--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was not allowed to take notes but my…" description: "\"I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me because of the warning. They knew th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg" --- # I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I… ![“I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me because of the warning. They knew this book was not going to be the official line.” quote by Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg) > “I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me because of the warning. They knew this book was not going to be the official line.” [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author and friend memorized forbidden pages, attracting attention because the book challenged official narratives. **In simple terms:** Secret knowledge draws curiosity. Key Takeaway Study hidden texts for deeper insight. Themes censorship knowledge rebellion Mood cautious defiant Type historical political When to use this quote - academic research - activist training - private study Key Concepts underground literature memory political dissent Questions to Reflect On - Why do people seek forbidden information? - How does memorization aid resistance? A Different Perspective Risk of persecution when sharing prohibited material. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) ## Related quotes > [Knowledge is not what is memorised. Knowledge is what benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-shafi-i/knowledge-is-not-what-is-memorised-knowledge-is-what-benefits/) [Al-Shafi‘i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-shafi-i/) > [By the time I was 12, I had memorised hundreds of couplets. I could recite for hours poems written by others. I knew I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-akhtar/by-the-time-i-was-12-i-had-memorised-hundreds-of-couplets-i-could/) [Javed Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-akhtar/) > [When I have the Bible memorised, then I'll be able to go and read a couple other books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baldwin/when-i-have-the-bible-memorised-then-i-ll-be-able-to-go-and-read-a/) [Stephen Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baldwin/) > [I found myself face to face with a long line of people resembling extras off the set of Night of the Living Dead: shuffling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-frank/i-found-myself-face-to-face-with-a-long-line-of-people-resembling/) [Joan Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-frank/) > [Graves: It’s going to snow. Dru Anderson: Thanks for the warning. Graves: Hey, no problem. First one’s free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/graves-it-s-going-to-snow-dru-anderson-thanks-for-the-warning-graves/) [Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/) > [There's this one song called 'Final Warning' that I'm really excited about because I love the contrast of my vocal sounding very soothing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skylar-grey/there-s-this-one-song-called-final-warning-that-i-m-really-excited/) [Skylar Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skylar-grey/) > [Give me a mirror.Or holy water. I'll drink it,even!" I gasped as someone threw water on the side of my face. "A little warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/give-me-a-mirror-or-holy-water-i-ll-drink-it-even-i-gasped-as-someone/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Half-instructed confessors have done my soul great harm; for I could not always have such learned ones as I would have desired. They certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/half-instructed-confessors-have-done-my-soul-great-harm-for-i-could/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [As for the age of electronics, Selena, I really don't want to get personal with something that comes with a warning label and batteries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/as-for-the-age-of-electronics-selena-i-really-don-t-want-to-get/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [D fall of a dead leaf is a warning 2d green ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ola/d-fall-of-a-dead-leaf-is-a-warning-2d-green-ones/) [Ola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ola/) > [So the blind will lead the blind, and the deaf shout warnings to one another until their voices are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/so-the-blind-will-lead-the-blind-and-the-deaf-shout-warnings-to-one/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I'm not in the business of warning people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-m-not-in-the-business-of-warning-people/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [“Assault!" he croaked. "The battery might yet follow." The warning- entirely unnecessary from Patience's perspective- came from Vane. One look at his face, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/assault-he-croaked-the-battery-might-yet-follow-the-warning-entirely/) [Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/) > [Smog is affecting larger parts of China, and environmental pollution has become a major problem, which is natures red-light warning against the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/smog-is-affecting-larger-parts-of-china-and-environmental-pollution/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) ## More by Jung Chang > [“So the story of Wild Fox Kang’s attempted coup and murder of Cixi lay in darkness and obscurity for nearly a century, until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/so-the-story-of-wild-fox-kang-s-attempted-coup-and-murder-of-cixi-lay/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [My father said he was going to write to the Jinzhou City Party Committee asking for permission to 'talk about love'...My mother supposed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/my-father-said-he-was-going-to-write-to-the-jinzhou-city-party/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [For anyone to open their heart, they need the right atmosphere, and something to prompt them. For my mother it was her trip abroad:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/for-anyone-to-open-their-heart-they-need-the-right-atmosphere-and/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Meanwhile, Mme Mao and her cohorts were renewing their efforts to prevent the country from working. In industry, their slogan was: "To stop production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/meanwhile-mme-mao-and-her-cohorts-were-renewing-their-efforts-to/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“I was extremely curious about the alternatives to the kind of life I had been leading, and my friends and I exchanged rumors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-extremely-curious-about-the-alternatives-to-the-kind-of-life-i/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Unlike most founding dictators—Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler—Mao did not inspire a passionate following through his oratory, or ideological appeal. He simply sought willing recruits among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/unlike-most-founding-dictators-lenin-mussolini-hitler-mao-did-not/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“MAO TSE-TUNG, who for decades held absolute power over the lives of one-quarter of the world’s population, was responsible for well over 70 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/mao-tse-tung-who-for-decades-held-absolute-power-over-the-lives-of/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“mosquito-netted open windows was an enormous privilege. ‘You must not think you are superior to them,’ he would say. ‘You are just”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/mosquito-netted-open-windows-was-an-enormous-privilege-you-must-not/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/when-he-asked-my-grandmother-if-she-would-mind-being-poor-she-said/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Poverty drove their parents to have them castrated as young children, hoping they would earn a better living at court. Usually the father would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/poverty-drove-their-parents-to-have-them-castrated-as-young-children/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/if-children-were-brought-up-to-become-non-conformists-it-would-only/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“The Manchus drank tea with a lot of milk. In her case, the milk came from the breasts of a nurse. Cixi had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/the-manchus-drank-tea-with-a-lot-of-milk-in-her-case-the-milk-came/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“According to tradition, my great-grandfather married early, at 14, with a woman six years older. It was considered to be one of the duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/according-to-tradition-my-great-grandfather-married-early-at-14-with/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“When I heard about the ease with which the Four had been removed, I felt a wave of sadness. How could such a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/when-i-heard-about-the-ease-with-which-the-four-had-been-removed-i/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“inner courtyard. Dr. Xia tolerated Yu-wu’s rowdy parties without demur, even though his sect, the Society of Reason, forbade gambling and drinking. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/inner-courtyard-dr-xia-tolerated-yu-wu-s-rowdy-parties-without-demur/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) [Explore all 67 Jung Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) ## 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": "I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me because of the warning. They knew this book was not going to be the official line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jung Chang" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-friend-and-i-memorised-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-friend-and-i-memorised-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jung-chang-9667_book_i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-f_856836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked…” — Jung Chang", "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": "Jung Chang", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was not allowed to take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-friend-and-i-memorised-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-friend-and-i-memorised-those/#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 } } ] } ```