--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To choose a good book, look in an…" description: "\"“To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list. ~John Aikin”\" — John Aikin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg" --- # To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited… ![“To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list. ~John Aikin” quote by John Aikin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg) > ““To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list. ~John Aikin”” John Aikin ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a book from banned lists reveals hidden value and curiosity beyond mainstream approval. **In simple terms:** Read forbidden works for fresh insight. Key Takeaway Seek out unconventional literature. Themes curiosity literature rebellion knowledge discovery Mood quote aphilosophical Type Books:1 Good book:0 Writer:0 Inquisitor:0 Inquisitor Prohibited:0 Look Inquisitor:0 Prohibited List:0 John Aikin:0 When to use this quote - library research - book clubs - personal reading lists Key Concepts philosophy literary criticism history Questions to Reflect On - provocative - intellectual A Different Perspective Can banned books offer deeper truths than popular ones? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aiken/to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisitor-s-prohibited-list/) John Aiken > [Has there ever been an Inquisitor who didn't die a horrible death?" Simon wondered out loud. " It's like being the drummer in Spinal Tap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/has-there-ever-been-an-inquisitor-who-didn-t-die-a-horrible-death/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Who’s that?” Barney asked. Pedro answered, having returned his attention to his daughter’s suitor. “Father Alonso,” he said. “He’s the new inquisitor.” Carlos, Ebrima,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/who-s-that-barney-asked-pedro-answered-having-returned-his-attention/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“And no Grand Inquisitor has in readiness such terrible tortures as has anxiety, and no spy knows how to attack more artfully the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/and-no-grand-inquisitor-has-in-readiness-such-terrible-tortures-as/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [He (Jace) glanced down at his bound hands. His wrists and shoulders had gone from aching to hard, stabbing pain, but he didn’t wince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-jace-glanced-down-at-his-bound-hands-his-wrists-and-shoulders-had/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Even the Inquisitor's eyebrows shot up when Magnus strode through the gate. The High Warlock was wearing black leather pants, a belt with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/even-the-inquisitor-s-eyebrows-shot-up-when-magnus-strode-through-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“My father didn't take the sword for me . he took it for him . I doubt he even knew about the trial." "How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/my-father-didn-t-take-the-sword-for-me-he-took-it-for-him-i-doubt-he/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I see you are fixated on the least of my doings,” he said. “Very well, my abrupt departure from the Domain is easily enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-thomas/i-see-you-are-fixated-on-the-least-of-my-doings-he-said-very-well-my/) [Sherry Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-thomas/) > [Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber baron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/theocracy-is-the-worst-of-all-governments-if-we-must-have-a-tyrant-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The monk, the inquisitor, and the Jesuit were lords of Spain,- sovereigns of her sovereign, for they had formed the dark and narrow mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parkman/the-monk-the-inquisitor-and-the-jesuit-were-lords-of-spain-sovereigns/) [Francis Parkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parkman/) > [But every state, says an inquisitor, has established some religion. No two, say I, have established the same. Is this a proof of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/but-every-state-says-an-inquisitor-has-established-some-religion-no/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Look, suppose that there was one among all those who desire nothing but material and filthy lucre, that one, at least, is like my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/look-suppose-that-there-was-one-among-all-those-who-desire-nothing/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Catching sight of himself in the long mirrors that ran along the walls, he stiffened in shock...His eyes were surrounded by black shadows, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/catching-sight-of-himself-in-the-long-mirrors-that-ran-along-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He turned his head just then and for a moment, our eyes met. I would like to tell you that I saw the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-poole/he-turned-his-head-just-then-and-for-a-moment-our-eyes-met-i-would/) [Sara Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-poole/) > [“Life has enough torturers as it is, without you going around moonlighting as a Grand Inquisitor against yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/life-has-enough-torturers-as-it-is-without-you-going-around/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list. ~John Aikin”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Aikin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aikin/to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisitor-s-prohibited-list-john/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aikin/to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisitor-s-prohibited-list-john/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/john-aikin-248901_books_to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisi_164822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list. ~John Aikin” — John Aikin", "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": "John Aikin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-aikin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To choose a good book, look...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aikin/to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisitor-s-prohibited-list-john/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aikin/to-choose-a-good-book-look-in-an-inquisitor-s-prohibited-list-john/#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 } } ] } ```