--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think of myself primarily as a reader…" description: "\"I think of myself primarily as a reader, then also a writer, but that's more or less irrelevant. I think I'm a good reader, I'm a good reader in many l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_i-think-of-myself-primarily-as-a-reader_2114174.jpg" --- # I think of myself primarily as a reader, then also a… ![“I think of myself primarily as a reader, then also a writer, but that's more or less irrelevant. I think I'm a good reader, I'm a good reader in many languages, especially in English, since poetry came to me through the English language, initially through my father's love of Swinburn, of Tennyson…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_i-think-of-myself-primarily-as-a-reader_2114174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_i-think-of-myself-primarily-as-a-reader_2114174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_i-think-of-myself-primarily-as-a-reader_2114174.jpg) > “I think of myself primarily as a reader, then also a writer, but that's more or less irrelevant. I think I'm a good reader, I'm a good reader in many languages, especially in English, since poetry came to me through the English language, initially through my father's love of Swinburn, of Tennyson, and also of Keats, Shelley and so on - not through my native tongue, not through Spanish. It came to me as a kind of spell. I didn't understand it, but I felt it.” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Borges sees himself first as a reader, then a writer, emphasizing reading in many languages, especially English, as a magical, intuitive experience beyond rational understanding. **In simple terms:** Reading is a magical, intuitive act that shapes his writing. Key Takeaway Embrace reading as a source of creative inspiration. Themes reading language identity creativity intuition Mood reflective inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - learning new languages - studying poetry - writing workshops - cross‑cultural literary analysis Key Concepts multilingualism literary influence cultural transmission Questions to Reflect On - How does reading in a non‑native language affect your creative voice? - Can intuition replace formal analysis in literary appreciation? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not guarantee writing skill without practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Father'S Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-s-love/) [Good Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-reader-250785/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Native](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/native/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Primarily Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primarily-reader-4281733/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-good-1219491/) [Reader Languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-languages-4281734/) [Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelley/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“You have to invest yourself as a reader to be a good writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saru-singhal/you-have-to-invest-yourself-as-a-reader-to-be-a-good-writer/) [Saru Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saru-singhal/) > [“One evening at a remote provincial college through which I happened to be jogging on a protracted lecture tour, I suggested a little quiz—-ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/one-evening-at-a-remote-provincial-college-through-which-i-happened/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Entertaining the reader is a good function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-denby/entertaining-the-reader-is-a-good-function/) [David Denby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-denby/) > [“A good writer is also an avid reader. 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He should become acquainted first of all with the world in which he is living and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/a-man-should-begin-with-his-own-times-he-should-become-acquainted/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“She was not a writer herself but she was a very good reader, passionate and eclectic in her tastes, and my father had great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benioff/she-was-not-a-writer-herself-but-she-was-a-very-good-reader/) [David Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benioff/) > [“i know for sure,to be a leader i have to be a good reader”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faiz-triumph/i-know-for-sure-to-be-a-leader-i-have-to-be-a-good-reader/) [Faiz Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faiz-triumph/) > [“You must learn to read well, Marisa. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 think of myself primarily as a reader, then also a writer, but that's more or less irrelevant. 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