--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Keep away from books and from men who get…" description: "\"Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png" --- # Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from… ![“Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png) > “Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoid relying on others' ideas to keep your own thinking original and lively. **In simple terms:** Stay original by not copying others. Key Takeaway Cultivate fresh personal ideas. Themes originality independence creativity Mood thoughtful inspired Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - research - personal development Key Concepts critical thinking intellectual freedom Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your ideas stay fresh? - What sources inspire your originality? A Different Perspective Originality can be stifled by isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-books-358181/) [Books Fresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-fresh-1560792/) [Books Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-men-280050/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-books-1560793/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-ideas-1150744/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“I owe all my originality, such as it is, to my determination not to be a literary man. Instead of belonging to a literary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-owe-all-my-originality-such-as-it-is-to-my-determination-not-to-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I get ideas for my books from people I know and what happens to them, from places I've been and what happens to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/i-get-ideas-for-my-books-from-people-i-know-and-what-happens-to-them/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [I think I always have many ideas for books in my head. It's like a forest full of mushrooms. Some are big, some are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-tokarczuk/i-think-i-always-have-many-ideas-for-books-in-my-head-it-s-like-a/) [Olga Tokarczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-tokarczuk/) > [I've got more ideas for books than I'll ever be able to use in my lifetime. I'm very fortunate like that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-thor/i-ve-got-more-ideas-for-books-than-i-ll-ever-be-able-to-use-in-my/) [Brad Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-thor/) > [“You have no ideas about what you can find in books these days, I’m telling you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hamonou/you-have-no-ideas-about-what-you-can-find-in-books-these-days-i-m/) [Linda Hamonou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hamonou/) > [I've never turned into a bee - I've never been chased by a mummy or met a ghost. But many of the ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-stine/i-ve-never-turned-into-a-bee-i-ve-never-been-chased-by-a-mummy-or-met/) [R. L. Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-stine/) > [I've always had ideas for more books than I can write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-ve-always-had-ideas-for-more-books-than-i-can-write/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [I get my ideas for books from my own kids and sometimes from other children. Often when I am telling stories I will say:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-munsch/i-get-my-ideas-for-books-from-my-own-kids-and-sometimes-from-other/) [Robert Munsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-munsch/) > [I have a whole section of a filing cabinet in my office full of ideas. Some are ideas for books or articles I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lubetzky/i-have-a-whole-section-of-a-filing-cabinet-in-my-office-full-of-ideas/) [Daniel Lubetzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lubetzky/) > [“People keep asking me, "Where do you get the ideas for your books?" From the worst moments in my life. I call that "literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-nathan/people-keep-asking-me-where-do-you-get-the-ideas-for-your-books-from/) [Sandy Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-nathan/) > [Anything that looks like an idea is probably just something that has accumulated, like dust. It looks like I have ideas because I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/anything-that-looks-like-an-idea-is-probably-just-something-that-has/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [“People loves Ideas I love books because Ideas can be found in books”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abid-hussain-library-officer/people-loves-ideas-i-love-books-because-ideas-can-be-found-in-books/) [Abid Hussain Library Officer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abid-hussain-library-officer/) > [I do recall how I got the ideas for some of my books. Many of them are a result of doodling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-peet/i-do-recall-how-i-got-the-ideas-for-some-of-my-books-many-of-them-are/) [Bill Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-peet/) > [“Books are better than television, the internet, or the computer for educating and maintaining freedom. Books matter because they state ideas and then attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/books-are-better-than-television-the-internet-or-the-computer-for/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Men in general are too material and do not make enough human contacts. If we search for the fundamentals which actually motivate us we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-s-jordan/men-in-general-are-too-material-and-do-not-make-enough-human-contacts/) [Edward S. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-s-jordan/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## 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": "Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Bernard Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-get-their-ideas-from-books-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-get-their-ideas-from-books-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/george-bernard-shaw-68_book_keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-ge_137335.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.” — George Bernard Shaw", "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": "George Bernard Shaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Keep away from books and from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-get-their-ideas-from-books-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/keep-away-from-books-and-from-men-who-get-their-ideas-from-books-and/#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 } } ] } ```