--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There can hardly be a stranger commodity…" description: "\"There can hardly be a stranger commodity in the world than books. Printed by people who don't understand them; sold by people who don't understand them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_book_there-can-hardly-be-a-stranger-commodity_2902164.png" --- # There can hardly be a stranger commodity in the world than… ![“There can hardly be a stranger commodity in the world than books. Printed by people who don't understand them; sold by people who don't understand them; bound, criticized and read by people who don't understand them; and now even written by people who don't understand them.” quote by Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_book_there-can-hardly-be-a-stranger-commodity_2902164.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_book_there-can-hardly-be-a-stranger-commodity_2902164.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdf/georg-c-lichtenberg-1087_book_there-can-hardly-be-a-stranger-commodity_2902164.png) > “There can hardly be a stranger commodity in the world than books. Printed by people who don't understand them; sold by people who don't understand them; bound, criticized and read by people who don't understand them; and now even written by people who don't understand them.” [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books are misunderstood by creators, sellers, and readers alike, creating a strange cycle of ignorance. **In simple terms:** Books are often misunderstood by everyone. Key Takeaway Seek deeper understanding of texts. Themes ignorance communication literature Mood critical introspective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - book clubs - publishing Key Concepts Meta‑analysis cultural literacy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we misinterpret books? - How can we improve literary dialogue? A Different Perspective Not all books are inaccessible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Printed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-printed-3330181/) [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commodity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Printed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printed/) [Printed People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printed-people-4133290/) [Read People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-people/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Stranger Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger-commodity-4133289/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-books-397484/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [One of the great defects of English books printed in the last century is the want of an index.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lafcadio-hearn/one-of-the-great-defects-of-english-books-printed-in-the-last-century/) [Lafcadio Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lafcadio-hearn/) > [The Bible is worth all the other books which have ever been printed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-henry/the-bible-is-worth-all-the-other-books-which-have-ever-been-printed/) [Patrick Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-henry/) > [Remember that just because major publishing is having trouble, that doesn't mean people have stopped reading books. Printed books won't go away, but ebooks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/remember-that-just-because-major-publishing-is-having-trouble-that/) [David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/) > [Book reviewing dates only to the eighteenth century, when, for the first time, there were so many books being printed that magazines - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/book-reviewing-dates-only-to-the-eighteenth-century-when-for-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [There is a Book worth all other books which were ever printed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-henry/there-is-a-book-worth-all-other-books-which-were-ever-printed/) [Patrick Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-henry/) > [I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-ceased-in-the-year-1764-to-believe-that-one-can-convince-one-s/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [What concerns me alone I only think, what concerns my friends I tell them, what can be of interest to only a limited public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/what-concerns-me-alone-i-only-think-what-concerns-my-friends-i-tell/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [“I've traveled the world twice over, Met the famous; saints and sinners, Poets and artists, kings and queens, Old stars and hopeful beginners, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-james/i-ve-traveled-the-world-twice-over-met-the-famous-saints-and-sinners/) [Janice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-james/) > [“The world of books is my fantasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-world-of-books-is-my-fantasy/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Books were in the world; the world was in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/books-were-in-the-world-the-world-was-in-books/) [Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/) > [The world is not in your books and maps, it's out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-world-is-not-in-your-books-and-maps-it-s-out-there/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-day/the-world-of-books-is-the-most-remarkable-creation-of-man-nothing/) [Clarence Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-day/) > [Home to me is the world because my books have been translated into more than 30 languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/home-to-me-is-the-world-because-my-books-have-been-translated-into/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good: Round these, with tendrils strong as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/dreams-books-are-each-a-world-and-books-we-know-are-a-substantial-2/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/dreams-books-are-each-a-world-and-books-we-know-are-a-substantial/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) ## More by Georg C. Lichtenberg > [If people should ever start to do only what is necessary millions would die of hunger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/if-people-should-ever-start-to-do-only-what-is-necessary-millions/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [The wisdom of providence is as much revealed in the rarity of genius, as in the circumstance that not everyone is deaf or blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-wisdom-of-providence-is-as-much-revealed-in-the-rarity-of-genius/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-ceased-in-the-year-1764-to-believe-that-one-can-convince-one-s/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Probably no invention came more easily to man than heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/probably-no-invention-came-more-easily-to-man-than-heaven/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [It is a great shame; most of our words are misused tools / which often still smell of the mud in which previous owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/it-is-a-great-shame-most-of-our-words-are-misused-tools-which-often/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [To live when you do not want to is dreadful, but it would be even more terrible to be immortal when you did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/to-live-when-you-do-not-want-to-is-dreadful-but-it-would-be-even-more/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [He who understands the wise is wise already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/he-who-understands-the-wise-is-wise-already/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [The fruits of philosophy are the important thing, not the philosophy itself. When we ask the time, we don't want to know how watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-fruits-of-philosophy-are-the-important-thing-not-the-philosophy/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [He who says he hates all kinds of flattery, and says so in earnest, has undoubtedly not as yet become acquainted with all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/he-who-says-he-hates-all-kinds-of-flattery-and-says-so-in-earnest-has/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [One can live in this world on soothsaying but not on truth saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/one-can-live-in-this-world-on-soothsaying-but-not-on-truth-saying/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Actual aristocracy cannot be abolished by any law: all the law can do is decree how it is to be imparted and who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/actual-aristocracy-cannot-be-abolished-by-any-law-all-the-law-can-do/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [One of the greatest and also the commonest of faults is for men to believe that, because they never hear their shortcomings spoken of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/one-of-the-greatest-and-also-the-commonest-of-faults-is-for-men-to/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [People who never have any time on their hands are those who do the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/people-who-never-have-any-time-on-their-hands-are-those-who-do-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [An hour-glass is a reminder not only of time's quick flight, but also of the dust to which we must at last return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/an-hour-glass-is-a-reminder-not-only-of-time-s-quick-flight-but-also/) [Georg C. 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