--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We keep quiet about what we read. Our…" description: "\"We keep quiet about what we read. Our enjoyment of a book remains a jealously guarded secret. Perhaps because there's no need to talk, or because it ta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/daniel-pennac-3707_book_we-keep-quiet-about-what-we-read-our-enj_708204.jpg" --- # We keep quiet about what we read. Our enjoyment of a book… ![“We keep quiet about what we read. Our enjoyment of a book remains a jealously guarded secret. Perhaps because there's no need to talk, or because it takes time to distill what we've read before we can say anything. Silence is our guarantee of intimacy. We might have finished reading but we're…” quote by Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/daniel-pennac-3707_book_we-keep-quiet-about-what-we-read-our-enj_708204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/daniel-pennac-3707_book_we-keep-quiet-about-what-we-read-our-enj_708204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/daniel-pennac-3707_book_we-keep-quiet-about-what-we-read-our-enj_708204.jpg) > “We keep quiet about what we read. Our enjoyment of a book remains a jealously guarded secret. Perhaps because there's no need to talk, or because it takes time to distill what we've read before we can say anything. Silence is our guarantee of intimacy. We might have finished reading but we're still living the book.” [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading is a private joy; we keep it secret because it is intimate and takes time to articulate. **In simple terms:** Reading is a personal, silent experience. Key Takeaway Respect reading privacy. Themes reading privacy intimacy Mood thoughtful quiet Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - book clubs - personal reflection - teaching reading Key Concepts personal experience literary appreciation Questions to Reflect On - Why do we hide our reading pleasures? - How can we share without losing intimacy? A Different Perspective Silence can limit sharing of ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The most painful and jealously guarded secrets are perhaps the ones that everyone around us knows. 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But they would rather read what I have to say about the next election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatyana-tolstaya/people-know-that-i-am-a-very-good-author-but-they-would-rather-read/) [Tatyana Tolstaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatyana-tolstaya/) > [Why would anyone want to read what I have to say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/why-would-anyone-want-to-read-what-i-have-to-say/) [Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/) > [I read,' I say. 'I study and read. I bet I've read everything you've read. Don't think I haven't. I consume libraries. I wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-read-i-say-i-study-and-read-i-bet-i-ve-read-everything-you-ve-read/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [When an actor is offered a role, more often than not - maybe 90 percent of the time - you read it and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kind/when-an-actor-is-offered-a-role-more-often-than-not-maybe-90-percent/) [Richard Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kind/) ## More by Daniel Pennac > [“Não se esforça a curiosidade, desperta-se”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/n-o-se-esfor-a-a-curiosidade-desperta-se/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [“¨3. El derecho a no terminar un libro ¿El libro se nos cae de las manos? Que se caiga. La gran novela que se…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/3-el-derecho-a-no-terminar-un-libro-el-libro-se-nos-cae-de-las-manos/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [Once a book falls into our possession, it is ours, the same way children lay their claim: 'That's my book.' As if it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/once-a-book-falls-into-our-possession-it-is-ours-the-same-way/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [The paradoxical virtue of reading lies in distancing ourselves from the world so that we may make sense of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/the-paradoxical-virtue-of-reading-lies-in-distancing-ourselves-from/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [You can't make someone read. 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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. 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