---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Joseph Campbell, who when asked what…"
description: "\"Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he followed said, \"I underline books.\" Me too.\" — Eric Weiner"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png"
---

#  Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he…

![“Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he followed said, &quot;I underline books.&quot; Me too.” quote by Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png)

> “Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he followed said, "I underline books." Me too.”

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

## About This Quote

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

A humorous confession that his spiritual practice is simply underlining books, implying learning through reading.

**In simple terms:** Reading is his way to find meaning.

Key Takeaway

Read and reflect to grow spiritually.

Themes

learning humor spirituality

Mood

thoughtful lighthearted

Type

reflective humorous

When to use this quote

- studying
- travel
- self‑education

Key Concepts

literature mindfulness personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What does underlining teach you?
- Can reading replace formal practice?

A Different Perspective

Underlining alone may not deepen understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-practice/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [“Let me end this chapter with an encouraging story. A young man found his way up to the small apartment of Nisargadatta, my old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/let-me-end-this-chapter-with-an-encouraging-story-a-young-man-found/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [“Stories are masks of God. That's a story, too, of course. I made it up, in collaborations with Joseph Campbell and Scheherazade, Jesus and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-tem/stories-are-masks-of-god-that-s-a-story-too-of-course-i-made-it-up-in/)

Melanie Tem

> [I have a lot of spiritual books that I read that I really, really love - everything from the Bible to Joseph Campbell, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-have-a-lot-of-spiritual-books-that-i-read-that-i-really-really-love/)

[Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/)

> [“Joseph Campbell, the renowned scholar of religion and mythology, eloquently summed up, “This is it. This is Eden. When you see the kingdom spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-robinson/joseph-campbell-the-renowned-scholar-of-religion-and-mythology/)

[John C. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-robinson/)

> [“As a Jewish kid during those times, I fought to live every day. I didn't have a choice. As an influential Nazi, Schindler did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-leyson/as-a-jewish-kid-during-those-times-i-fought-to-live-every-day-i-didn/)

Leon Leyson

> [“Joseph Campbell said, deep down inside, we don’t seek the meaning of life, but the experience of being alive. And that’s what the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/joseph-campbell-said-deep-down-inside-we-don-t-seek-the-meaning-of/)

[Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/)

> [I've never read Joseph Campbell, and I don't know all that much about story archetypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-ve-never-read-joseph-campbell-and-i-don-t-know-all-that-much-about/)

[Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/)

> [“Each of us is always blessed with third options, with choices. If there is one thing the scientific approach to living our life points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-tallard-johnson/each-of-us-is-always-blessed-with-third-options-with-choices-if-there/)

[Julie Tallard Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-tallard-johnson/)

> [“Via Joseph Campbell: My friend Heinrich Zimmer of years ago used to say, "The best things can't be told," because they transcend thought. "The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-zimmer/via-joseph-campbell-my-friend-heinrich-zimmer-of-years-ago-used-to/)

[Heinrich Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-zimmer/)

> [“Joseph Campbell calls the “hero’s path.” Some of us need a cataclysmic event to find our way toward “the center of our own existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/joseph-campbell-calls-the-hero-s-path-some-of-us-need-a-cataclysmic/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“Joseph Campbell’s great book The Hero with a Thousand Faces,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/joseph-campbell-s-great-book-the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [I have traveled down this path before - 'List of Seven' and 'Twin Peaks' both have thematic similarities - but 'Paladin' took me much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/i-have-traveled-down-this-path-before-list-of-seven-and-twin-peaks/)

[Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/)

> [“Joseph Campbell would say find out who you really are and bring that out into the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wells/joseph-campbell-would-say-find-out-who-you-really-are-and-bring-that/)

[Steve Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wells/)

> [Give Up To Be Happy From one of my mails I thought it was worth sharing 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-up-to-be-happy-from-one-of-my-mails-i-thought-it-was-worth/)

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

> [“The unpardonable sin is the sin of inadvertence, of not being alert, not quite awake. —Joseph Campbell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-tricarico/the-unpardonable-sin-is-the-sin-of-inadvertence-of-not-being-alert/)

Dan Tricarico

## More by Eric Weiner

> [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Money sometimes buys happiness. You have to break it down, though. Money is a means to an end. The problem is when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/money-sometimes-buys-happiness-you-have-to-break-it-down-though-money/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“My way of thinking is completely different,” he says. “I have no such mountains to scale; basically, I find that living itself is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/my-way-of-thinking-is-completely-different-he-says-i-have-no-such/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Social scientists estimate that about 70 percent of our happiness stems from our relationships, both quantity and quality, with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/social-scientists-estimate-that-about-70-percent-of-our-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have" ... we experience flow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/it-is-not-the-skills-we-actually-have-that-determine-how-we-feel-but/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“In a nutshell, Gross National Happiness seeks to measure a nation’s progress not by its balance sheet but rather by the happiness—or unhappiness—of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/in-a-nutshell-gross-national-happiness-seeks-to-measure-a-nation-s/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [You look around the world at geniuses, and they don't appear randomly, they appear in genius clusters. Athens in 50 BC, Florence 1500, Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-look-around-the-world-at-geniuses-and-they-don-t-appear-randomly/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [What is the ideal audio atmosphere for creativity and it turns out it is not complete silence, and it is not a very loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/what-is-the-ideal-audio-atmosphere-for-creativity-and-it-turns-out-it/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Bhutan is the land of la. The monosyllabic word serves as all-purpose affirmation, honorific, and verbal tic. Mostly, it is a softener, appended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/bhutan-is-the-land-of-la-the-monosyllabic-word-serves-as-all-purpose/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“He tells me of one American woman, forty-five years old, who was able to conceive only after being blessed by the Holy Dildo. That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/he-tells-me-of-one-american-woman-forty-five-years-old-who-was-able/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“We need to a new word to describe Swiss happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-need-to-a-new-word-to-describe-swiss-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“The narrator, in a voice-of-God tenor, explains the experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/the-narrator-in-a-voice-of-god-tenor-explains-the-experiment/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Yes, but it doesn’t matter, Csíkszentmihalyi argues. Either way, we experience flow, a state of mind where we are so engaged in an activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/yes-but-it-doesn-t-matter-cs-kszentmihalyi-argues-either-way-we/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else. Maybe the current conditions in Switzerland .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/maybe-happiness-is-this-not-feeling-like-you-should-be-elsewhere/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Everyone has their own idea of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/everyone-has-their-own-idea-of-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

[Explore all 194 Eric Weiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

## 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": "Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he followed said, \"I underline books.\" Me too.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Weiner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spiritual-practice-he-followed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spiritual-practice-he-followed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/eric-weiner-1843_book_joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spir_818011.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Joseph Campbell, who when asked what spiritual practice he followed said, \"I underline books.\" Me too.” — Eric Weiner",
                "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": "Eric Weiner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Joseph Campbell, who when asked what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spiritual-practice-he-followed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/joseph-campbell-who-when-asked-what-spiritual-practice-he-followed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
