--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time when only wise books…" description: "\"There was a time when only wise books were read helping us to bear our pain and misery. This, after all, is not quite the same as leafing through a tho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/czeslaw-milosz-7653_bears_there-was-a-time-when-only-wise-books-we_295300.jpg" --- # There was a time when only wise books were read helping us… ![“There was a time when only wise books were read helping us to bear our pain and misery. This, after all, is not quite the same as leafing through a thousand works fresh from psychiatric clinics. And yet the world is different from what it seems to be and we are other than how we see ourselves in…” quote by Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/czeslaw-milosz-7653_bears_there-was-a-time-when-only-wise-books-we_295300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/czeslaw-milosz-7653_bears_there-was-a-time-when-only-wise-books-we_295300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/czeslaw-milosz-7653_bears_there-was-a-time-when-only-wise-books-we_295300.jpg) > “There was a time when only wise books were read helping us to bear our pain and misery. This, after all, is not quite the same as leafing through a thousand works fresh from psychiatric clinics. And yet the world is different from what it seems to be and we are other than how we see ourselves in our ravings.” [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading classic literature offers comfort and perspective, unlike modern clinical texts that may feel detached from personal experience. **In simple terms:** Old books soothe; new ones can feel clinical. Key Takeaway Seek balance between classic wisdom and contemporary insight. Themes literature comfort perspective Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal coping - academic study - therapy sessions Key Concepts humanism psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate timeless ideas with current challenges? - Can old literature still resonate today? A Different Perspective Classic works may not address specific modern mental health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-read/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“you're not just a pickpocket with fast hands." Rieker's eyes locked on hers. "I found a girl caring for other orphans like a mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/you-re-not-just-a-pickpocket-with-fast-hands-rieker-s-eyes-locked-on/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [There are essentially two things that will make you wise -- the books you read and the people you meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/there-are-essentially-two-things-that-will-make-you-wise-the-books/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [If writers were too wise, perhaps no books would get written at all. It might be better to ask yourself 'Why?”'afterwards than before There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/if-writers-were-too-wise-perhaps-no-books-would-get-written-at-all-it/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [The wise are above books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-daniel/the-wise-are-above-books/) [Samuel Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-daniel/) > [“We can't avoid pain, but misery is always a choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-s-durbin/we-can-t-avoid-pain-but-misery-is-always-a-choice/) [Frederic S. Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-s-durbin/) > [And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/and-it-may-be-that-love-sometimes-occurs-without-pain-or-misery/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [No man who believes that all is for the best in this suffering world can keep his ethical values unimpaired, since he is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/no-man-who-believes-that-all-is-for-the-best-in-this-suffering-world/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Now look at the pain & misery it cause you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor/now-look-at-the-pain-misery-it-cause-you/) [Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor/) > [“What is there in our nature that is for ever urging us on towards pain and misery?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/what-is-there-in-our-nature-that-is-for-ever-urging-us-on-towards-2/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“since pain and misery are among the few things that, when shared, always multiply. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-padura/since-pain-and-misery-are-among-the-few-things-that-when-shared/) Leonardo Padura > [I'm here to be lovesick, broke and drifting, writing heartache songs and singing about pain and misery and depression, with a few good times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/i-m-here-to-be-lovesick-broke-and-drifting-writing-heartache-songs/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [I liked beaches, swimming pools, and clinics for there they were the bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. I pitied them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/i-liked-beaches-swimming-pools-and-clinics-for-there-they-were-the/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [Let me tell something, seeing your name and psychiatric ward on the same piece of paper isn't the best way to start your day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/let-me-tell-something-seeing-your-name-and-psychiatric-ward-on-the/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [Yes, I'm very normal, everything is okay, I won't become a psychiatric case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-jodl/yes-i-m-very-normal-everything-is-okay-i-won-t-become-a-psychiatric/) [Alfred Jodl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-jodl/) > [“Amateur psychiatric prognosis can be fascinating when there is absolutely nothing else to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-condon/amateur-psychiatric-prognosis-can-be-fascinating-when-there-is/) [Richard Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-condon/) ## More by Czeslaw Milosz > [The child who dwells inside us trusts that there are wise men somewhere who know the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/the-child-who-dwells-inside-us-trusts-that-there-are-wise-men/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [We have become indifferent to content, and react, not even to form, but to technique, to technical efficiency itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/we-have-become-indifferent-to-content-and-react-not-even-to-form-but/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [“And Yet the Books And yet the books will be there on the shelves, separate beings, That appeared once, still wet As shining chestnuts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/and-yet-the-books-and-yet-the-books-will-be-there-on-the-shelves/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [“When someone is honestly 55 percent right, that’s very good and there’s no use wrangling. And if someone is 60 percent right, it’s wonderful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/when-someone-is-honestly-55-percent-right-that-s-very-good-and-there/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [“The worst possible sexual education: a taboo imposed by the Catholic church plus romantic literature elevating love to unreal heights plus the obscene language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/the-worst-possible-sexual-education-a-taboo-imposed-by-the-catholic/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [And if there is no lining to the world? If a thrush on a branch is not a sign, But just a thrush on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/and-if-there-is-no-lining-to-the-world-if-a-thrush-on-a-branch-is-not/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [At every sunrise I renounce the doubts of night and greet the new day of a most precious delusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/at-every-sunrise-i-renounce-the-doubts-of-night-and-greet-the-new-day/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [The soul exceeds its circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/the-soul-exceeds-its-circumstances/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [I imagine the earth when I am no more: Women's dresses, dewy lilacs, a song in the valley. Yet the books will be there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/i-imagine-the-earth-when-i-am-no-more-women-s-dresses-dewy-lilacs-a/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [If I am all mankind, are they themselves without me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/if-i-am-all-mankind-are-they-themselves-without-me/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [“In the very essence of poetry there is something indecent; A thing brought forth that we didn't know we had in us, So we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/in-the-very-essence-of-poetry-there-is-something-indecent-a-thing/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [Consolation Calm down. Both your sins and your good deeds will be lost in oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/consolation-calm-down-both-your-sins-and-your-good-deeds-will-be-lost/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [I am composed of contradictions, which is why poetry is a better form for me than philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/i-am-composed-of-contradictions-which-is-why-poetry-is-a-better-form/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [Every poet depends upon generations who wrote in his native tongue; he inherits styles and forms elaborated by those who lived before him. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/every-poet-depends-upon-generations-who-wrote-in-his-native-tongue-he/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [At the entrance, my bare feet on the dirt floor, Here, gusts of heat; at my back, white clouds. I stare and stare. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/at-the-entrance-my-bare-feet-on-the-dirt-floor-here-gusts-of-heat-at/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) [Explore all 89 Czeslaw Milosz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) ## More Bears quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. 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