--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A textbook requires a consistent sense of…" description: "\"A textbook requires a consistent sense of style and a linear structure, hallmarks of a single authorial presence. An encyclopedia doesn't.\" — Clive Tho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/clive-thompson-15484_consistent_a-textbook-requires-a-consistent-sense-o_2918821.png" --- # A textbook requires a consistent sense of style and a… ![“A textbook requires a consistent sense of style and a linear structure, hallmarks of a single authorial presence. An encyclopedia doesn't.” quote by Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/clive-thompson-15484_consistent_a-textbook-requires-a-consistent-sense-o_2918821.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/clive-thompson-15484_consistent_a-textbook-requires-a-consistent-sense-o_2918821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/clive-thompson-15484_consistent_a-textbook-requires-a-consistent-sense-o_2918821.png) > “A textbook requires a consistent sense of style and a linear structure, hallmarks of a single authorial presence. An encyclopedia doesn't.” [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books show a single voice; encyclopedias prioritize collective knowledge. **In simple terms:** Books are author-centric; encyclopedias are collaborative. Key Takeaway Recognize differing editorial styles. Themes authorship collaboration structure Mood analytical informative Type literary academic When to use this quote - writing a novel - compiling a reference - editing academic texts Key Concepts literary theory information architecture knowledge curation Questions to Reflect On - When is a single voice preferable? - How does collaboration affect credibility? A Different Perspective Collaborative works may lack a cohesive narrative voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) ## Related quotes > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I'm a textbook Gemini. I just need variety and I'm random.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/i-m-a-textbook-gemini-i-just-need-variety-and-i-m-random/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [Pierogies are textbook comfort food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/pierogies-are-textbook-comfort-food/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [“100 trillion is 100 followed by 12 zeroes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashwin/100-trillion-is-100-followed-by-12-zeroes/) Andrew Ashwin > [“Identity confusion is defined by the SCID-D as a subjective feeling of uncertainty, puzzlement, or conflict about one's own identity. Patients who report histories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-steinberg/identity-confusion-is-defined-by-the-scid-d-as-a-subjective-feeling/) [Marlene Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-steinberg/) > [Science is you! It's your head, it's your dog, it's your iPhone - it's the world. How do you see that as boring? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/science-is-you-it-s-your-head-it-s-your-dog-it-s-your-iphone-it-s-the/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Textbook rental is a great concept. It is just a great business model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rosensweig/textbook-rental-is-a-great-concept-it-is-just-a-great-business-model/) [Dan Rosensweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rosensweig/) > [Texting + Facebook = Textbook... So I'm studying right? ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-loveable/texting-facebook-textbook-so-i-m-studying-right/) [Arjun Loveable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-loveable/) > [I am a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible is my primary way of knowing Him and what it means to follow Him. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hamilton/i-am-a-follower-of-jesus-christ-the-bible-is-my-primary-way-of/) [Adam Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hamilton/) > [The Bible was America's basic textbook in all fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/the-bible-was-america-s-basic-textbook-in-all-fields/) [Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/) > [What do you do with a textbook case when no one's written the textbook?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/what-do-you-do-with-a-textbook-case-when-no-one-s-written-the-textbook/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [I would say that, in the future, the book will be reserved for things that function best as a book. So, if I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-spiegelman/i-would-say-that-in-the-future-the-book-will-be-reserved-for-things/) [Art Spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-spiegelman/) > [Textbook publishers don't even bother to advertise at their conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brimelow/textbook-publishers-don-t-even-bother-to-advertise-at-their/) [Peter Brimelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brimelow/) > [I actually think it almost works the other way sometimes: making a college textbook, say, look really "user friendly" tends to also make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-actually-think-it-almost-works-the-other-way-sometimes-making-a/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [I found a discarded textbook on calculus in a wastebasket and read it from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-found-a-discarded-textbook-on-calculus-in-a-wastebasket-and-read-it/) [John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/) ## More by Clive Thompson > [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Novelists in particular love to rhapsodize about the glory of the solitary mind; this is natural, because their job requires them to sit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/novelists-in-particular-love-to-rhapsodize-about-the-glory-of-the/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [When you're an expert in a subject, you can retain new factoids on your favorite topic easily. This only works for the subjects you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/when-you-re-an-expert-in-a-subject-you-can-retain-new-factoids-on/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Why are online games so addictive? It's mostly the narcotic appeal of 'leveling.