---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important book on the Internet…"
description: "\"The most important book on the Internet is, essentially, the Internet.\" — John Hodgman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg"
---

#  The most important book on the Internet is, essentially…

![“The most important book on the Internet is, essentially, the Internet.” quote by John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg)

> “The most important book on the Internet is, essentially, the Internet.”

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

## About This Quote

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

The Internet itself is the most essential book, containing all knowledge and experience.

**In simple terms:** The Internet is the ultimate reference.

Key Takeaway

Use the Internet as a learning tool.

Themes

knowledge technology information

Mood

informative cautious

Type

educational technological

When to use this quote

- research
- education
- media consumption
- content creation

Key Concepts

digital literacy network effects

Questions to Reflect On

- How to verify online information?
- What are the limits of digital knowledge?

A Different Perspective

Reliance may reduce critical thinking.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-internet-1819279/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially/) [Essentially Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially-internet-742586/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-book-336456/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-essentially-2422061/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [The most important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-most-important/)

## Related quotes

> [Even the most brilliant accomplishments on the Internet are essentially cold. Google has changed the world, but you don't snuggle up to it. YouTube…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/even-the-most-brilliant-accomplishments-on-the-internet-are/)

[Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/)

> [I have never done television, essentially, so the Internet has made me and opened avenues for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-have-never-done-television-essentially-so-the-internet-has-made-me/)

[Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/)

> [I think most of the important stuff on the Internet has been built. There will be continued innovation, for sure, but the great problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-think-most-of-the-important-stuff-on-the-internet-has-been-built/)

[Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/)

> [I'm addicted to email, but other than that, there are practical things - being able to buy a book on the internet that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-m-addicted-to-email-but-other-than-that-there-are-practical-things/)

[Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/)

> [There are other options out there, after all, like read a book, go on the Internet, rent a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-wolf/there-are-other-options-out-there-after-all-like-read-a-book-go-on/)

[Dick Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-wolf/)

> [An important book for our times, in which one woman's determination and refusal to consent sets an example of courage and honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-foden/an-important-book-for-our-times-in-which-one-woman-s-determination/)

[Giles Foden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-foden/)

> [“Books are important, and so serious intellectual attention to them is important. While promplty published scholarly articles are also important, the book format remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-c-issac-editor-in-chief-perspectives-on-politics-12-2013/books-are-important-and-so-serious-intellectual-attention-to-them-is/)

[Jeffrey C. Issac Editor-in-Chief Perspectives on Politics 12 2013](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-c-issac-editor-in-chief-perspectives-on-politics-12-2013/)

> [The title's more important than the book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/the-title-s-more-important-than-the-book/)

[Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/)

> [The Prisoner's Wife echoes Edwidge Danticat's Farming of the Bones in the urgency in which it reminds us of the possibility of love even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-prisoner-s-wife-echoes-edwidge-danticat-s-farming-of-the-bones-in/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Sometimes street knowledge can be as important as book knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/sometimes-street-knowledge-can-be-as-important-as-book-knowledge/)

[Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/)

> [IMPORTANT Book reading is a solitary and sedentary pursuit, and those who do are cautioned that a book should be used as an integral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/important-book-reading-is-a-solitary-and-sedentary-pursuit-and-those/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Hillary Brown understands that?for our grandchildren's sake?we must rebuild America and, in doing so, re-imagine our interconnected infrastructure systems to make them more efficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-rohatyn/hillary-brown-understands-that-for-our-grandchildren-s-sake-we-must/)

[Felix Rohatyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-rohatyn/)

> [Why do Americans find government so baffling and irritating-even though many of us depend on public programs for a secure retirement, an affordable mortgage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theda-skocpol/why-do-americans-find-government-so-baffling-and-irritating-even/)

[Theda Skocpol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theda-skocpol/)

> [This is an important book, the critic assumes, because it deals with war. This is an insignificant book because it deals with the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/this-is-an-important-book-the-critic-assumes-because-it-deals-with/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

[Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/)

## More by John Hodgman

> [Life may be miraculous in its unlikelihood in the universe, but it would be a fallacy to suggest that its rareness makes it inextinguishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/life-may-be-miraculous-in-its-unlikelihood-in-the-universe-but-it/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [I navigated the world as a hedge maze of constant fear and worry in which I might take the wrong turn and jeopardize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-navigated-the-world-as-a-hedge-maze-of-constant-fear-and-worry-in/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [“There are transitions in life whether we want them or not. You get older. You lose jobs and loves and people. The story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-are-transitions-in-life-whether-we-want-them-or-not-you-get/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald meet in hell and team up to assassinate Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/john-wilkes-booth-and-lee-harvey-oswald-meet-in-hell-and-team-up-to/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [If you look in the dictionary under 'perfectionist,' you see Henry Selick correcting the definition of perfectionist in the dictionary. I mean, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/if-you-look-in-the-dictionary-under-perfectionist-you-see-henry/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [Lies are just another kind of storytelling, but with the very distinct and enlivening motive of desperation. Since writers are by nature desperate creatures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/lies-are-just-another-kind-of-storytelling-but-with-the-very-distinct/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [I've made my evolutionary purpose and had children. I don't care if anybody likes me, I'm going to do what I want to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-ve-made-my-evolutionary-purpose-and-had-children-i-don-t-care-if/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [I don't wish to brag, but I'm very intelligent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-don-t-wish-to-brag-but-i-m-very-intelligent/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [You wouldn't want to live a life in which you are loved or approved by all people on Earth or even within your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/you-wouldn-t-want-to-live-a-life-in-which-you-are-loved-or-approved/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [Well, I always had this desire to celebrate and somehow be a part of things that I thought were really great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/well-i-always-had-this-desire-to-celebrate-and-somehow-be-a-part-of/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [I would be good for maybe not the center square but an upper square on 'Hollywood Squares.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-would-be-good-for-maybe-not-the-center-square-but-an-upper-square/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [One of the things about crowd work that's so exciting is when you discover a character in the audience who's interesting or funny, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/one-of-the-things-about-crowd-work-that-s-so-exciting-is-when-you/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [“Maine is not a death cult. I mean, it is, but it's a slow one. It creeps in like the tide, and without your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/maine-is-not-a-death-cult-i-mean-it-is-but-it-s-a-slow-one-it-creeps/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

[Explore all 207 John Hodgman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

## 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": "The most important book on the Internet is, essentially, the Internet.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Hodgman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/the-most-important-book-on-the-internet-is-essentially-the-internet/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/the-most-important-book-on-the-internet-is-essentially-the-internet/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/john-hodgman-1811_book_the-most-important-book-on-the-internet_2673936.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most important book on the Internet is, essentially, the Internet.” — John Hodgman",
                "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 Hodgman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most important book on the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/the-most-important-book-on-the-internet-is-essentially-the-internet/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/the-most-important-book-on-the-internet-is-essentially-the-internet/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
