--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you like Moby Dick ?\" he asks. \"I hate…" description: "\"“Do you like Moby Dick ?\" he asks. \"I hate it,\" she says. \"And I don't say that about many things. Teachers assign it, and parents are happy because th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg" --- # Do you like Moby Dick ?" he asks. "I hate it," she says… ![“Do you like Moby Dick ?" he asks. "I hate it," she says. "And I don't say that about many things. Teachers assign it, and parents are happy because their kids are reading something of 'quality.' But it's forcing kids to read books like that that make them think they hate reading.” quote by Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg) > ““Do you like Moby Dick ?" he asks. "I hate it," she says. "And I don't say that about many things. Teachers assign it, and parents are happy because their kids are reading something of 'quality.' But it's forcing kids to read books like that that make them think they hate reading.”” [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how mandatory classic literature can alienate reluctant readers, turning reading into a chore rather than joy. **In simple terms:** Forcing classics can make kids dislike reading. Key Takeaway Offer books that spark genuine interest. Themes education reading motivation literature choice Mood frustrated reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - classroom reading assignments - parental book choices - library recommendations Key Concepts curriculum design student engagement literary canon Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers balance literary standards with student interests? - What alternatives can maintain quality while engaging readers? A Different Perspective Students may still resist reading if they feel coerced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moby-dick/) [Moby-dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moby-dick-2/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Teachers assign it, and parents are happy because their kids are reading something of 'quality.' But it's forcing kids to read books like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/teachers-assign-it-and-parents-are-happy-because-their-kids-are/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Sometimes, readers, when they're young, are given, say, a book like 'Moby Dick' to read. And it is an interesting, complicated book, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/sometimes-readers-when-they-re-young-are-given-say-a-book-like-moby/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“When we think of the masterpieces that nobody praised and nobody read, back there in the past, we feel an impatient superiority to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/when-we-think-of-the-masterpieces-that-nobody-praised-and-nobody-read/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“In school I ended up writing three different papers on "The Castaway" section of Moby-Dick, the chapter where the cabin boy Pip falls overboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/in-school-i-ended-up-writing-three-different-papers-on-the-castaway/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“He could’ve penned a rendition of Moby Dick in Pig Latin and he wouldn’t have been the wiser.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/he-could-ve-penned-a-rendition-of-moby-dick-in-pig-latin-and-he/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [“She’ll probably have all the work made up and a dozen stories written for The Oracle before I finish that one stupid book report…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/she-ll-probably-have-all-the-work-made-up-and-a-dozen-stories-written/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [“Peter held up the book he had been reading: 'Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'. "To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/peter-held-up-the-book-he-had-been-reading-moby-dick-or-the-whale-to/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [“Shakespeare wrote Moby-Dick, using Melville as a Ouija board.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/shakespeare-wrote-moby-dick-using-melville-as-a-ouija-board/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [What do you think?" he asks. "I hate them," I say. I can almost smell the blood, the dirt, the unnatural breath of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-he-asks-i-hate-them-i-say-i-can-almost-smell-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Everyone experiences grace, even if they don't realize it. It's kind of like Moby's music. You could ask your average sixty-something-year-old retired banker in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/everyone-experiences-grace-even-if-they-don-t-realize-it-it-s-kind-of/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [Today we read books 'extensively,' often without sustained focus, and with rare exceptions we read each book only once. We value quantity of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/today-we-read-books-extensively-often-without-sustained-focus-and/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [The thing with newspapers is that they are a filter. We're relying on the editors of that paper to be a filter and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/the-thing-with-newspapers-is-that-they-are-a-filter-we-re-relying-on/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [“Those who say they hate reading are those who haven't found the right book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-j-alls/those-who-say-they-hate-reading-are-those-who-haven-t-found-the-right/) [Ryan J. Alls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-j-alls/) > [I hate reading scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/i-hate-reading-scripts/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [I'm terrible at reading scripts. I love to read, and I hate reading scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-m-terrible-at-reading-scripts-i-love-to-read-and-i-hate-reading/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) ## More by Gabrielle Zevin > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [He kissed me, though not in a sexy way. Gentle. Tender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-kissed-me-though-not-in-a-sexy-way-gentle-tender/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Daddy always said the only thing worth begging for was your life, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe sometimes your love is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/daddy-always-said-the-only-thing-worth-begging-for-was-your-life-but/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“I am repulsed by ghostwritten novels by reality television stars, celebrity picture books, sports memoirs, movie tie-in editions, novelty items, and—I imagine this goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/i-am-repulsed-by-ghostwritten-novels-by-reality-television-stars/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I wish I could tell you to always follow your heart, but I think it is bad advice. You have a heart, yes, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/i-wish-i-could-tell-you-to-always-follow-your-heart-but-i-think-it-is/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“It is a lie that you should only speak from your heart- you ought to let your brain play a part too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/it-is-a-lie-that-you-should-only-speak-from-your-heart-you-ought-to/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I wondered if