--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The 'Robben Island Bible' has arrived at…" description: "\"The 'Robben Island Bible' has arrived at the British Museum. It's a garish thing, its cover plastered with pink and gold Hindu images, designed to hide..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/daniel-hannan-10657_bible_the-robben-island-bible-has-arrived-at-t_735967.jpg" --- # The 'Robben Island Bible' has arrived at the British… ![“The 'Robben Island Bible' has arrived at the British Museum. It's a garish thing, its cover plastered with pink and gold Hindu images, designed to hide its contents. Within is the finest collection of words generated by human intelligence: the complete works of William Shakespeare.” quote by Daniel Hannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/daniel-hannan-10657_bible_the-robben-island-bible-has-arrived-at-t_735967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/daniel-hannan-10657_bible_the-robben-island-bible-has-arrived-at-t_735967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/daniel-hannan-10657_bible_the-robben-island-bible-has-arrived-at-t_735967.jpg) > “The 'Robben Island Bible' has arrived at the British Museum. It's a garish thing, its cover plastered with pink and gold Hindu images, designed to hide its contents. Within is the finest collection of words generated by human intelligence: the complete works of William Shakespeare.” [Daniel Hannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-hannan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The British Museum’s garish cover hides Shakespeare’s works, highlighting how presentation can obscure valuable content. **In simple terms:** Appearance can mask true worth. Key Takeaway Look beyond superficial designs. Themes literature presentation cultural heritage Mood critical inquisitive Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - library displays - exhibition design - educational outreach Key Concepts museum curation public perception artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - Why do we judge books by their covers? - How does packaging influence our engagement with content? A Different Perspective The cover may be a deliberate artistic choice, not deception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [British museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-museum/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Hinduism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hinduism/) [Human intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-intelligence/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) ## Related quotes > [“Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. What is to be insisted upon is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/shakespeare-acquired-more-essential-history-from-plutarch-than-most/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“The spring equinox celebration included a dawn trip to the nearby Rillaton Barrow, a Bronze Age burial mound high up on the Cheesewring Moor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/the-spring-equinox-celebration-included-a-dawn-trip-to-the-nearby/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [When a man wants to write a book full of unassailable facts, he always goes to the British Museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/when-a-man-wants-to-write-a-book-full-of-unassailable-facts-he-always/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [“London was like a machine. We were all being shot backwards and forwards on this plain foundation to make some pattern. The British Museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/london-was-like-a-machine-we-were-all-being-shot-backwards-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [ “Many historians regard him \[Offa\] as the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great. In the 780s he extended his power over most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-al-khalili/many-historians-regard-him-offa-as-the-most-powerful-anglo-saxon-king/) [Jim Al-Khalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-al-khalili/) > [We have a hieroglyphical inscription in the British Museum as early as the reign of Sevechus of the eighth century before the Christian era,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-sharpe/we-have-a-hieroglyphical-inscription-in-the-british-museum-as-early/) Samuel Sharpe > [“Nor have the lives of great men been exciting except at a few great moments. 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Read superficially, the British Museum Library might still leave the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/read-properly-fewer-books-than-a-hundred-would-suffice-for-a-liberal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I viewed the morning, with much alarm. British Museum, had lost its charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beegie-adair/i-viewed-the-morning-with-much-alarm-british-museum-had-lost-its-charm/) [Beegie Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beegie-adair/) > [The British Museum is great for seeing how excellent we were at stealing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/the-british-museum-is-great-for-seeing-how-excellent-we-were-at/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [If people don't like Marxism, they should blame the British Museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/if-people-don-t-like-marxism-they-should-blame-the-british-museum/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [“I used to wonder: Do only ignorant laypeople gaze on the colossal bust of Ramses II at the British Museum and ask themselves how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-waxman/i-used-to-wonder-do-only-ignorant-laypeople-gaze-on-the-colossal-bust/) Sharon Waxman ## More by Daniel Hannan > [I am, 'Guardian' readers keep telling me, a xenophobe. 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I'm fond of Andrew Lansley, and I strongly support David Cameron as party leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-hannan/i-am-not-the-conservative-party-s-health-care-spokesman-i-m-fond-of/) [Daniel Hannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-hannan/) > [Progressives and conservatives alike lean, unconsciously, towards particular conclusions, and then scrabble around to rationalise those conclusions to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-hannan/progressives-and-conservatives-alike-lean-unconsciously-towards/) [Daniel Hannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-hannan/) > [The truth, Prime Minister, is that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. 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The days when a minister gave briefings to a dozen lobby correspondents, and thereby dictated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-hannan/political-reporters-no-longer-get-to-decide-what-s-news-the-days-when/) [Daniel Hannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-hannan/) [Explore all 62 Daniel Hannan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-hannan/) ## More Bible 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/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) Michael Arnold > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) Robert A. Peterson > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) Stephen Taylor > [O Word of God incarnate . . . 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The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? 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