--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an enormous redundancy in every…" description: "\"There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the right-hand page and allow my mind to work on the l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png" --- # There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written… ![“There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the right-hand page and allow my mind to work on the left-hand page. With a poorly written book I read every word.” quote by Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png) > “There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the right-hand page and allow my mind to work on the left-hand page. With a poorly written book I read every word.” [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Well‑written books let readers skim, engaging both halves of the brain, while poor writing forces exhaustive reading. **In simple terms:** Good writing allows efficient, dual‑brain reading. Key Takeaway Seek clarity to read efficiently. Themes reading cognition efficiency writing literacy Mood analytical thoughtful Type explanatory reflective When to use this quote - Studying textbooks - editing drafts - speed‑reading training - educational design Key Concepts cognitive load dual‑process theory literary style Questions to Reflect On - How does writing style affect comprehension? - Can skim‑reading improve learning? A Different Perspective Not all readers benefit equally from skim‑reading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Redundancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redundancy/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the right-hand page and allow my mind to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every-well-written-book-with-a-2/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I don't know if kids still read it, I just know that for me - as a boarding school kid - the book had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-stevenson/i-don-t-know-if-kids-still-read-it-i-just-know-that-for-me-as-a/) [Parker Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-stevenson/) > [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/) > [“Read the right books and we can be as wild and worry-free as we've ever wanted to be. No law can stop us reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger-2/read-the-right-books-and-we-can-be-as-wild-and-worry-free-as-we-ve/) [Carla H. Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger-2/) > [All the books I've read, I've read at the right moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/all-the-books-i-ve-read-i-ve-read-at-the-right-moment/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [Sit in a room and read--and read and read. And read the right books by the right people. Your mind is brought onto that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/sit-in-a-room-and-read-and-read-and-read-and-read-the-right-books-by/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Read the right books. Learn how those who have preceded you have handled the challenges you are currently facing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/read-the-right-books-learn-how-those-who-have-preceded-you-have/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [Don't explain your author, read him right and he explains himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/don-t-explain-your-author-read-him-right-and-he-explains-himself/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Read that one right. He’s a dog person for sure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-underhill/read-that-one-right-he-s-a-dog-person-for-sure/) Shawn Underhill > [Your job is to meet the right people and read the right books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/your-job-is-to-meet-the-right-people-and-read-the-right-books/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [When we read the right book generously, it can change the way think about the world around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-we-read-the-right-book-generously-it-can-change-the-way-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Honestly, I can't understand English poetry. Because I am not an English speaker, when I read it I never know how to read it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/honestly-i-can-t-understand-english-poetry-because-i-am-not-an/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always begin at the left with the opening word of the sentence and read toward the right and I recommend this method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-always-begin-at-the-left-with-the-opening-word-of-the-sentence-and/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Reader's Bill of Rights 1. The right to not read 2. The right to skip pages 3. The right to not finish 4. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/reader-s-bill-of-rights-1-the-right-to-not-read-2-the-right-to-skip/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) ## More by Marshall McLuhan > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Language always preserves a play or figure/ground relation between experience, and perception and its replay in expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-always-preserves-a-play-or-figure-ground-relation-between/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The constant broadcast and reception of ghostly images via radio and television, according to this notion, had weakened the sense, particularly among youth, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-constant-broadcast-and-reception-of-ghostly-images-via-radio-and/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [New media may at first appear as mere codes of transmission for older achievement and established patterns of thought. But nobody could make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/new-media-may-at-first-appear-as-mere-codes-of-transmission-for-older/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Youth instinctively understand the present environment - the electric drama. It lives mythically and in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/youth-instinctively-understand-the-present-environment-the-electric/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Our motor car is our supreme form of privacy when we are away from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/our-motor-car-is-our-supreme-form-of-privacy-when-we-are-away-from/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) [Explore all 433 Marshall McLuhan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## 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": "There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the right-hand page and allow my mind to work on the left-hand page. With a poorly written book I read every word.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marshall McLuhan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every-well-written-book-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every-well-written-book-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/marshall-mcluhan-641_book_there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every_1918829.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is an enormous redundancy in every well-written book. With a well-written book I only read the…” — Marshall McLuhan", "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": "Marshall McLuhan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is an enormous redundancy in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every-well-written-book-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/there-is-an-enormous-redundancy-in-every-well-written-book-with-a/#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 } } ] } ```