--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I move my lips when I read -- I'm…" description: "\"I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I like really good English.\" — John le Carre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg" --- # I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I… ![“I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I like really good English.” quote by John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg) > “I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I like really good English.” [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reads slowly, needing clear, high‑quality English to keep up with the text. **In simple terms:** Reading slowly requires good English. Key Takeaway Focus on clear language when reading slowly. Themes reading language clarity Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational personal When to use this quote - academic study - self‑study - language learning - public speaking Key Concepts cognitive processing language proficiency Questions to Reflect On - How does reading speed affect comprehension? - What strategies improve clarity while reading slowly? A Different Perspective If English is not clear, comprehension suffers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) ## Related quotes > [You can read my lips but you can't read my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-gonell/you-can-read-my-lips-but-you-can-t-read-my-mind/) Angelica Gonell > [Biotech 1.0 is slow, like a lab science, and Version 2.0 is more like computational sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jurvetson/biotech-1-0-is-slow-like-a-lab-science-and-version-2-0-is-more-like/) [Steve Jurvetson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jurvetson/) > [“Let’s take it slow because some of the good things in life are worthy of reverence and appreciation. Let’s take it slow because what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nessie-q/let-s-take-it-slow-because-some-of-the-good-things-in-life-are-worthy/) [Nessie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nessie-q/) > [“I'm thinking that my best friend killed herself so slow it was almost like a magic trick, and other people let her do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenna-yovanoff/i-m-thinking-that-my-best-friend-killed-herself-so-slow-it-was-almost/) [Brenna Yovanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenna-yovanoff/) > [“Well, at some point, you're gonna have to break things down for me real slow-like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/well-at-some-point-you-re-gonna-have-to-break-things-down-for-me-real/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [“But and so things are slow, and like you they have this irritating suspicion that any real satisfaction is still way, way off, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/but-and-so-things-are-slow-and-like-you-they-have-this-irritating/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I work very slow. That's how I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-work-very-slow-that-s-how-i-like-it/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) > [“With a sudden movement she bowed his head and joined her lips to his and he read the meaning of her movements in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/with-a-sudden-movement-she-bowed-his-head-and-joined-her-lips-to-his/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [World is too much fast like rabbit but I'm slow like tortoise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hashaam/world-is-too-much-fast-like-rabbit-but-i-m-slow-like-tortoise/) [Hashaam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hashaam/) > [On a television show, you basically make a movie a week. Movies take three months - it's crazy. They're so slow, it's like vacation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/on-a-television-show-you-basically-make-a-movie-a-week-movies-take/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [Today I'm walking so slow, like a predator. Just to get a glimpse of you as you play in the play ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucky-dube/today-i-m-walking-so-slow-like-a-predator-just-to-get-a-glimpse-of/) [Lucky Dube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucky-dube/) > [I've always been like this, very slow, I like to work aaramse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pranitha-subhash/i-ve-always-been-like-this-very-slow-i-like-to-work-aaramse/) [Pranitha Subhash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pranitha-subhash/) > [There was, like, a point where music was slow for me, like '09. I wasn't getting that much work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hit-boy/there-was-like-a-point-where-music-was-slow-for-me-like-09-i-wasn-t/) Hit-Boy > [Good English, well spoken and well written will open more doors than a college degree... Bad English will slam doors you don't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-raspberry/good-english-well-spoken-and-well-written-will-open-more-doors-than-a/) [William Raspberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-raspberry/) > [By the end of my BA, I was still not good in English, but I went on to enroll for an MA in History.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravish-kumar/by-the-end-of-my-ba-i-was-still-not-good-in-english-but-i-went-on-to/) [Ravish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravish-kumar/) ## More by John le Carre > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [All power corrupts but some must govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/all-power-corrupts-but-some-must-govern/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“You're history, Donohue. You think countries run the fucking world! Go back to fucking Sunday school. It's 'God save our multinational' they're singing these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/you-re-history-donohue-you-think-countries-run-the-fucking-world-go/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [When you're my age and you see a story, you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/when-you-re-my-age-and-you-see-a-story-you-better-go-for-it-pretty/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The trouble is, when professional spies go out of their way to make a definitive statement about one of their own, the public tends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-trouble-is-when-professional-spies-go-out-of-their-way-to-make-a/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Ideologies have no heart of their own. They're the whores and angels of our striving selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/ideologies-have-no-heart-of-their-own-they-re-the-whores-and-angels/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Home's where you go when you run out of homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/home-s-where-you-go-when-you-run-out-of-homes/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“Pain observed is journalistic pain. It's diplomatic pain. It's television pain, over as soon as you switch off your beastly set.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/pain-observed-is-journalistic-pain-it-s-diplomatic-pain-it-s/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The greatest threat to mankind comes from the renunciation of individual scruple in favor of institutional denominators. . . . Real heroism lies, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-greatest-threat-to-mankind-comes-from-the-renunciation-of/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“and the wood smoke will roll out of the fireplace on to the carpet we paid too much for on that rainy afternoon in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/and-the-wood-smoke-will-roll-out-of-the-fireplace-on-to-the-carpet-we/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“Middle children weep longer than their brothers and sisters. Over her mother’s shoulder, stilling her pains and her injured pride, Jackie Lacon watched the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/middle-children-weep-longer-than-their-brothers-and-sisters-over-her/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [For decades to come the spy world will continue to be the collective couch where the subconscious of each nation is confessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/for-decades-to-come-the-spy-world-will-continue-to-be-the-collective/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [I happen to write by hand. I don't even type. John Le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-happen-to-write-by-hand-i-don-t-even-type-john-le-carre/) [John Le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-more-identities-a-man-has-the-more-they-express-the-person-they/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) [Explore all 409 John le Carre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) ## More Lips quotes > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I'm am an expert at reading lips especially when it's not moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-m-am-an-expert-at-reading-lips-especially-when-it-s-not-moving/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/) [Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/) > [Live with your lips pressed against your fears, kissing your fears, neither pulling back nor aggressively violating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/live-with-your-lips-pressed-against-your-fears-kissing-your-fears/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Silent lips may avoid problems, but smiling lips may solve many problems...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusra/silent-lips-may-avoid-problems-but-smiling-lips-may-solve-many/) [Yusra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusra/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Your lips look so lonely. Would they like to meet mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-lips-look-so-lonely-would-they-like-to-meet-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not be satisfied with the speech of your lips and the thought in your heart, all the promises and good sayings in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-mendel-of-kotzk/do-not-be-satisfied-with-the-speech-of-your-lips-and-the-thought-in/) [Menachem Mendel of Kotzk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-mendel-of-kotzk/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) > [Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favorite." Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/keith-was-just-bringing-the-glass-to-his-lips-when-adrian-said-mmm-o/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) [Browse all 2,751 Lips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I like really good English.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John le Carre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully-slow-so-i-like-really-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lips" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully-slow-so-i-like-really-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-le-carre-651_lips_i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully_1647396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I move my lips when I read -- I'm painfully slow -- so I like really good English.” — John le Carre", "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 le Carre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I move my lips when I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully-slow-so-i-like-really-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/i-move-my-lips-when-i-read-i-m-painfully-slow-so-i-like-really-good/#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 } } ] } ```