---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think of myself as a fast reader…"
description: "\"I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,' I don't. But then the dishes multi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png"
---

#  I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a…

![“I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,' I don't. But then the dishes multiply.” quote by Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png)

> “I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,' I don't. But then the dishes multiply.”

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator distinguishes between reading a lot and actually doing tasks, noting that neglecting chores leads to their accumulation, illustrating procrastination’s compounding effect.

**In simple terms:** Reading a lot, neglecting chores, they pile up.

Key Takeaway

Balance reading with daily responsibilities.

Themes

procrastination balance productivity

Mood

reflective practical

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- home life
- work deadlines
- personal growth
- learning goals

Key Concepts

time management habit formation self‑discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- Which small task can you complete now?
- How does reading affect your productivity?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring small tasks creates larger burdens later.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't read many comics as a kid - I've always been a really fast reader, and I would fly through a comic book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wiedlin/i-didn-t-read-many-comics-as-a-kid-i-ve-always-been-a-really-fast/)

[Jane Wiedlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wiedlin/)

> [I've never been a fast reader. I'm fickle; I don't finish books I start; I put a book aside for five, ten years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-ve-never-been-a-fast-reader-i-m-fickle-i-don-t-finish-books-i-start/)

[Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/)

> [I am a stupendously fast reader and always have been. I can read in at least three languages fluently and two languages with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/i-am-a-stupendously-fast-reader-and-always-have-been-i-can-read-in-at/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [I read while the kids play. I can see them from the kitchen window. And I'm a fast reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/i-read-while-the-kids-play-i-can-see-them-from-the-kitchen-window-and/)

[Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/)

> [“To ascend faster on the stairs of life, keep the thinking shorter! Think fast and act fast!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-ascend-faster-on-the-stairs-of-life-keep-the-thinking-shorter/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“most effortful forms of slow thinking are those that require you to think fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-effortful-forms-of-slow-thinking-are-those-that-require-you-to/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [To be a good fighter pilot, there is one prime requisite think fast, and act faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trevor-godfrey/to-be-a-good-fighter-pilot-there-is-one-prime-requisite-think-fast/)

John Trevor Godfrey

> [Think about what you will fast for tomorrow. Don't let it be just a day without food or water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-about-what-you-will-fast-for-tomorrow-don-t-let-it-be-just-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you're in a commercial studio, you've got to be out by the end of the day, and it can be paralyzing, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-godin/if-you-re-in-a-commercial-studio-you-ve-got-to-be-out-by-the-end-of/)

[Nicolas Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-godin/)

> [“That work was what appealed to him most about their conversations. Tom liked having to think fast, and he found it invigorating to push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/that-work-was-what-appealed-to-him-most-about-their-conversations-tom/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Decide while you're young to keep the commandments of God, and you won't have to think fast, because before temptation even steps up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/decide-while-you-re-young-to-keep-the-commandments-of-god-and-you-won/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [I like the feeling when you don't have much time and you have to think fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/i-like-the-feeling-when-you-don-t-have-much-time-and-you-have-to/)

[Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/)

> [Im not random, you just cant think as FAST as me :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-not-random-you-just-cant-think-as-fast-as-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don't be in such a hurry to condemn a person because she doesn't do what you do, or think as you think or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcom-x/don-t-be-in-such-a-hurry-to-condemn-a-person-because-she-doesn-t-do/)

[Malcom X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcom-x/)

> [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

## More by Elizabeth Strout

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“what young people did not know. They did not know that lumpy, aged, and wrinkled bodies were as needy as their own young, firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/what-young-people-did-not-know-they-did-not-know-that-lumpy-aged-and/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“I said on the phone to my mother, “I think I’m going to write the story of the Burgess kids.” “It’s a good one,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-said-on-the-phone-to-my-mother-i-think-i-m-going-to-write-the-story/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“And she learned - freshly, scorchingly - of the privacy of sorrow. It was as though she had been escorted through a door into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/and-she-learned-freshly-scorchingly-of-the-privacy-of-sorrow-it-was/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“He looked at the books, and she wanted to say, 'Stop that,' as though he were reading her diary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/he-looked-at-the-books-and-she-wanted-to-say-stop-that-as-though-he/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“The year that followed - was it the happiest year of his own life? He often thought so, even knowing that such a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-year-that-followed-was-it-the-happiest-year-of-his-own-life-he/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I have to pay attention to what I have felt and observed, then push these responses to an extreme while keeping the story within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-have-to-pay-attention-to-what-i-have-felt-and-observed-then-push/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“She could hear in the darkness of her car how his breathing was quicker now; and her own was, too. She wanted to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-could-hear-in-the-darkness-of-her-car-how-his-breathing-was/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“Abdikarim shook his head in his darkened room, sweat coming from his face down onto his neck. “No, he cuts my heart. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/abdikarim-shook-his-head-in-his-darkened-room-sweat-coming-from-his/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“she’d have been throwing out clamshells, most likely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-d-have-been-throwing-out-clamshells-most-likely/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I like people a lot, but I am not comfortable in literary New York situations. There is deep anxiety and tension around success here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-like-people-a-lot-but-i-am-not-comfortable-in-literary-new-york/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [The fact of the matter is I always have a really high sense of responsibility to the reader, whether it's a few readers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-i-always-have-a-really-high-sense-of/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“Why do you need everyone married?" Christopher has said to him angrily, when Henry has asked about his son's life. "Why can't you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/why-do-you-need-everyone-married-christopher-has-said-to-him-angrily/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“one of those things about getting older was knowing that so many moments weren’t just moments, they were gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/one-of-those-things-about-getting-older-was-knowing-that-so-many/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“Anita's face got blank, like she couldn't find the expression to put on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/anita-s-face-got-blank-like-she-couldn-t-find-the-expression-to-put/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

[Explore all 205 Elizabeth Strout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

## 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

> [“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

> [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": "I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,' I don't. But then the dishes multiply.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Strout"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9b/elizabeth-strout-1799_books_i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader_297289.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the…” — Elizabeth Strout",
                "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": "Elizabeth Strout",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think of myself as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
