--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we are all privately agreed that it is…" description: "\"“we are all privately agreed that it is better in books”\" — Fyodor Dostoyevsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg" --- # we are all privately agreed that it is better in books ![“we are all privately agreed that it is better in books” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg) > ““we are all privately agreed that it is better in books”” [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People prefer the comfort of reading over confronting reality. **In simple terms:** Books are safer than life. Key Takeaway Value real experience. Themes literature comfort reality Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - education - therapy - personal growth - media consumption Key Concepts existentialism cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - Why do we escape into books? - How can literature motivate real change? A Different Perspective Reading can also inspire action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/sometimes-it-s-better-to-be-with-the-sheep-who-don-t-say-anything-and-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Few are better than the books they read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/few-are-better-than-the-books-they-read/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One who believes all of a book would be better off without books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/one-who-believes-all-of-a-book-would-be-better-off-without-books/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [A teacher is better than two books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/a-teacher-is-better-than-two-books/) German Proverb > [“In modeling: He with better looks is more in demand than he who has read better books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/in-modeling-he-with-better-looks-is-more-in-demand-than-he-who-has/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [As I got into my teens, I started reading better books, beginning with the Beats and then the hippie writers, people like Wallace Stegner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gaghan/as-i-got-into-my-teens-i-started-reading-better-books-beginning-with/) [Stephen Gaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gaghan/) > [“It's a symbiotic process, writing. What I am makes the books—not part of me, all of me—and then the books themselves inform the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-a-symbiotic-process-writing-what-i-am-makes-the-books-not-part/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Music endures and ages far better than books. Books, made of words, are unavoidably attached to ideas, events, conflict, and history, but music has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/music-endures-and-ages-far-better-than-books-books-made-of-words-are/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“You don't need bigger boobs. You need to read better books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zag/you-don-t-need-bigger-boobs-you-need-to-read-better-books/) Zag > [I'm a better writer now because I've worked very hard at getting better. My long-range goal will always be to write better books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-m-a-better-writer-now-because-i-ve-worked-very-hard-at-getting/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [“My boy? he is even better than books. -fiction has nothing on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/my-boy-he-is-even-better-than-books-fiction-has-nothing-on-you/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I used to think boys were better in books, then I met YOU:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasured4evr/i-used-to-think-boys-were-better-in-books-then-i-met-you/) Treasured4Evr > [The books I haven't written are better than the books other people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/the-books-i-haven-t-written-are-better-than-the-books-other-people/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“You." I gasped. "Me," he agreed, amused.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/you-i-gasped-me-he-agreed-amused/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More by Fyodor Dostoyevsky > [“Beauty is not only a terrible thing, it is also a mysterious thing. There God and the Devil strive for mastery, and the battleground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/beauty-is-not-only-a-terrible-thing-it-is-also-a-mysterious-thing/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Listen! I know it's not right to talk. Better to set an example, better to just start - I have already started - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/listen-i-know-it-s-not-right-to-talk-better-to-set-an-example-better/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“When all are undressed, one is somehow not ashamed, but when one's the only one undressed and everybody is looking, it's degrading,' he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-all-are-undressed-one-is-somehow-not-ashamed-but-when-one-s-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The morning was so damp and misty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-morning-was-so-damp-and-misty/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“I repeat, I repeat with emphasis: all "direct" persons and men of action are active just because they are stupid and limited. How explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-repeat-i-repeat-with-emphasis-all-direct-persons-and-men-of-action/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“He is a man of intelligence, but to act sensibly, intelligence is not enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/he-is-a-man-of-intelligence-but-to-act-sensibly-intelligence-is-not/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [ “if \[God\] doesn't exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/if-god-doesn-t-exist-man-is-the-chief-of-the-earth-of-the-universe/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“From an encounter in 1862... “Dickens told me,” Dostoyevsky recalled in a letter written years later, “that all the good, simple people in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/from-an-encounter-in-1862-dickens-told-me-dostoyevsky-recalled-in-a/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“It must be the top drawer," he reflected. "So she carries the keys in a pocket on the right. All in one bunch