---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing has always been true: That book…"
description: "\"One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old idea is my friend.\" — Louis L'Amour"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg"
---

#  One thing has always been true: That book or that person…

![“One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old idea is my friend.” quote by Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg)

> “One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old idea is my friend.”

[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.

Ideas and fresh perspectives are valuable friendships that inspire and expand thinking.

**In simple terms:** New ideas are friends.

Key Takeaway

Seek out diverse viewpoints to grow.

Themes

learning creativity intellectual friendship growth curiosity

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- reading clubs
- brainstorming sessions
- mentorship programs

Key Concepts

cognitive flexibility innovation dialogue

Questions to Reflect On

- Who challenges your assumptions constructively?
- How do you test new ideas before adopting them?

A Different Perspective

Ideas may be misguided or harmful if not critically examined.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I definitely think the idea of friend zone is just men going, 'This woman won't have sex with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-definitely-think-the-idea-of-friend-zone-is-just-men-going-this/)

[Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/)

> [Sometimes an old idea gets relegated to the back of the line in the mad delight of a new idea, one you've never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/sometimes-an-old-idea-gets-relegated-to-the-back-of-the-line-in-the/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [It was a reaction from the old idea of "protoplasm", a name which was a mere repository of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/it-was-a-reaction-from-the-old-idea-of-protoplasm-a-name-which-was-a/)

[John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/)

> [I just don't see this old idea of the Red peril, itching to take over the world. I think you can explain a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-anderson/i-just-don-t-see-this-old-idea-of-the-red-peril-itching-to-take-over/)

[John Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-anderson/)

> [The future may require not so much having a new idea as stopping having an old idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-future-may-require-not-so-much-having-a-new-idea-as-stopping/)

[Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/)

> [I spent my youth reading books in which corporations became governments, it's an old idea in science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/i-spent-my-youth-reading-books-in-which-corporations-became/)

[Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/)

> [A genuine invention in the realm of ideas must first emerge as an abstruse and even partial concept? At first blusha new idea appearstobe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/a-genuine-invention-in-the-realm-of-ideas-must-first-emerge-as-an/)

[Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/)

> [It's an old idea. It's arguably the first way that people learn, that, hey, if you need to learn something, if you're having trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/it-s-an-old-idea-it-s-arguably-the-first-way-that-people-learn-that/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [There is probably no such thing as a good divorce, but clinging to an old idea of how relationships are unraveled can make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/there-is-probably-no-such-thing-as-a-good-divorce-but-clinging-to-an/)

[Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/)

> [It's not the number of years that makes you old, but the idea that you are getting old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-coue/it-s-not-the-number-of-years-that-makes-you-old-but-the-idea-that-you/)

[Emile Coue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-coue/)

> [The old idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Nighttime is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-britten/the-old-idea-of-a-composer-suddenly-having-a-terrific-idea-and/)

[Benjamin Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-britten/)

> [I remember the first Wrestlemania; I was four years old. Nobody had any idea what it would become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/i-remember-the-first-wrestlemania-i-was-four-years-old-nobody-had-any/)

[Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/)

> [The average person's idea of a great man, rather than one who serves, is of one who succeeds in getting himself served.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-average-person-s-idea-of-a-great-man-rather-than-one-who-serves/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [Love is a person's idea about his/her needs in other person what you are attracted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/love-is-a-person-s-idea-about-his-her-needs-in-other-person-what-you/)

[Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/)

> [“The worst thing in the world is to...live by another person's idea of who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-michael/the-worst-thing-in-the-world-is-to-live-by-another-person-s-idea-of/)

Michele Michael

## 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'. I believe what the old Quaker said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/out-here-you-better-have-a-gun-and-a-gun-in-the-wagon-ain-t-good-for/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“he had been so right, and she hated him for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-had-been-so-right-and-she-hated-him-for-it/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“I will go with you, and when you make your camp, I will cook your meat, and when you wish to sleep, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-will-go-with-you-and-when-you-make-your-camp-i-will-cook-your-meat/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Men strive for peace, but it is their enemies that give them strength, and I think if man no longer had enemies, he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/men-strive-for-peace-but-it-is-their-enemies-that-give-them-strength/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. 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 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": "One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old idea is my friend.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Louis L'Amour"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book-or-that-person-who-can-give/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book-or-that-person-who-can-give/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/louis-l-amour-876_book_one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book_1091042.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on an old…” — 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": "One thing has always been true:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book-or-that-person-who-can-give/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/one-thing-has-always-been-true-that-book-or-that-person-who-can-give/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
