--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's against my principles to buy a book…" description: "\"It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.\" — Helene Hanff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg" --- # It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read… ![“It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.” quote by Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg) > “It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.” [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Buying unseen books is akin to purchasing clothing without trying it on, reflecting a desire for informed, personal experience before commitment. **In simple terms:** Buy only what you know. Key Takeaway Know before you buy. Themes integrity consumerism personal experience Mood thoughtful cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - shopping - library - gift giving - online purchases Key Concepts informed choice authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What do you value more: certainty or surprise? - How does this principle affect your digital purchases? A Different Perspective May miss out on unexpected gems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) ## Related quotes > [“Buying a book you've never read is like buying a dress you've never tried on”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/buying-a-book-you-ve-never-read-is-like-buying-a-dress-you-ve-never/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [Marrying an old bachelor is like buying second-hand furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/marrying-an-old-bachelor-is-like-buying-second-hand-furniture/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [A lot of TV people buy more than one of an item, in case they spot or stain it, but I don't like buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/a-lot-of-tv-people-buy-more-than-one-of-an-item-in-case-they-spot-or/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [What," I said, "is that a crime here or something? Like only buying one thing at the Gas/Gro?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/what-i-said-is-that-a-crime-here-or-something-like-only-buying-one/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I like buying clothes, especially as I get a tax-deductible allowance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-like-buying-clothes-especially-as-i-get-a-tax-deductible-allowance/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [Being a parent and having two young kids, I buy Blu-rays and DVDs all the time. It's like buying a toy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-letterman/being-a-parent-and-having-two-young-kids-i-buy-blu-rays-and-dvds-all/) [Rob Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-letterman/) > [If you buy my book at Walmart, I don't want you to read it. I want you to set it on fire. Because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-benincasa/if-you-buy-my-book-at-walmart-i-don-t-want-you-to-read-it-i-want-you/) [Sara Benincasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-benincasa/) > [Sometimes, looking at the many books I have at home, I feel I shall die before I come to the end of them, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/sometimes-looking-at-the-many-books-i-have-at-home-i-feel-i-shall-die/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own; it's the freedom to buy any book you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/being-rich-is-not-about-how-much-money-you-have-or-how-many-homes-you/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [“I always buy another book when I still have ten to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipolarkath/i-always-buy-another-book-when-i-still-have-ten-to-read/) Bipolarkath > [I think it's a fallacy to say that a good book sells itself. It doesn't happen. I'm a voracious reader and I can give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/i-think-it-s-a-fallacy-to-say-that-a-good-book-sells-itself-it-doesn/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [You ever buy a book and not read it? You feel almost guilty having it up on a bookshelf. People are like, "Hey, how's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/you-ever-buy-a-book-and-not-read-it-you-feel-almost-guilty-having-it/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [You could buy my book in a paperback edition for a dollar, and in hard covers for $3.50. And for fifty cents extra, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/you-could-buy-my-book-in-a-paperback-edition-for-a-dollar-and-in-hard/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [Why buy a book when you can join a library?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/why-buy-a-book-when-you-can-join-a-library/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) ## More by Helene Hanff > [“Somewhere along the way I came upon a mews with a small sign on the entrance gate addressed to the passing world. The sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/somewhere-along-the-way-i-came-upon-a-mews-with-a-small-sign-on-the/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [My problem is that while other people are reading fifty books I'm reading one book fifty times. I only stop when at the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/my-problem-is-that-while-other-people-are-reading-fifty-books-i-m/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-do-love-secondhand-books-that-open-to-the-page-some-previous-owner/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [“I houseclean my books every spring and throw out those I'm never going to read again like I throw out clothes I'm never going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-houseclean-my-books-every-spring-and-throw-out-those-i-m-never/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins, I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned, and reading passages someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-love-inscriptions-on-flyleaves-and-notes-in-margins-i-like-the/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I wish you hadn't been so over-courteous about putting the inscription on a card instead of on the flyleaf. It's the bookseller coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-wish-you-hadn-t-been-so-over-courteous-about-putting-the/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I have these guilts about never having read Chaucer but I was talked out of learning Early Anglo-Saxon / Middle English by a friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-have-these-guilts-about-never-having-read-chaucer-but-i-was-talked/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I personally can't think of anything less sacrosanct than a bad book or even a mediocre book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-personally-can-t-think-of-anything-less-sacrosanct-than-a-bad-book/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [What fortune teller would ever have had the nerve to predict that the best years of my life would turn out to be my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/what-fortune-teller-would-ever-have-had-the-nerve-to-predict-that-the/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [“Please write and tell me about London, I live for the day when I step off the boat-train and feel its dirty sidewalks under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/please-write-and-tell-me-about-london-i-live-for-the-day-when-i-step/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I despair of ever getting it through anybody's head I am not interested in bookshops, I am interested in what's written in the books.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-despair-of-ever-getting-it-through-anybody-s-head-i-am-not/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I liked reading about the nun who ate so dainty with her fingers she never dripped any grease on herself. I've never been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-liked-reading-about-the-nun-who-ate-so-dainty-with-her-fingers-she/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [If you happen to pass by 84 Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me? I owe it so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/if-you-happen-to-pass-by-84-charing-cross-road-kiss-it-for-me-i-owe/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [Talent is the infinite capacity for taking pains. Genius is the infinite capacity for achievement without taking any pains at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/talent-is-the-infinite-capacity-for-taking-pains-genius-is-the/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [Why is it that people who wouldn't dream of stealing anything else think it's perfectly all right to steal books?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/why-is-it-that-people-who-wouldn-t-dream-of-stealing-anything-else/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) [Explore all 37 Helene Hanff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) ## 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": "It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helene Hanff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book-i-haven-t-read-it-s-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book-i-haven-t-read-it-s-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24d/helene-hanff-17131_book_it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book_605174.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.” — Helene Hanff", "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": "Helene Hanff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's against my principles to buy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book-i-haven-t-read-it-s-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book-i-haven-t-read-it-s-like/#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 } } ] } ```