hooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

## 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": "For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to share it with. In part what the book club opens up is that people can read a book and then have someone else to talk about it with. Then they see that a book can lead to the pleasure of conversation, that the solitary act of reading can actually be a part of the path to communion and community.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bell Hooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about-reading-is-that-you-read/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about-reading-is-that-you-read/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/bell-hooks-464_book_for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about_2904786.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For most people, what is so painful about reading is that you read something and you don't have anybody to…” — Bell Hooks",
                "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": "Bell Hooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For most people, what is so...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about-reading-is-that-you-read/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/for-most-people-what-is-so-painful-about-reading-is-that-you-read/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
