--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This book is like any other book. But I…" description: "\"“This book is like any other book. But I would be happy if it were only read by people whose souls are already formed. Those who know that the approach..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/clarice-lispector-1401_book_this-book-is-like-any-other-book-but-i-w_1077232.jpg" --- # This book is like any other book. But I would be happy if… ![“This book is like any other book. But I would be happy if it were only read by people whose souls are already formed. Those who know that the approach, of whatever it may be, happens gradually and painstakingly — even passing through the opposite of what it approaches. They who, only they, will…” quote by Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/clarice-lispector-1401_book_this-book-is-like-any-other-book-but-i-w_1077232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/clarice-lispector-1401_book_this-book-is-like-any-other-book-but-i-w_1077232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/clarice-lispector-1401_book_this-book-is-like-any-other-book-but-i-w_1077232.jpg) > ““This book is like any other book. But I would be happy if it were only read by people whose souls are already formed. Those who know that the approach, of whatever it may be, happens gradually and painstakingly — even passing through the opposite of what it approaches. They who, only they, will slowly come to understand that this book takes nothing from no one. To me, for example, the character G. H. gave bit by bit a difficult joy; but it is called joy. C.”” [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The book is intended for readers whose inner selves are already mature, as understanding its gradual, paradoxical insights requires a formed soul. **In simple terms:** Only mature readers can grasp its slow, paradoxical lessons. Key Takeaway Seek depth, not superficial reading. Themes maturity reading paradox growth Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - literary study - philosophical discussion Key Concepts existentialism literary depth self‑formation Questions to Reflect On - How does personal maturity affect literary appreciation? - Can paradoxical narratives foster growth? A Different Perspective The book may alienate readers lacking prior introspection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, when the results aren't going your way, it's difficult to find too much joy in the matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-payet/obviously-when-the-results-aren-t-going-your-way-it-s-difficult-to/) [Dimitri Payet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-payet/) > [There are those who say life is like a book, with chapters for each event in your life and a limited number of pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/there-are-those-who-say-life-is-like-a-book-with-chapters-for-each/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [There are those who say that life is like a book, with chapters for each event in your life and a limited number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-those-who-say-that-life-is-like-a-book-with-chapters-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dear book, this is another day in my life. A life is like a book. A book is like a box. A box has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-carangi/dear-book-this-is-another-day-in-my-life-a-life-is-like-a-book-a-book/) [Gia Carangi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-carangi/) > [Simply be who you are, do what you do best, be where you are called by joy, and let life work its magic on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/simply-be-who-you-are-do-what-you-do-best-be-where-you-are-called-by/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Open your heart, your gaze, to the visitations of angels, even if the gifts they bring may not be centeredness and balance but eccentricity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/open-your-heart-your-gaze-to-the-visitations-of-angels-even-if-the/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [“Which is to say, boys, that I saw our struggles and dreams all tangled up in the same failure, and that failure was called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/which-is-to-say-boys-that-i-saw-our-struggles-and-dreams-all-tangled/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“We thought a little longer, and in the end we simply called her Joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-almond/we-thought-a-little-longer-and-in-the-end-we-simply-called-her-joy/) [David Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-almond/) > [I found that the clergy did not understand their own book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-found-that-the-clergy-did-not-understand-their-own-book/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [He wanted nothing, for the time being, except to understand … Without advice, assistance or plan, he began reading an incongruous assortment of books;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/he-wanted-nothing-for-the-time-being-except-to-understand-without/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [(Joan,1941) She wrote me a letter asking,"How can I read it?,Its so hard." I told her to start at the beginning and read as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/joan-1941-she-wrote-me-a-letter-asking-how-can-i-read-it-its-so-hard/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“This book might also be seen as “a Christian primer.” A primer teaches us how to read. Reading is not just about learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/this-book-might-also-be-seen-as-a-christian-primer-a-primer-teaches/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [I am glad there are things in the Bible I do not understand. If I could take that book up and read it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/i-am-glad-there-are-things-in-the-bible-i-do-not-understand-if-i/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [If God did not want us to understand the book of Revelation, He would not have given it to us at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/if-god-did-not-want-us-to-understand-the-book-of-revelation-he-would/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [“I WANT EVERYONE to understand that no book and no doctor is a substitute for one’s own sensitive contemplation and careful observations. Books with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-joseph/i-want-everyone-to-understand-that-no-book-and-no-doctor-is-a/) Sandra Joseph ## More by Clarice Lispector > [“I find it hard to believe that I shall die. Because I'm bubbling in cold freshness. My life will be very long because each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/i-find-it-hard-to-believe-that-i-shall-die-because-i-m-bubbling-in/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“We shall be inhuman - as humankind's greatest conquest. To be is to be beyond the human. To be a human being doesn't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/we-shall-be-inhuman-as-humankind-s-greatest-conquest-to-be-is-to-be/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [The only truth is that I live. Sincerely, I live. Who am I? Well, that's a bit much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/the-only-truth-is-that-i-live-sincerely-i-live-who-am-i-well-that-s-a/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [Brazil is where I have to be, where I have my roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/brazil-is-where-i-have-to-be-where-i-have-my-roots/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“her short stories read like perfect songs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/her-short-stories-read-like-perfect-songs/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Between two musical notes there exists another note, between two facts there exists another fact, between two grains of sand, no matter how close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/between-two-musical-notes-there-exists-another-note-between-two-facts/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [I' is merely one of the world's instantaneous spasms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/i-is-merely-one-of-the-world-s-instantaneous-spasms/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“It isn't for us that cows' milk comes forth, but we drink it. Flowers weren't made for us to look at or for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/it-isn-t-for-us-that-cows-milk-comes-forth-but-we-drink-it-flowers/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [To think is an act. To feel is a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/to-think-is-an-act-to-feel-is-a-fact/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [Love is now, is always. All that is missing is the coup de grâce- which is called passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/love-is-now-is-always-all-that-is-missing-is-the-coup-de-gr-ce-which/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [What I want is to live of that initial and primordial something that was what made some things reach the point of aspiring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/what-i-want-is-to-live-of-that-initial-and-primordial-something-that/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“I see that the wardrobe looks penetrable because it has a door. But when I open it, I see that penetration has been put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/i-see-that-the-wardrobe-looks-penetrable-because-it-has-a-door-but/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“I knew that cockroaches could go more than a month without food or water. And they could even survive on wood for food. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/i-knew-that-cockroaches-could-go-more-than-a-month-without-food-or/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Beatitude starts in the moment when the act of thinking has freed itself from the necessity of form. Beatitude starts at the moment when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/beatitude-starts-in-the-moment-when-the-act-of-thinking-has-freed/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Beyond thought I reach a state. I refuse to divide it up into words - and what I cannot and do not want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/beyond-thought-i-reach-a-state-i-refuse-to-divide-it-up-into-words/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) [Explore all 196 Clarice Lispector quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) ## 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": "“This book is like any other book. 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