--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like to have to pan for gold when…" description: "\"I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read.\" — Jonathan Carroll" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png" --- # I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read. ![“I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read.” quote by Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png) > “I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read.” [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading should be enjoyable, not a burdensome search for hidden meaning. **In simple terms:** Reading shouldn't feel like a chore. Key Takeaway Read for pleasure, not just analysis. Themes reading joy literature Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - leisure reading - academic study - book clubs Key Concepts interpretation mindfulness literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever feel forced to find meaning? - How can you balance analysis with enjoyment? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can diminish enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'd love to make a film like 'Pan's Labyrinth.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-d-love-to-make-a-film-like-pan-s-labyrinth/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [I read real books. On paper. You know, those printed books? I feel like this is the last thing I do to support my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-read-real-books-on-paper-you-know-those-printed-books-i-feel-like/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“it makes such difference where you read”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/it-makes-such-difference-where-you-read/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Classic book is a book which people praise, but do not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/classic-book-is-a-book-which-people-praise-but-do-not-read/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [I read and write for most of the day, but I do let myself be interrupted by real life. I enjoy going out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-read-and-write-for-most-of-the-day-but-i-do-let-myself-be/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [“My eyes hunger to read more books then time allows me to devour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazz-feylynn/my-eyes-hunger-to-read-more-books-then-time-allows-me-to-devour/) [Jazz Feylynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazz-feylynn/) > [It is important to be well read, at least a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-important-to-be-well-read-at-least-a-little-bit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Live always in the best company when you read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/live-always-in-the-best-company-when-you-read/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Read. Read all the time. Read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/read-read-all-the-time-read-as-a-matter-of-principle-as-a-matter-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [All books are judged by their covers until they are read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/all-books-are-judged-by-their-covers-until-they-are-read/) [Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More by Jonathan Carroll > [Eating is sex for old people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/eating-is-sex-for-old-people/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Ive never seen myself as a fantasy writer-ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/ive-never-seen-myself-as-a-fantasy-writer-ever/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [I have never heard anyone say This is it. I know right now is the high point of my life. It will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-have-never-heard-anyone-say-this-is-it-i-know-right-now-is-the-high/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [“One of the most terrible losses man endures in his lifetime is not even noticed by most people, much less mourned. Which is astonishing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/one-of-the-most-terrible-losses-man-endures-in-his-lifetime-is-not/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Everything you want in life has teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/everything-you-want-in-life-has-teeth/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Sometimes it is the smallest thing that saves us: the weather growing cold, a child's smile, and a cup of excellent coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/sometimes-it-is-the-smallest-thing-that-saves-us-the-weather-growing/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [“One of the reasons why I liked living in Manhattan was that the city would share your mood the moment you walked out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-liked-living-in-manhattan-was-that-the-city/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Old people are often impatient, but for what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/old-people-are-often-impatient-but-for-what/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Kids own nothing. Everything is either promised, borrowed, longed for or exaggerated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/kids-own-nothing-everything-is-either-promised-borrowed-longed-for-or/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Real love is always chaotic. You lose control; you lose perspective. You lose the ability to protect yourself. The greater the love, the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/real-love-is-always-chaotic-you-lose-control-you-lose-perspective-you/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Everyone coming out of a perfume store is smelling the back of their hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/everyone-coming-out-of-a-perfume-store-is-smelling-the-back-of-their/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Buying a pair of shoes is one of the most optimistic acts I know, next to falling in love. I like nothing better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/buying-a-pair-of-shoes-is-one-of-the-most-optimistic-acts-i-know-next/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Dogs are here to remind us life really is a simple thing. You eat, sleep, take walks, and pee when you must. That's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/dogs-are-here-to-remind-us-life-really-is-a-simple-thing-you-eat/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [“ Cza­sem li­nia męskiego kar­ku może zmienić całe two­je życie. Sposób, w ja­ki sięga on do kie­sze­ni po drob­ne, po­wodu­je skur­cz ser­ca i chłód…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/cza-sem-li-nia-m-skiego-kar-ku-mo-e-zmieni-ca-e-two-je-ycie-spos-b-w/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [Salzburg... is a mountain town with a rushing river running right through the center, everything in the rain various shades of green and brown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/salzburg-is-a-mountain-town-with-a-rushing-river-running-right/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) [Explore all 104 Jonathan Carroll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) ## 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! 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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. 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": "I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Carroll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-when-i-read/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-when-i-read/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/jonathan-carroll-4590_books_i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-whe_3106531.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't like to have to pan for gold when I read.” — Jonathan Carroll", "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": "Jonathan Carroll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't like to have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-when-i-read/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-don-t-like-to-have-to-pan-for-gold-when-i-read/#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 } } ] } ```