--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you've ever read one of those articles…" description: "\"“If you've ever read one of those articles that asks notable people to list their favorite books, you may have been impressed or daunted to see them pi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/laura-miller-10358_books_if-you-ve-ever-read-one-of-those-article_2092742.jpg" --- # If you've ever read one of those articles that asks… ![“If you've ever read one of those articles that asks notable people to list their favorite books, you may have been impressed or daunted to see them pick Proust or Thomas Mann or James Joyce. You might even feel sheepish about the fact that you reread Pride and Prejudice or The Lord of the Rings…” quote by Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/laura-miller-10358_books_if-you-ve-ever-read-one-of-those-article_2092742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/laura-miller-10358_books_if-you-ve-ever-read-one-of-those-article_2092742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/laura-miller-10358_books_if-you-ve-ever-read-one-of-those-article_2092742.jpg) > ““If you've ever read one of those articles that asks notable people to list their favorite books, you may have been impressed or daunted to see them pick Proust or Thomas Mann or James Joyce. You might even feel sheepish about the fact that you reread Pride and Prejudice or The Lord of the Rings, or The Catcher in the Rye or Gone With the Wind every couple of years with some much pleasure. Perhaps, like me, you're even a little suspicious of their claims, because we all know that the books we've loved best are seldom the ones we esteem the most highly - or the ones we'd most like other people to think we read over and over again.”” [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often claim highbrow books as favorites while secretly rereading comforting classics, revealing a tension between status and personal pleasure. **In simple terms:** We claim we love elite books but actually enjoy familiar ones. Key Takeaway Recognize and own your true reading joys. Themes literature identity social pressure comfort reading authenticity Mood reflective conflicted Type observational critical When to use this quote - book clubs - personal reading lists - literary criticism - social media sharing Key Concepts cultural capital self‑deception nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - Why do we feel the to claim certain books? - How can we balance honesty with social expectations? A Different Perspective Your public reading choices may not reflect your genuine preferences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Catcher in the rye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catcher-in-the-rye/) [Gone with the wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone-with-the-wind/) [Pride And Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-and-prejudice/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [I keep an ongoing list of my fifty favorite books, which I recalibrate whenever I discover a new one that seems to demand a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brockmeier/i-keep-an-ongoing-list-of-my-fifty-favorite-books-which-i-recalibrate/) [Kevin Brockmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brockmeier/) > [Going to the gym wouldn't be on my list of favorite things to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/going-to-the-gym-wouldn-t-be-on-my-list-of-favorite-things-to-do/) [Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/) > [The list of my favorite experiences would almost equal the list of plays I've been in. There are a few exceptions, but out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight/the-list-of-my-favorite-experiences-would-almost-equal-the-list-of/) [T. R. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight/) > [“ Can you hear my heart? I want to ask him. I want you to make a list of all your favorite things, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/can-you-hear-my-heart-i-want-to-ask-him-i-want-you-to-make-a-list-of/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“The formerly absolute distinction between time and eternity in Christian thought--between nunc movens with its beginning and end, and nunc stans, the perfect possession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-formerly-absolute-distinction-between-time-and-eternity-in/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [“Myth is the foundation of life; it is the timeless pattern, the religious formula to which life shapes itself. Whereas in the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-johal/myth-is-the-foundation-of-life-it-is-the-timeless-pattern-the/) Clarissa Johal > [“Man knows, and in the course of years he comes to know it increasingly well, feeling it ever more acutely, that memory is weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/man-knows-and-in-the-course-of-years-he-comes-to-know-it-increasingly/) [Ryszard Kapuściński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [“I regarded it more as an honor than a disgrace to be permitted to share this fate of the complete destruction of literary existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/i-regarded-it-more-as-an-honor-than-a-disgrace-to-be-permitted-to/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Vanderbilt sent me a series of picture postcards showing Hitler making a speech. The face was obscenely comic – a bad imitation of me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/vanderbilt-sent-me-a-series-of-picture-postcards-showing-hitler/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [“Nicht alles, was langwierig ist, ist langweilig.' (Thomas Mann to his prospective publisher, in reference to the MS of the novel Buddenbrooks - cited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/nicht-alles-was-langwierig-ist-ist-langweilig-thomas-mann-to-his/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“Ever since the days when such formidable mediocrities as Galsworthy, Dreiser, Tagore, Maxim Gorky, Romain Rolland and Thomas Mann were being accepted as geniuses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/ever-since-the-days-when-such-formidable-mediocrities-as-galsworthy/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Read