the person who really loves you is the person who knows all your stories, the person who WANTS to know all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/i-wondered-if-the-person-who-really-loves-you-is-the-person-who-knows/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“Most people's problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/most-people-s-problems-would-be-solved-if-they-would-only-give-more/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“It is lucky, she thinks, that we don’t feel all the love inside us every moment. We couldn’t breathe or walk or eat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/it-is-lucky-she-thinks-that-we-don-t-feel-all-the-love-inside-us/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“Real love' is not just instinct, but intent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/real-love-is-not-just-instinct-but-intent/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Hi there," squeaked a precocious little voice, "you are speaking to Chloe Fusakawa, and I have just learned how to answer the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/hi-there-squeaked-a-precocious-little-voice-you-are-speaking-to-chloe/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“Well, I’m warning you. I could be a bad book with a good jacket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/well-i-m-warning-you-i-could-be-a-bad-book-with-a-good-jacket/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“A place ain’t a place without a bookstore,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/a-place-ain-t-a-place-without-a-bookstore/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) [Explore all 425 Gabrielle Zevin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) ## More Moby-dick quotes > [“It was a black and hooded head; and hanging there in the midst of so intense a calm, it seemed the Sphynx’s in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-was-a-black-and-hooded-head-and-hanging-there-in-the-midst-of-so/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“She’ll probably have all the work made up and a dozen stories written for The Oracle before I finish that one stupid book report…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/she-ll-probably-have-all-the-work-made-up-and-a-dozen-stories-written/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [“And let me in this place movingly admonish you, ye ship-owners of Nantucket! Beware of enlisting in your vigilant fisheries any lad with lean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-let-me-in-this-place-movingly-admonish-you-ye-ship-owners-of/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“in common life we esteem but meanly and contemptibly a fellow who anoints his hair, and palpably smells of that anointing. In truth, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-common-life-we-esteem-but-meanly-and-contemptibly-a-fellow-who/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Peter held up the book he had been reading: 'Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'. "To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/peter-held-up-the-book-he-had-been-reading-moby-dick-or-the-whale-to/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [“In life, the visible surface of the Sperm Whale is not the least among the many marvels he presents. Almost invariably it is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-life-the-visible-surface-of-the-sperm-whale-is-not-the-least-among/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [And so, through all the thick mists of the dim doubts in my mind, divine intuitions now and then shoot, enkindling my fog with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-so-through-all-the-thick-mists-of-the-dim-doubts-in-my-mind/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Is it not curious, that so vast a being as the whale should see the world through so small an eye, and hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/is-it-not-curious-that-so-vast-a-being-as-the-whale-should-see-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“It was a clear steel-blue day. The firmaments of air and sea were hardly separable in that all-pervading azure; only, the pensive air was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-was-a-clear-steel-blue-day-the-firmaments-of-air-and-sea-were/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“one captain, seizing the line-knife from his broken prow, had dashed at the whale, as an Arkansas duelist at his foe, blindly seeking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/one-captain-seizing-the-line-knife-from-his-broken-prow-had-dashed-at/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“He could’ve penned a rendition of Moby Dick in Pig Latin and he wouldn’t have been the wiser.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/he-could-ve-penned-a-rendition-of-moby-dick-in-pig-latin-and-he/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [“You could use a moth like that as a symbol in a novel, but it was trite, wasn’t it? The old moth-to-the-flame image had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-l-barkat/you-could-use-a-moth-like-that-as-a-symbol-in-a-novel-but-it-was/) [L.L. Barkat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-l-barkat/) > [“In school I ended up writing three different papers on "The Castaway" section of Moby-Dick, the chapter where the cabin boy Pip falls overboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/in-school-i-ended-up-writing-three-different-papers-on-the-castaway/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“When we think of the masterpieces that nobody praised and nobody read, back there in the past, we feel an impatient superiority to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/when-we-think-of-the-masterpieces-that-nobody-praised-and-nobody-read/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“American whale oil lit the world. It was used in the production of soap, textiles, leather, paints, and varnishes, and it lubricated the tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jay-dolin/american-whale-oil-lit-the-world-it-was-used-in-the-production-of/) Eric Jay Dolin [Browse all 27 Moby-dick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moby-dick-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Do you like Moby Dick ?\" he asks. \"I hate it,\" she says. \"And I don't say that about many things. Teachers assign it, and parents are happy because their kids are reading something of 'quality.' But it's forcing kids to read books like that that make them think they hate reading.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gabrielle Zevin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it-she-says-and-i-don-t-say-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moby-dick" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it-she-says-and-i-don-t-say-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d52/gabrielle-zevin-626_moby-dick_do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it_721625.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do you like Moby Dick ?\" he asks. \"I hate it,\" she says. \"And I don't say that about many things. Teachers…” — Gabrielle Zevin", "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": "Gabrielle Zevin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Do you like Moby Dick ?\"...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it-she-says-and-i-don-t-say-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/do-you-like-moby-dick-he-asks-i-hate-it-she-says-and-i-don-t-say-that/#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 } } ] } ```