Books Quote by Elias Canetti
““...no mind ever grew fat on a diet of novels. The pleasure which they occasionally offer is far too heavily paid for: they undermine the finest characters. They teach us to think ourselves into other men's places. Thus we acquire a taste for change. The personality becomes dissolved in pleasing figments of imagination. The reader learns to understand every point of view. Willingly he yields himself to the pursuit of other people's goals and loses sight of his own. Novels are so many wedges which the novelist, an actor with his pen, inserts into the closed personality of the reader. The better he calculates the size of the wedge and the strength of the resistance, so much the more completely does he crack open the personality of the victim. Novels should be prohibited by the State.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Crowds and Power, 1960
The quote argues that reading novels weakens personal identity by immersing readers in others' perspectives, making them susceptible to manipulation.
In simple terms: Novels dissolve personal identity and can be used to control readers.
Key Takeaway
Beware of losing self through excessive fictional immersion.
Themes
identity
control
literature
psychology
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
philosophical
controversial
When to use this quote
- education policy
- personal development
- media consumption
- literary criticism
Key Concepts
cognitive immersion
social influence
authoritarianism
Questions to Reflect On
- How much do novels shape your worldview?
- Can fiction strengthen personal identity?
A Different Perspective
Novels can also foster empathy and critical thinking, not just manipulation.
![“The hand which scoops up the water is the first vessel. The fingers of both hands intertwined are the first basket. [p. 217]” quote by Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c74/elias-canetti-3574_quote_the-hand-which-scoops-up-the-water-is-th_31545.jpg)
