--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Students will read if we give them the…" description: "\"Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. If we make them wait for the one unit a year in wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/donalyn-miller-12990_book_students-will-read-if-we-give-them-the-b_221823.jpg" --- # Students will read if we give them the books, the time… ![“Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. If we make them wait for the one unit a year in which they are allowed to choose their own books and become readers, they may never read at all. To keep our students reading, we have to let them.” quote by Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/donalyn-miller-12990_book_students-will-read-if-we-give-them-the-b_221823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/donalyn-miller-12990_book_students-will-read-if-we-give-them-the-b_221823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/donalyn-miller-12990_book_students-will-read-if-we-give-them-the-b_221823.jpg) > “Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. If we make them wait for the one unit a year in which they are allowed to choose their own books and become readers, they may never read at all. To keep our students reading, we have to let them.” [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Students need access, time, and encouragement to develop reading habits; limiting choice reduces motivation and can halt reading altogether. **In simple terms:** Provide books, time, and enthusiasm to foster reading. Key Takeaway Give students resources and support to read regularly. Themes education motivation reading habits student autonomy Mood optimistic encouraging Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - classroom libraries - home reading programs - after‑school clubs - parent‑teacher collaboration Key Concepts self-determination theory habit formation intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can schools ensure equitable access to books? - What strategies keep students reading without waiting for a special period? A Different Perspective If resources are scarce, enthusiasm alone may not sustain reading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Enthusiastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiastic/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“In April 2012, The New York Times published a heart-wrenching essay by Claire Needell Hollander, a middle school English teacher in the New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sokolove/in-april-2012-the-new-york-times-published-a-heart-wrenching-essay-by/) [Michael Sokolove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sokolove/) > [“Empowered and knowledgeable, wild readers know they can walk into any library or bookstore and find something to read. Our students must develop this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/empowered-and-knowledgeable-wild-readers-know-they-can-walk-into-any/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“A classroom atmosphere that promotes reading does not come from the furniture and its placement as much as it comes from the teacher's expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/a-classroom-atmosphere-that-promotes-reading-does-not-come-from-the/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [I never tell students they cannot read a book they pick up, but I do guide them toward books that I think would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-never-tell-students-they-cannot-read-a-book-they-pick-up-but-i-do/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Lay down a method also for your reading; let it be in a consistent and consecutive course, and not in that desultory and unmethodical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-of-chesterfield/lay-down-a-method-also-for-your-reading-let-it-be-in-a-consistent-and/) [Earl of Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-of-chesterfield/) > [The only thing that everyone needs to look out for is keeping the students reading through high school and thereafter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-thing-that-everyone-needs-to-look-out-for-is-keeping-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them…digest them. Let them go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/master-those-books-you-have-read-them-thoroughly-bathe-in-them-until/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Reading had never let me down before. It had always been the one sure thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/reading-had-never-let-me-down-before-it-had-always-been-the-one-sure/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [ Students of reading, writing and common arithmetick . . . Graecian \[Greek\], Roman, English and American history . . . should be rendered .… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/students-of-reading-writing-and-common-arithmetick-graecian-greek/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [One of the things I miss about teaching is that students would tell me what I ought to read. One of my students, back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/one-of-the-things-i-miss-about-teaching-is-that-students-would-tell/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“Kids who read become students who do well in school. Students who do well in school go to college. College students graduate to good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/kids-who-read-become-students-who-do-well-in-school-students-who-do/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [“Instead, to develop agency, our students would be better served if we created what Judy Wallis, a veteran teacher in Houston, refers to as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-gallagher/instead-to-develop-agency-our-students-would-be-better-served-if-we/) [Kelly Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-gallagher/) > [When I read students’ attempts at creative writing it is obvious immediately that most of them have not read much or widely. The aspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/when-i-read-students-attempts-at-creative-writing-it-is-obvious/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [The association of books with their readers is unlike any other between objects and their users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-association-of-books-with-their-readers-is-unlike-any-other/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“What was it like to be the person who chose books readers would fall in love with, buy for their mothers, and remember forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-egan/what-was-it-like-to-be-the-person-who-chose-books-readers-would-fall/) Elisabeth Egan ## More by Donalyn Miller > [Readers enjoy talking about books almost as much as they like reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/readers-enjoy-talking-about-books-almost-as-much-as-they-like-reading/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“No matter what our curriculum requires us to teach or how little class time we have, children must read a lot in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/no-matter-what-our-curriculum-requires-us-to-teach-or-how-little/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Without any reading time in class, too much homework, and little choice provided in reading material or writing topics, Sarah keeps her reading life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/without-any-reading-time-in-class-too-much-homework-and-little-choice/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [If you don't read, I don't know how to communicate with you...I can never express who I am in my own words as powerfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/if-you-don-t-read-i-don-t-know-how-to-communicate-with-you-i-can/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“my job as a teacher to equip the travelers, teach them how to read a map, and show them what to do when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/my-job-as-a-teacher-to-equip-the-travelers-teach-them-how-to-read-a/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/the-purpose-of-schools-should-not-be-to-prepare-students-for-more/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Reading has become schoolwork, not an activity in which students willingly engage outside of school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/reading-has-become-schoolwork-not-an-activity-in-which-students/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [By believing that only some of our students will ever develop a love of books and reading, we ignore those who do not fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/by-believing-that-only-some-of-our-students-will-ever-develop-a-love/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I don't believe some teachers consider whether their classroom instruction fosters the development of reading habits in their students. Reflecting on the landslide of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-don-t-believe-some-teachers-consider-whether-their-classroom/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I am a reader, a flashlight-under-the-covers, carries-a-book-everywhere-I-go​, don't-look-at-my-Amazon-bill. I choose purses based on whether I can cram a paperback into them, and my books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-am-a-reader-a-flashlight-under-the-covers-carries-a-book-everywhere/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Books are love letters (or apologies) passed between us, adding a layer of conversation beyond our spoken words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/books-are-love-letters-or-apologies-passed-between-us-adding-a-layer/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [Students need to make their own choices about reading material and writing topics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/students-need-to-make-their-own-choices-about-reading-material-and/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I believe that this corporate machinery of scripted programs, comprehension worksheets (reproducibles, handouts, printables, whatever you want to call them), computer-based incentive packages, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-believe-that-this-corporate-machinery-of-scripted-programs/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [Failing to graduate a populace that values reading has long-term consequences for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/failing-to-graduate-a-populace-that-values-reading-has-long-term/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Girl in Blue, by Ann Rinaldi,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/girl-in-blue-by-ann-rinaldi/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) [Explore all 52 Donalyn Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) ## 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": "Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. 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