--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us read with method, and propose to…" description: "\"Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking.\" — Edward Gibbon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png" --- # Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end… ![“Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png) > “Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking.” [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading should be methodical, aimed at enhancing thinking and guiding toward a clear end. **In simple terms:** Read methodically to improve thinking and achieve goals. Key Takeaway Read with purpose. Themes education method thinking purpose Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - professional training - self‑education - research - writing Key Concepts critical thinking learning strategies goal orientation Questions to Reflect On - What end do you hope your reading will achieve? - How can you apply reading to solve real problems? A Different Perspective Reading without clear purpose can become passive consumption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aid Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aid-thinking-4931322/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Let Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-read-569472/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Propose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propose/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Studies Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studies-point-1222043/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-reading-548343/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Against the urgency of people dying in the streets, what in God's name is the point of cultural studies?...At that point, I think anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-hall/against-the-urgency-of-people-dying-in-the-streets-what-in-god-s-name/) [Stuart Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-hall/) > [If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-one-cannot-enjoy-reading-a-book-over-and-over-again-there-is-no/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If I couldn't use food or love to define contentment, I would use reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-i-couldn-t-use-food-or-love-to-define-contentment-i-would-use/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“I don't see the use of reading the same thing over and over again,' said Phillip. 'That's only a laborious form of idleness.' But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-don-t-see-the-use-of-reading-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I try not to let what I read in the paper get to me. But I still read things and I think 'That didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perrie-edwards/i-try-not-to-let-what-i-read-in-the-paper-get-to-me-but-i-still-read/) [Perrie Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perrie-edwards/) > [I read books like mad, but I am careful to to let anything I read influence me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-read-books-like-mad-but-i-am-careful-to-to-let-anything-i-read/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Let me read you some of my poetry. My poetry just takes me to another level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-fox/let-me-read-you-some-of-my-poetry-my-poetry-just-takes-me-to-another/) [Rick Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-fox/) > [Let us read thoughtfully; this is a great secret in the right use of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilfillan/let-us-read-thoughtfully-this-is-a-great-secret-in-the-right-use-of/) [George Gilfillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilfillan/) > [I am always for getting a boy forward in his learning, for that is sure good. I would let him at first read any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-am-always-for-getting-a-boy-forward-in-his-learning-for-that-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“My stomach didn’t let me read, eat, watch TV, or surf the internet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-macy/my-stomach-didn-t-let-me-read-eat-watch-tv-or-surf-the-internet/) [Al Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-macy/) > [There are two kinds of books in the world--the boring kind they make you read in school and the interesting kind that they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louanne-johnson/there-are-two-kinds-of-books-in-the-world-the-boring-kind-they-make/) [LouAnne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louanne-johnson/) > [“Let those who can write to write and bring more knowldge and understading to the society. And let those who can read to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/let-those-who-can-write-to-write-and-bring-more-knowldge-and/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [“If you were at school they would not let you read a book like this, they would keep you from reading it by involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dewitt/if-you-were-at-school-they-would-not-let-you-read-a-book-like-this/) [Helen DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dewitt/) > [Do let him read the papers. But not while you accusingly tiptoe around the room, or perch much like a silent bird of prey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dietrich/do-let-him-read-the-papers-but-not-while-you-accusingly-tiptoe-around/) [Marlene Dietrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dietrich/) > [Books, books, books had found the secret of a garret-room piled high with cases in my father's name; Piled high, packed large, where, creeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/books-books-books-had-found-the-secret-of-a-garret-room-piled-high/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## More by Edward Gibbon > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-heart-to-resolve-a-head-to-contrive-and-a-hand-to-execute/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [ \[In\] the national and religious conflict of the \[Byzantine and Saracen\] empires, peace was without confidence, and war without mercy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-national-and-religious-conflict-of-the-byzantine-and-saracen/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Instead of a perpetual and perfect measure of the divine will, the fragments of the Koran were produced at the discretion of Mahomet; each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-a-perpetual-and-perfect-measure-of-the-divine-will-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Constantinople was the principal seat and fortress of Arianism; and, in a long interval of forty years, the faith of the princes and prelates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/constantinople-was-the-principal-seat-and-fortress-of-arianism-and-in/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It is the common calamity of old age to lose whatever might have rendered it desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/it-is-the-common-calamity-of-old-age-to-lose-whatever-might-have/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-a-man-were-called-to-fix-the-period-in-the-history-of-the-world/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [ \[Every\] hour of delay abates the fame and force of the invader, and multiplies the resources of defensive war. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/every-hour-of-delay-abates-the-fame-and-force-of-the-invader-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The progress of despotism tends to disappoint its own purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-progress-of-despotism-tends-to-disappoint-its-own-purpose/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [From the paths of blood (and such is the history of nations) I cannot refuse to turn aside to gather some flowers of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/from-the-paths-of-blood-and-such-is-the-history-of-nations-i-cannot/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [A nation of slaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of their master who, in the abuse of absolute power, does not proceed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-nation-of-slaves-is-always-prepared-to-applaud-the-clemency-of/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) [Explore all 399 Edward Gibbon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading is to aid us in thinking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Gibbon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-ourselves-an-end-to-which-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-ourselves-an-end-to-which-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/edward-gibbon-710_books_let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-o_3027669.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let us read with method, and propose to ourselves an end to which our studies may point. The use of reading…” — Edward Gibbon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edward Gibbon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Let us read with method, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-ourselves-an-end-to-which-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/let-us-read-with-method-and-propose-to-ourselves-an-end-to-which-our/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```