non-fiction. History, biology, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology. Get a bodyguard and do fieldwork. Find your inner fish. Don't publish too soon. Not before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-van-niekerk/read-non-fiction-history-biology-entomology-mineralogy-paleontology/) [Marlene van Niekerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-van-niekerk/) > [“This philistinism of interpretation is more rife in literature than in any other art. For decades now, literary critics have understood it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/this-philistinism-of-interpretation-is-more-rife-in-literature-than/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Darwin and Nietzsche were the common spiritual and intellectual source for the mean-spirited and bellicose ideological assault on progress, liberalism, and democracy that fired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arno-j-mayer/darwin-and-nietzsche-were-the-common-spiritual-and-intellectual/) Arno J. Mayer > [“Distance in a straight line has no mystery. The mystery is in the sphere.   —Thomas Mann, Joseph and His Brothers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/distance-in-a-straight-line-has-no-mystery-the-mystery-is-in-the/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) ## More by Laura Miller > [If we weigh the significance of a book by the effect it has on its readers, then the great children's books suddenly turn up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/if-we-weigh-the-significance-of-a-book-by-the-effect-it-has-on-its/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Hope is a funny thing when you think about it. It’s something you always have. You just have to believe you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/hope-is-a-funny-thing-when-you-think-about-it-it-s-something-you/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Desire acts as a honey trap to the unwary male, luring him into unworthy and catastrophic enterprises. The beauty of the Narnian witches isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/desire-acts-as-a-honey-trap-to-the-unwary-male-luring-him-into/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [Others like City Hall the old way, when they could make deals behind closed doors with your tax money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/others-like-city-hall-the-old-way-when-they-could-make-deals-behind/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Life didn’t go how I had planned, but I couldn’t have planned a better life. Somewhere in between the beginning and eternity, I fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/life-didn-t-go-how-i-had-planned-but-i-couldn-t-have-planned-a-better/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [Adventure ... is what might otherwise be called hardship if it were attempted in a different spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/adventure-is-what-might-otherwise-be-called-hardship-if-it-were/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“I gave him a piece of my heart a long time ago, and once you give that away, I’ve learned you don’t so easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/i-gave-him-a-piece-of-my-heart-a-long-time-ago-and-once-you-give-that/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [The first book we fall in love with shapes us every bit as much as the first person we fall in love with...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/the-first-book-we-fall-in-love-with-shapes-us-every-bit-as-much-as/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“I can hazily remember, long ago, having adults — librarians, friends’ parents — suggest to me that I liked books “with magic” because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/i-can-hazily-remember-long-ago-having-adults-librarians-friends/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Because I see A rainstorm in June Just before the sun The black of night Just before the stars And, girl, I see your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/because-i-see-a-rainstorm-in-june-just-before-the-sun-the-black-of/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [Buying a book is not about obtaining a possession, but about securing a portal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/buying-a-book-is-not-about-obtaining-a-possession-but-about-securing/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Desperation will drive you to do things you know will never make you whole again and even to lose the very thing you’re desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/desperation-will-drive-you-to-do-things-you-know-will-never-make-you/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“Maybe we knew each other in another life. Or maybe we were just meant to find each other in this one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/maybe-we-knew-each-other-in-another-life-or-maybe-we-were-just-meant/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [People like to complain about the state of contemporary literature, but I can only assume they don't read it very widely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/people-like-to-complain-about-the-state-of-contemporary-literature/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [“I can see how James or Greene might agree with this point of view: the former finds that the ugly old lamp no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/i-can-see-how-james-or-greene-might-agree-with-this-point-of-view-the/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) [Explore all 66 Laura Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) ## 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": "“If you've ever read one of those articles that asks notable people to list their favorite books, you may have been impressed or daunted to see them pick Proust or Thomas Mann or James Joyce. You might even feel sheepish about the fact that you reread Pride and Prejudice or The Lord of the Rings, or The Catcher in the Rye or Gone With the Wind every couple of years with some much pleasure. 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