Books Quote by John Green
“Ultimately, it doesn't matter if the author intended a symbol to be there, because the job of reading is not to understand the authors intend. The job of reading is to see into other people as we see ourselves.”
About This Quote
Reading is less about decoding authorial intent and more about projecting oneself onto the text, using personal perspective to understand others.
In simple terms: Reading reflects self onto others.
Key Takeaway
Use personal insight to interpret literature.
Themes
interpretation
empathy
subjectivity
Mood
thoughtful
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- book clubs
- education
- creative writing
Key Concepts
literature
psychology
identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your own experience shape your reading?
- Can you balance personal projection with author intent?
A Different Perspective
Subjective reading can miss authorial nuances.
![“[This] is very important to remember when reading or writing or talking or whatever: You are never, ever choosing whether to use symbols. You are choosing which symbols to use.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9ae/john-green-12_important_this-is-very-important-to-remember-when_801697.jpg)
![“[T]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom, just waiting for us to pick the whole thing up and heave it away. It has to happen. Free people can put up with such laws only for so long.” quote by Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aed/dick-armey-16265_america_t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-af_12886.jpg)
![“The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a [person] postulates as being a greater totality than [oneself] can become a symbol of the self. For this reason the symbol of the self is not always as total as the definition would require.” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/251/carl-jung-274_defined_the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-t_7148.jpg)