on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/it-must-be-the-top-drawer-he-reflected-so-she-carries-the-keys-in-a/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“- You take evil for good. It's a passing crisis. It's the result of your illness, perhaps. - You do despise me! It's simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/you-take-evil-for-good-it-s-a-passing-crisis-it-s-the-result-of-your/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Clouds overlaid the sky as with a shroud of mist, and everything looked sad, rainy, and threatening under a fine drizzle which was beating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/clouds-overlaid-the-sky-as-with-a-shroud-of-mist-and-everything/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“People who can speak well, speak briefly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/people-who-can-speak-well-speak-briefly/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“I think I could stand anything, any suffering, only to be able to say and to repeat to myself every moment, 'I exist.' In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-think-i-could-stand-anything-any-suffering-only-to-be-able-to-say/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“There is no more ceaseless or tormenting care for man, as long as he remains free, than to find someone to bow down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/there-is-no-more-ceaseless-or-tormenting-care-for-man-as-long-as-he/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) [Explore all 1,078 Fyodor Dostoyevsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) ## More Agreed quotes > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“You." I gasped. "Me," he agreed, amused.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/you-i-gasped-me-he-agreed-amused/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [To the soul, there is no past and no future; all is, and will be ever, in now. For artificial purposes time is mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jefferies/to-the-soul-there-is-no-past-and-no-future-all-is-and-will-be-ever-in/) [Richard Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jefferies/) > [But I have tried to go over it very carefully, not merely what the evidence is, but with psychoanalysts and psychologists, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/but-i-have-tried-to-go-over-it-very-carefully-not-merely-what-the/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [It is considered a major sin to break a contract, if you agreed, especially with military situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walker-lindh/it-is-considered-a-major-sin-to-break-a-contract-if-you-agreed/) [John Walker Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walker-lindh/) > [If I agreed with you wed both be wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-i-agreed-with-you-wed-both-be-wrong/) Unknow > [We have agreed with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cease all acts of violence against the Israelis and against the Palestinians wherever they are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/we-have-agreed-with-prime-minister-ariel-sharon-to-cease-all-acts-of/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [“The audience agreed, "Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-audience-agreed-amen/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [There was certainly less profanity in the Godfather than in the Sopranos. There was a kind of respect. It's not that I totally agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-aiello/there-was-certainly-less-profanity-in-the-godfather-than-in-the/) [Danny Aiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-aiello/) > [I had always told my father that before working with him in the same frame as an actor, which I was petrified to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-kapoor/i-had-always-told-my-father-that-before-working-with-him-in-the-same/) [Shahid Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-kapoor/) > [I would make a film with a political point of view if I agreed with it, and even, perhaps, if I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-would-make-a-film-with-a-political-point-of-view-if-i-agreed-with/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [By the time Obama came into office, Washington had already agreed over a period of a few weeks to a $700 billion government infusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/by-the-time-obama-came-into-office-washington-had-already-agreed-over/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [I never have really said much about the whole episode, which was endless. But his speech was a perfectly intelligent speech about fathers not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-bergen/i-never-have-really-said-much-about-the-whole-episode-which-was/) [Candice Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-bergen/) > [I'm not being evasive but I am saying I'm not a scientist and I'm not directly involved in the consultation however the science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-anderson/i-m-not-being-evasive-but-i-am-saying-i-m-not-a-scientist-and-i-m-not/) [John Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-anderson/) > [Oprah is signed on to help, and a lot of celebrity friends have agreed to help me raise money for Make-A-Wish. We want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-angel/oprah-is-signed-on-to-help-and-a-lot-of-celebrity-friends-have-agreed/) [Criss Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-angel/) Browse all 117 Agreed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we are all privately agreed that it is better in books”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-better-in-books/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agreed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-better-in-books/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/fyodor-dostoyevsky-94_agreed_we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-b_460751.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we are all privately agreed that it is better in books” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky", "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": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we are all privately agreed that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-better-in-books/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/we-are-all-privately-agreed-that-it-is-better-in-books/#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 } } ] } ```