---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I rarely read or buy a book because of a…"
description: "\"I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.\" — Jim Harrison"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg"
---

#  I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.

![“I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.” quote by Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg)

> “I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.”

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He avoids letting reviews dictate his reading choices, preferring personal experience over external opinions.

**In simple terms:** He doesn’t read books based on reviews.

Key Takeaway

Trust your own judgment.

Themes

independence critical thinking reading habits

Mood

reflective skeptical

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- choosing books
- forming opinions
- avoidance of bias

Key Concepts

subjectivity media influence

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you rely on reviews for decisions?
- How can you balance external advice with personal taste?

A Different Perspective

Reviews can be useful guides for some readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

## Related quotes

> [I fall for all those lists of 100 books you must read, and go out and buy most of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-fall-for-all-those-lists-of-100-books-you-must-read-and-go-out-and/)

[Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/)

> [I've rarely gotten a good review in my life, yet, to paraphrase Noel Coward, I am happy to console myself with the bitter palliative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/i-ve-rarely-gotten-a-good-review-in-my-life-yet-to-paraphrase-noel/)

[Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/)

> [While I'm working on a book, I rarely read anything more than The New York Times. Which may have the long-term effect of flattening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/while-i-m-working-on-a-book-i-rarely-read-anything-more-than-the-new/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Even to this day, I rarely read any articles on myself. I won't watch anything on television on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-chandler/even-to-this-day-i-rarely-read-any-articles-on-myself-i-won-t-watch/)

[Tyson Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-chandler/)

> [I rarely read children's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-rarely-read-children-s-books/)

[Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/)

> [I never read a book I must review; it prejudices you so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-never-read-a-book-i-must-review-it-prejudices-you-so/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [I thought, well I can do that. I couldn't be bothered writing a book review, because I'd have to read the book, I haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-campbell/i-thought-well-i-can-do-that-i-couldn-t-be-bothered-writing-a-book/)

[Eddie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-campbell/)

> [The first function of a book review should be, I believe, to give some idea of the contents and character of the book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kaufmann/the-first-function-of-a-book-review-should-be-i-believe-to-give-some/)

[Walter Kaufmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kaufmann/)

> [A week or so ago I did a two hour book review in Baltimore Maryland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/a-week-or-so-ago-i-did-a-two-hour-book-review-in-baltimore-maryland/)

[Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/)

> [How I envy writers who can work on aeroplanes or in hotel rooms. On the run I can produce an article or a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/how-i-envy-writers-who-can-work-on-aeroplanes-or-in-hotel-rooms-on/)

[John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/)

> [“I hardly give 5 stars to a book in my review. I do not want the authors to reach a saturation point, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arti-honrao/i-hardly-give-5-stars-to-a-book-in-my-review-i-do-not-want-the/)

[Arti Honrao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arti-honrao/)

> [“Of all reviews, the crushing review is the most popular, as being the most readable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/of-all-reviews-the-crushing-review-is-the-most-popular-as-being-the/)

[Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/)

> [The whole family is a bunch of dangerous freaks...Most are ex-cons or junkies or deranged from inbreeding. Five have died violently, three are back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dorsey/the-whole-family-is-a-bunch-of-dangerous-freaks-most-are-ex-cons-or/)

[Tim Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dorsey/)

> [I began by doing book reviews on the typewriter and then went over to short stories on the machine, meanwhile sticking to pencil for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/i-began-by-doing-book-reviews-on-the-typewriter-and-then-went-over-to/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [I mean, when you're tired of book reviews, you're tired of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-mean-when-you-re-tired-of-book-reviews-you-re-tired-of-life/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

## More by Jim Harrison

> [“Perhaps swimming was dancing in the water, he thought. To swim under lily pads seeing their green slender stalks wavering as you passed, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/perhaps-swimming-was-dancing-in-the-water-he-thought-to-swim-under/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [Writing as a woman presents enormous problems but I have attempted it several times and haven't had many complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/writing-as-a-woman-presents-enormous-problems-but-i-have-attempted-it/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-like-grit-i-like-love-and-death-i-m-tired-of-irony-a-lot-of-good/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [It is utterly soothing to fly fish for trout. All other considerations or worries drift away and you couldn't keep them close if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/it-is-utterly-soothing-to-fly-fish-for-trout-all-other-considerations/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“(from: Age Sixty-nine) There is this circle I walk that I have learned to love. I hope one day to be a spiral but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/from-age-sixty-nine-there-is-this-circle-i-walk-that-i-have-learned/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“. . . another year has passed, or so they say, but calenders lie. They're a kind of cosmic business machine like their cousin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/another-year-has-passed-or-so-they-say-but-calenders-lie-they-re-a/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“The head's a cloud anchor that the feet must follow. Travel light, he said, or don't travel at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/the-head-s-a-cloud-anchor-that-the-feet-must-follow-travel-light-he/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [After a lifetime of world travel I've been fascinated that those in the third world don't have the same perception of reality that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/after-a-lifetime-of-world-travel-i-ve-been-fascinated-that-those-in/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [The only advice I can give to aspiring writers is don't do it unless you're willing to give your whole life to it. Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/the-only-advice-i-can-give-to-aspiring-writers-is-don-t-do-it-unless/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [I'd rather get a brain tumor than go back to teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-d-rather-get-a-brain-tumor-than-go-back-to-teaching/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [It is easy to forget that in the main we die only seven times more slowly than our dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/it-is-easy-to-forget-that-in-the-main-we-die-only-seven-times-more/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“I had let my digust with teaching ruin my love of literature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-had-let-my-digust-with-teaching-ruin-my-love-of-literature/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“I seek the substantial in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-seek-the-substantial-in-life/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [ “Birthdays are \[soul chasers,\] ghost bounty hunters that track you down to ask \[the usual question\], “Qué pasa, baby?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/birthdays-are-soul-chasers-ghost-bounty-hunters-that-track-you-down/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [“Never before have the American people had their noses so deeply in one another's business. If I announce that I and eleven other diners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/never-before-have-the-american-people-had-their-noses-so-deeply-in/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

[Explore all 137 Jim Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

## 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": "I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jim Harrison"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a-review/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a-review/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-harrison-2941_book_i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a_851212.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I rarely read or buy a book because of a review.” — Jim Harrison",
                "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": "Jim Harrison",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I rarely read or buy a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a-review/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-rarely-read-or-buy-a-book-because-of-a-review/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
