--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading is a mighty engine, beside which…" description: "\"Reading is a mighty engine, beside which steam and electricity sink into insignificance.\" — Melvil Dewey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/melvil-dewey-46046_electricity_reading-is-a-mighty-engine-beside-which_2219499.jpg" --- # Reading is a mighty engine, beside which steam and… ![“Reading is a mighty engine, beside which steam and electricity sink into insignificance.” quote by Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/melvil-dewey-46046_electricity_reading-is-a-mighty-engine-beside-which_2219499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/melvil-dewey-46046_electricity_reading-is-a-mighty-engine-beside-which_2219499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/melvil-dewey-46046_electricity_reading-is-a-mighty-engine-beside-which_2219499.jpg) > “Reading is a mighty engine, beside which steam and electricity sink into insignificance.” [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading empowers the mind far beyond mechanical energy; knowledge is a potent force. **In simple terms:** Reading is powerful. Key Takeaway Prioritize reading. Themes knowledge learning empowerment Mood reflective thoughtful Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - personal growth - research - creative writing Key Concepts cognitive development information theory Questions to Reflect On - What books have transformed your thinking? - How can you apply reading to real‑world problems? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not guarantee practical skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Insignificance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificance/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a force more powerful than steam and electricity: the will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fern-n-caballero/there-is-a-force-more-powerful-than-steam-and-electricity-the-will/) Fernán Caballero > [Science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-joseph-henderson/science-owes-more-to-the-steam-engine-than-the-steam-engine-owes-to/) [Lawrence Joseph Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-joseph-henderson/) > [“At times the engine stopped, and grown-ups and children climbed out of the carriages with tins to collect water from the engine steam pipes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/at-times-the-engine-stopped-and-grown-ups-and-children-climbed-out-of/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [The two great agents of the physical world have become subject to the will of man and have been made subservient to his wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/the-two-great-agents-of-the-physical-world-have-become-subject-to-the/) [John C. 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Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“In comparison to what I've suffered from myself, the humiliation and suffering inflicted on me by others vanishes into insignificance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-comparison-to-what-i-ve-suffered-from-myself-the-humiliation-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a magnificent intensity in life that comes when we are not in control but are only reacting, living, surviving. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-callahan/there-is-a-magnificent-intensity-in-life-that-comes-when-we-are-not/) [Steven Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-callahan/) > [“I have lost patience with the idea of an insignificant human being standing up above the rest of us--whether he is called Reverend or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rogan/i-have-lost-patience-with-the-idea-of-an-insignificant-human-being/) [Charlotte Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rogan/) ## More by Melvil Dewey > [The eternal conflict of good and the best with bad and the worst is on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-eternal-conflict-of-good-and-the-best-with-bad-and-the-worst-is-on/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [To my thinking, a great librarian must have a clear head, a strong hand, and, above all, a great heart. 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