--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An unliterary man may be defined as one…" description: "\"An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.\" — C. S. Lewis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png" --- # An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books… ![“An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png) > “An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.” [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading a book only once leads to shallow understanding and limits personal growth. **In simple terms:** One‑time reading limits depth. Key Takeaway Read repeatedly to deepen insight. Themes learning reading growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic study - personal development - book clubs - teaching - self‑education Key Concepts Literary criticism cognitive depth Questions to Reflect On - How does rereading change your perception? - What prevents you from revisiting books? A Different Perspective Repeated reading requires time and effort, which many avoid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The sure mark of an unliterary man is that he considers "I've read it already" to be a conclusive argument against reading a work...Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-sure-mark-of-an-unliterary-man-is-that-he-considers-i-ve-read-it/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [I used to be more of a purist about literature. I thought, 'If it's a really propulsive story, then maybe there's something unliterary about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-heighton/i-used-to-be-more-of-a-purist-about-literature-i-thought-if-it-s-a/) [Steven Heighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-heighton/) > [“I happened to pen some literature, alas, in an utterly unliterary era.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-s-murthy/i-happened-to-pen-some-literature-alas-in-an-utterly-unliterary-era/) [B.S. Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-s-murthy/) > [We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-enjoy-a-story-fully-at-the-first-reading-not-till-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [My Father taught me how to be a man – and not by instilling in me a sense of machismo or an agenda of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-smith/my-father-taught-me-how-to-be-a-man-and-not-by-instilling-in-me-a/) [Kevin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-smith/) > [Man can be defined, if one wishes, as a languag-ized mammal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-laird/man-can-be-defined-if-one-wishes-as-a-languag-ized-mammal/) [Charlton Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-laird/) > [Despite what Women may think, a true man is not defined by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-dennis/despite-what-women-may-think-a-true-man-is-not-defined-by-them/) [R Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-dennis/) > [For all of higher civilization's recorded history, becoming a man was defined overwhelmingly as taking responsibility for a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/for-all-of-higher-civilization-s-recorded-history-becoming-a-man-was/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-man-was-defined-not-by-his-flaws-but-by-how-he-overcame-them/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“A man is not defined by one allegiance alone... If he were, then reason would have no value, nor would loyalty have meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-udayasankar/a-man-is-not-defined-by-one-allegiance-alone-if-he-were-then-reason/) [Krishna Udayasankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-udayasankar/) > [The true character of a man is not defined by what he does in front of a crowd but instead by what he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-true-character-of-a-man-is-not-defined-by-what-he-does-in-front/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To change man, the audience by which he judges himself must be changed. A man is defined by his audience: by the people, institutions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rhinehart/to-change-man-the-audience-by-which-he-judges-himself-must-be-changed-2/) [Luke Rhinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rhinehart/) > [A man is a man to the extent that he is a superman. A man should be defined by the sum of those tendencies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/a-man-is-a-man-to-the-extent-that-he-is-a-superman-a-man-should-be/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“He found insanity no excuse, however, for irrational behavior. Some men were blind, others had poor tempers. Still others heard voices. It was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-insanity-no-excuse-however-for-irrational-behavior-some-men/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To change man, the audience by which he judges himself must be changed. A man is defined by his audience: by the people, institutions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rhinehart/to-change-man-the-audience-by-which-he-judges-himself-must-be-changed/) [Luke Rhinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rhinehart/) ## More by C. S. Lewis > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-he-died-in-the-wounded-world-he-died-not-for-men-but-for-each/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [If a man is going to write on chemistry, he learns chemistry. The same is true of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-a-man-is-going-to-write-on-chemistry-he-learns-chemistry-the-same/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-first-fact-in-the-history-of-christendom-is-a-number-of-people/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I#pray because the need flows out of me all the time-walking and sleeping. It does not change # God - it changes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-pray-because-the-need-flows-out-of-me-all-the-time-walking-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Are the gods not just?' 'Oh no, child. What would become us us if they were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/are-the-gods-not-just-oh-no-child-what-would-become-us-us-if-they-were/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Love is more than an emotion, it is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/love-is-more-than-an-emotion-it-is-a-decision/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/war-creates-no-absolutely-new-situation-it-simply-aggravates-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Explore all 1,190 C. S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## 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": "An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C. S. Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one-who-reads-books-once-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one-who-reads-books-once-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/c-s-lewis-2-132_book_an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one_2784368.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.” — C. S. Lewis", "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": "C. S. Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An unliterary man may be defined...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one-who-reads-books-once-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/an-unliterary-man-may-be-defined-as-one-who-reads-books-once-only/#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 } } ] } ```