--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great books are weighed and measured by…" description: "\"Great books are weighed and measured by their style and matter and not by the trimmings and shadings of their grammer.\" — Mark Twain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/mark-twain-22_books_great-books-are-weighed-and-measured-by_2081593.png" --- # Great books are weighed and measured by their style and… ![“Great books are weighed and measured by their style and matter and not by the trimmings and shadings of their grammer.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/mark-twain-22_books_great-books-are-weighed-and-measured-by_2081593.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/mark-twain-22_books_great-books-are-weighed-and-measured-by_2081593.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/mark-twain-22_books_great-books-are-weighed-and-measured-by_2081593.png) > “Great books are weighed and measured by their style and matter and not by the trimmings and shadings of their grammer.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literary value lies in style and substance, not superficial grammar or ornamentation. **In simple terms:** Style and content matter more than grammar. Key Takeaway Focus on depth, not just form. Themes literature style substance craft Mood analytical critical Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - editing - teaching literature - creative workshops Key Concepts aesthetics writing theory Questions to Reflect On - How does style affect meaning? - Can poor grammar diminish impact? A Different Perspective May undervalue grammar's role in clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Weighed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-weighed-4067984/) [Great Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-books-242565/) [Measured Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measured-style-1795148/) [Style Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-matter-1795150/) [Weighed Measured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weighed-measured-4067985/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Great books are weighted and measured by their style and matter, and not the trimmings and shadings of their grammar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/great-books-are-weighted-and-measured-by-their-style-and-matter-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [All my stories are webs of style and none seems at first blush to contain much kinetic matter. For me style is matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/all-my-stories-are-webs-of-style-and-none-seems-at-first-blush-to-2/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Style, no matter how outrageous it is, is still an expression of someone's personality. And my personality is somewhere stuck in the classics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/style-no-matter-how-outrageous-it-is-is-still-an-expression-of/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [I'm not for or against video - or any medium or style, for that matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-m-not-for-or-against-video-or-any-medium-or-style-for-that-matter/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“Style is a matter of taste, design a matter of principles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-church/style-is-a-matter-of-taste-design-a-matter-of-principles/) [Thomas Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-church/) > [I love this style no matter wat other people think I'm just me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilma/i-love-this-style-no-matter-wat-other-people-think-i-m-just-me/) [Vilma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilma/) > [A style is not a matter of camera angles or fancy footwork, it's an expression, an accurate expression of your particular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-reisz/a-style-is-not-a-matter-of-camera-angles-or-fancy-footwork-it-s-an/) [Karel Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-reisz/) > [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/) > [Every 10 years you're a different person, and the really great books evolve with you as you get older. They're full of new rewards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/every-10-years-you-re-a-different-person-and-the-really-great-books/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“Read the great books, gentlemen,” Mr. Monte said one day. “Just the great ones. Ignore the others. There’s not enough time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/read-the-great-books-gentlemen-mr-monte-said-one-day-just-the-great/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“We encounter great souls by reading great books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-encounter-great-souls-by-reading-great-books/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Great books conserve time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holbrook-jackson/great-books-conserve-time/) [Holbrook Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holbrook-jackson/) > [The truly great books are the few books that are over everybody's head all of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truly-great-books-are-the-few-books-that-are-over-everybody-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why are not more gems from our great authors scattered over the country? Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“Reading great books gives insight to the mind of great souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/reading-great-books-gives-insight-to-the-mind-of-great-souls/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. 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