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/why-are-online-games-so-addictive-it-s-mostly-the-narcotic-appeal-of/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [More than any other modern tool, computers are a total mystery to their users. Most people never open them up to fix them or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/more-than-any-other-modern-tool-computers-are-a-total-mystery-to/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [When you broadcast your book reading voluntarily, it creates moments of fascinating serendipity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/when-you-broadcast-your-book-reading-voluntarily-it-creates-moments/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The only reason we don't notice how absolutely interwoven our thinking processes have become with older technologies - pencils, paper, electric light, penicillin, fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-only-reason-we-don-t-notice-how-absolutely-interwoven-our/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [“While reading Kasparov’s book How Life Imitates Chess on my Kindle, I idly clicked on “popular highlights” to see what passages other readers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/while-reading-kasparov-s-book-how-life-imitates-chess-on-my-kindle-i/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The main message of 'Smarter Than You Think' is an attempt to look at the productively new and interesting ways that we have begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-main-message-of-smarter-than-you-think-is-an-attempt-to-look-at/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [There is something about the ability to externalize our thoughts and compare them with other people in a public way that is really transformative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/there-is-something-about-the-ability-to-externalize-our-thoughts-and/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Type as quickly as you can and always carry a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/type-as-quickly-as-you-can-and-always-carry-a-pencil/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [I don't think the Internet has replaced cities in any significant way, nor really could it. Cities are dynamic - and deeply seductive for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/i-don-t-think-the-internet-has-replaced-cities-in-any-significant-way/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Railing at scientists for massaging tree-ring statistics won't stop the globe from warming if the globe is actually, you know, warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/railing-at-scientists-for-massaging-tree-ring-statistics-won-t-stop/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Transactive memory works best when you have a sense of how your partners' minds work - where they're strong, where they're weak, where their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/transactive-memory-works-best-when-you-have-a-sense-of-how-your/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The amount of writing that people do online is astonishing, and historically unprecedented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-amount-of-writing-that-people-do-online-is-astonishing-and/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) [Explore all 43 Clive Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) ## More Consistent quotes > [The most important thing is consistent football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-hudson-odoi/the-most-important-thing-is-consistent-football/) [Callum Hudson-Odoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-hudson-odoi/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [If I do the same thing consistently, no matter how I feel, I'm probably going to produce a consistent result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/if-i-do-the-same-thing-consistently-no-matter-how-i-feel-i-m-probably/) [Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/) > [Staying consistent is even more important in three-out-of-five-set matches, to be able to wear on guys over that long of a match, if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shelton/staying-consistent-is-even-more-important-in-three-out-of-five-set/) [Ben Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shelton/) > [If all areas of my game are pretty consistent, that's all I hope for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-larson/if-all-areas-of-my-game-are-pretty-consistent-that-s-all-i-hope-for/) [Jordan Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-larson/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I want to be the best, it's not about the ranking, it's about being consistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saina-nehwal/i-want-to-be-the-best-it-s-not-about-the-ranking-it-s-about-being/) [Saina Nehwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saina-nehwal/) > [The one thing that seems to be consistent through all my work that I like, and I experimented a lot, is the viewer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-misrach/the-one-thing-that-seems-to-be-consistent-through-all-my-work-that-i/) [Richard Misrach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-misrach/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I definitely go through periods where I'm in a particular mood, or there's a consistent imaginative context that I feel I'm in, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-definitely-go-through-periods-where-i-m-in-a-particular-mood-or/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [“You don’t have to be strong, or fast, or impressive. Just consistent. The rest will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-allen-dunn/you-don-t-have-to-be-strong-or-fast-or-impressive-just-consistent-the/) [Randall Allen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-allen-dunn/) > [Didn't think her vision was consistent with the ORC, especially the way the Council wishes to work with the ORC. For example, with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/didn-t-think-her-vision-was-consistent-with-the-orc-especially-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [I wanted to be consistent with my exercise, so I committed to working out for 30 days in a row, no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/i-wanted-to-be-consistent-with-my-exercise-so-i-committed-to-working/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) Browse all 1,410 Consistent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A textbook requires a consistent sense of style and a linear structure, hallmarks of a single authorial presence. 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