--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading books might itself be a bit…" description: "\"Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing well in school was clearly a good thing. But ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png" --- # Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously… ![“Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing well in school was clearly a good thing. But comics were more like candy, just flashy wrappers without any nourishment. Cheap thrills.” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png) > “Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing well in school was clearly a good thing. But comics were more like candy, just flashy wrappers without any nourishment. Cheap thrills.” [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading books is seen as scholarly, while comics are dismissed as superficial entertainment. **In simple terms:** Books = serious; comics = cheap fun. Key Takeaway Challenge the hierarchy between literature and graphic media. Themes literature media hierarchy education culture Mood analytical thoughtful critical Type comparative educational When to use this quote - teaching - library curation - personal reading habits - media criticism Key Concepts cognitive value visual storytelling genre bias Questions to Reflect On - Can comics convey complex ideas? - How does medium affect perceived seriousness? A Different Perspective Dismissal of comics overlooks their artistic and narrative depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-school-324867/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Comics Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics-like-1016673/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird/) ## Related quotes > [Whereas there are lots of good novels out there; there are a few good movies out there. People have been writing great poems for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/whereas-there-are-lots-of-good-novels-out-there-there-are-a-few-good/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [We, the comics that we like, we're all, like, post-humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-heidecker/we-the-comics-that-we-like-we-re-all-like-post-humor/) [Tim Heidecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-heidecker/) > [I'm not a comic person at all. It never reached me in the north of Ireland, in the '60s and '70s growing up. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/i-m-not-a-comic-person-at-all-it-never-reached-me-in-the-north-of/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I like comics like Janeane Garofalo who is very stream of conscious in an honest way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-kreischer/i-like-comics-like-janeane-garofalo-who-is-very-stream-of-conscious/) [Bert Kreischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-kreischer/) > [I love comics. I like to do everything I used to do when I was 14-years-old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/i-love-comics-i-like-to-do-everything-i-used-to-do-when-i-was-14/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) > [One of my favorite things, coming of age, reading comics, was these ideologies and these philosophies of these characters. Seeing those on the page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-monaghan/one-of-my-favorite-things-coming-of-age-reading-comics-was-these/) [Cameron Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-monaghan/) > [I think most other comics are like, 'I'm going to do my fkin' act and that'll be that.' With me, it's like, 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/i-think-most-other-comics-are-like-i-m-going-to-do-my-fkin-act-and/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [“By educating me at home, my parents were able to give me individualized attention without the usual distractions that kids in regular school experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-nissan/by-educating-me-at-home-my-parents-were-able-to-give-me/) [Colin Nissan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-nissan/) > [Growing up, I would take out books from the school library and hide them in the hamper. I'd wait until my parents fell asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/growing-up-i-would-take-out-books-from-the-school-library-and-hide/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I discovered Deborah Ellis's books in the school library after my head teacher encouraged me to go beyond the school curriculum and look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-discovered-deborah-ellis-s-books-in-the-school-library-after-my/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [“Books and school are great for learning but there is no substitute for life and living to provide a real education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-poirot/books-and-school-are-great-for-learning-but-there-is-no-substitute/) [Ken poirot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-poirot/) > [However, poetry does not live solely in books or in school anthologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenio-montale/however-poetry-does-not-live-solely-in-books-or-in-school-anthologies/) [Eugenio Montale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenio-montale/) > [When I was very young, I didn't really write my own material. I just memorized other peoples' jokes. Established comics, like Stanley Myron Handelman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/when-i-was-very-young-i-didn-t-really-write-my-own-material-i-just/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I was influenced by autobiographical writers like Henry Miller, and I had actually done some autobiographical prose. But I just thought that comics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-pekar/i-was-influenced-by-autobiographical-writers-like-henry-miller-and-i/) [Harvey Pekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-pekar/) > [I really like dating stories, like in Betty and Veronica comics; I like David Lynch and H.P. Lovecraft for the dark gut-wrenching stuff, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/i-really-like-dating-stories-like-in-betty-and-veronica-comics-i-like/) [Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/) ## More by Michael Dirda > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I sometimes lie awake at night and try to imagine what would be the best period in history to spend one's seventy-odd years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-sometimes-lie-awake-at-night-and-try-to-imagine-what-would-be-the/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [To my mind, 'Dear Brutus' stands halfway between Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 'Into the Woods'. Like them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/to-my-mind-dear-brutus-stands-halfway-between-shakespeare-s-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [The goal of a just society should be to provide satisfying work with a living wage to all its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/the-goal-of-a-just-society-should-be-to-provide-satisfying-work-with/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Most lyric poetry is about love, whether yearned after, fulfilled, or wistfully regretted; what isn't tends to consist of laments and cris du coeur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/most-lyric-poetry-is-about-love-whether-yearned-after-fulfilled-or/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [“Books, by their very nature and variety, help us grow in empathy for others, in tolerance and awareness. But they should increase our skepticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/books-by-their-very-nature-and-variety-help-us-grow-in-empathy-for/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My gift, if that's not too grandiose a term, is one for describing novels, biographies, and works of history in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-gift-if-that-s-not-too-grandiose-a-term-is-one-for-describing/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Once we know the plot and its surprises, we can appreciate a book's artistry without the usual confusion and sap flow of emotion, content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/once-we-know-the-plot-and-its-surprises-we-can-appreciate-a-book-s/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My wife tells me I should check out 'Downton Abbey', but I gather that series might be almost too intense for my temperate nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-wife-tells-me-i-should-check-out-downton-abbey-but-i-gather-that/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [A reviewer's lot is not always an easy one. I can remember flogging myself to finish Harold Brodkey's 'The Runaway Soul' despite the novel's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/a-reviewer-s-lot-is-not-always-an-easy-one-i-can-remember-flogging/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I once read that in vaudeville, it was often the straight guy who got paid more than the comic because that's the tougher job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-once-read-that-in-vaudeville-it-was-often-the-straight-guy-who-got/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the December issue of almost any general-interest magazine regularly featured a holiday horror or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/from-the-late-19th-to-the-early-20th-century-the-december-issue-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Neither my mom nor my dad ever bought me any comic books. Certainly not for Christmas. I suspect that doing so would have violated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/neither-my-mom-nor-my-dad-ever-bought-me-any-comic-books-certainly/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [For me, the two weeks between Christmas and Twelfth Night have come to be reserved for desultory reading. The pressure of the holiday is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/for-me-the-two-weeks-between-christmas-and-twelfth-night-have-come-to/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I've always liked an easygoing, colloquial style. I like the kind of reviewer who is essentially a fellow reader, an enthusiast, a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-ve-always-liked-an-easygoing-colloquial-style-i-like-the-kind-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) [Explore all 131 Michael Dirda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## 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": "Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing well in school was clearly a good thing. But comics were more like candy, just flashy wrappers without any nourishment. Cheap thrills.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Dirda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weird-but-obviously-okay-since/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weird-but-obviously-okay-since/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-dirda-3414_books_reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weir_3156055.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing…” — Michael Dirda", "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": "Michael Dirda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reading books might itself be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weird-but-obviously-okay-since/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/reading-books-might-itself-be-a-bit-weird-but-obviously-okay-since/#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 } } ] } ```