--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With books, as with companions, it is of…" description: "\"With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose; for good books are as scarce as good companions..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/charles-caleb-colton-270_book_with-books-as-with-companions-it-is-of-m_3083701.png" --- # With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence… ![“With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose; for good books are as scarce as good companions...” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/charles-caleb-colton-270_book_with-books-as-with-companions-it-is-of-m_3083701.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/charles-caleb-colton-270_book_with-books-as-with-companions-it-is-of-m_3083701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/charles-caleb-colton-270_book_with-books-as-with-companions-it-is-of-m_3083701.png) > “With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose; for good books are as scarce as good companions...” [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing what to avoid can be more valuable than choosing what to embrace, because scarcity makes quality essential. **In simple terms:** Avoiding bad choices matters more than picking good ones. Key Takeaway Prioritize avoiding harmful influences. Themes wisdom choice quality scarcity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - reading selection - friendship - career decisions - investment choices Key Concepts critical thinking valuation risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What criteria do you use to identify harmful options? - How can you balance avoidance with openness? A Different Perspective Avoidance alone doesn't guarantee good outcomes; discernment is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Companions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-companions-262878/) [Books Scarce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-scarce-262879/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Companions Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companions-consequence-262880/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Good Companions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-companions-262881/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Scarce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarce/) [Scarce Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarce-good-2005020/) [Thrown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrown/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose, for good books are as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/with-books-as-with-companions-it-is-of-more-consequence-to-know-which/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A good laugh is a mighty good thing, a rather too scarce a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/a-good-laugh-is-a-mighty-good-thing-a-rather-too-scarce-a-good-thing/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I grew up in a place where books were very, very scarce, and I loved to read. 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Books are humanity in print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/books-are-companions-teachers-magicians-bankers-of-the-treasures-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ You asked me where I generally lived. In my workshop \[i.e. in his study\] in the mornings and always in the library in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/you-asked-me-where-i-generally-lived-in-my-workshop-i-e-in-his-study/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [The burning soul, the burden'd mind, In books alone companions find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/the-burning-soul-the-burden-d-mind-in-books-alone-companions-find/) [Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/) ## More by Charles Caleb Colton > [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. 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