--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was by no means a scholar, simply an…" description: "\"“I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.”\" — Louis L'Amour" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg" --- # I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader… ![“I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.” quote by Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg) > ““I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.”” [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A modest self‑description emphasizing curiosity and lifelong learning over formal scholarship. **In simple terms:** I’m a curious learner, not a scholar. Key Takeaway Embrace learning through experience. Themes curiosity self‑education humility Mood reflective inspired Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - travel - personal development - career transition - self‑study Key Concepts informal learning lifelong growth Questions to Reflect On - How can informal reading replace formal study? - What value does curiosity bring to daily life? A Different Perspective May lack depth of expertise in specialized fields. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Interested Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-reader-3262200/) [Live and learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-and-learn/) [Means Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-scholar-3262202/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-live-3262201/) [Scholar Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar-simply-3262199/) ## Related quotes > [“What you do with your time alive defines you, Reader, but hear me, I beg you, when I say that you are not done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kraus/what-you-do-with-your-time-alive-defines-you-reader-but-hear-me-i-beg/) [Daniel Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kraus/) > [What I'm really interested in, as a reader and as a writer, is the idea of the nonfiction book that is not defined by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/what-i-m-really-interested-in-as-a-reader-and-as-a-writer-is-the-idea/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [Never Say I Failed 99 Times, Say I Discovered 99 Ways Which Causes Failure!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/never-say-i-failed-99-times-say-i-discovered-99-ways-which-causes/) [Thomas A. 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The Universe is your tutor, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/emotions-are-classes-in-the-earth-school-some-classes-are-about-fear/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Realizing I was loyal to all the wrong people. You Live and learn though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/realizing-i-was-loyal-to-all-the-wrong-people-you-live-and-learn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) ## More by Louis L'Amour > [“If you play games with men,” he replied, “you’ll play by men’s rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/if-you-play-games-with-men-he-replied-you-ll-play-by-men-s-rules/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [He never knew when he was whipped ... So he never was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-never-knew-when-he-was-whipped-so-he-never-was/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“It is through wonder that we come to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-through-wonder-that-we-come-to-know/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/we-are-finally-all-wanderers-in-search-of-knowledge-most-of-us-hold/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Much of command is the ability to take command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/much-of-command-is-the-ability-to-take-command/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Out here you better have a gun, and a gun in the wagon ain't good for nothin'. 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Yet that will be the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/there-will-come-a-time-when-you-believe-everything-is-finished-yet/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“Destarte! How musical! What does it mean?” “You can’t say it except in Mescalero. It means Morning, but that isn’t what it means, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/destarte-how-musical-what-does-it-mean-you-can-t-say-it-except-in/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [You can't fight the desert... you have to ride with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/you-can-t-fight-the-desert-you-have-to-ride-with-it/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“Must one seek something? I seek to be seeking, as I learn to be learning. Each book is an adventure as is each day’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/must-one-seek-something-i-seek-to-be-seeking-as-i-learn-to-be/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [A man in his life may have many teachers, some most unexpected. The question lies with the man himself: Will he learn from them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-man-in-his-life-may-have-many-teachers-some-most-unexpected-the/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“Like I say, I killed a man or two but I'm no thief. My ma raised me better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/like-i-say-i-killed-a-man-or-two-but-i-m-no-thief-my-ma-raised-me/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) [Explore all 337 Louis L'Amour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](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 was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis L'Amour" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-interested-reader-with-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-interested-reader-with-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/louis-l-amour-876_books_i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-in_1964477.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.” — Louis L'Amour", "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": "Louis L'Amour", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was by no means a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-interested-reader-with-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-was-by-no-means-a-scholar-simply-an-interested-reader-with-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```