---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Francis Bacon once remarked that “some…"
description: "\"“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Reading a book analyti..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg"
---

#  Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be…

![“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Reading a book analytically is chewing and digesting it.” quote by Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg)

> ““Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Reading a book analytically is chewing and digesting it.””

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reading varies in depth: some works are skimmed, others absorbed, and a few require thorough analysis and reflection.

**In simple terms:** Different books need different levels of engagement.

Key Takeaway

Match reading depth to the book’s purpose.

Themes

reading analysis learning

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic study
- personal development
- literary criticism
- research

Key Concepts

critical thinking comprehension digestion

Questions to Reflect On

- What texts deserve deep analysis?
- How do you decide how to engage a book?

A Different Perspective

Superficial reading misses nuanced insights.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Analytically Chewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analytically-chewing-4202197/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Tasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-tasted-1579523/) [Chewing Digesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chewing-digesting-4202198/) [Digested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digested-720628/) [Digested Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digested-reading-4202196/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/francis-bacon/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-books-should-be-tasted-some-devoured-but-only-a-few-should-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Some books should be tasted,some devoured but only few should be chewed and digested thouroughly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/some-books-should-be-tasted-some-devoured-but-only-few-should-be/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others-to-be-swallowed-and-some-few-to-be/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [This boulder seemed like a curious volume, regularly paged, with a few extracts from older works. Bacon tells us that "some books are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-geikie/this-boulder-seemed-like-a-curious-volume-regularly-paged-with-a-few/)

[Archibald Geikie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-geikie/)

> [“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others-to-be-swallowed-and-some-few-to-be-2/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [“The ducks of Mackinac Island are apparently not easily taken down. “Found a portion of the Lungs as large as a turkey’s egg protruding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/the-ducks-of-mackinac-island-are-apparently-not-easily-taken-down/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [A page digested is better than a volume hurriedly read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-page-digested-is-better-than-a-volume-hurriedly-read/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [“For knowledge to be digested, it must be absorbed with relish," wrote Anatole France.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-knowledge-to-be-digested-it-must-be-absorbed-with-relish-wrote/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The reason honey is so easy to digest is that its already been digested by a bee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reason-honey-is-so-easy-to-digest-is-that-its-already-been/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I didn't just eat hot dogs. I studied how the food went into your system and how it would be digested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/i-didn-t-just-eat-hot-dogs-i-studied-how-the-food-went-into-your/)

[Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/)

> [Journeying through secret doors, curving corridors, and connecting rooms into the mountain was like being digested by the different organs of a deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-grey/journeying-through-secret-doors-curving-corridors-and-connecting/)

[Alex Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-grey/)

> [A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgos-seferis/a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s-digested/)

[Giorgos Seferis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgos-seferis/)

> [“Isn't the information about your ability enough to digest right now?" " The info is digested , Michael. As a matter of fact, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/isn-t-the-information-about-your-ability-enough-to-digest-right-now/)

[Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/)

> [“They had just digested a recent meal of prepositions and were happily farting out apostrophes and ampersands; the air was heav'y with th'em&.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-had-just-digested-a-recent-meal-of-prepositions-and-were-happily/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Knowledge that is not put into practice is like food that is not digested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/knowledge-that-is-not-put-into-practice-is-like-food-that-is-not/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

## More by Mortimer J. Adler

> [“The characteristics of this kind of reading are perhaps summed up in the word “orthodox,” which is almost always applicable. The word comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-characteristics-of-this-kind-of-reading-are-perhaps-summed-up-in/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“We are not told, or not told early enough so that it sinks in, that mathematics is a language, and that we can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-are-not-told-or-not-told-early-enough-so-that-it-sinks-in-that/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“Even when you have been somewhat enlightened by what you have read, you are called upon to continue the serach for significance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/even-when-you-have-been-somewhat-enlightened-by-what-you-have-read/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“Even a cursory perusal reveals a very great range of reference. There is hardly a single human action that has not been called—in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/even-a-cursory-perusal-reveals-a-very-great-range-of-reference-there/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“Reading is like skiing. When done well, when done by an expert, both reading and skiing are graceful, harmonious, activities. When done by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/reading-is-like-skiing-when-done-well-when-done-by-an-expert-both/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“You must be able to say, with reasonable certainty, "I understand," before you can say "I agree," or "I disagree," or "I suspend judgment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/you-must-be-able-to-say-with-reasonable-certainty-i-understand-before/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“We hope you have not made the error of supposing that to criticize is always to disagree. (...) To agree is just as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-hope-you-have-not-made-the-error-of-supposing-that-to-criticize-is/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“The communion that can be achieved by human conversation is of great significance for our private lives...It is the spiritual parallel of the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-communion-that-can-be-achieved-by-human-conversation-is-of-great/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/in-the-case-of-good-books-the-point-is-not-to-see-how-many-of-them-2/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“Great speed in reading is a dubious achievement; it is of value only if what you have to read is not worth reading. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/great-speed-in-reading-is-a-dubious-achievement-it-is-of-value-only/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“A good rule always describes the ideal performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-good-rule-always-describes-the-ideal-performance/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“the essence of tragedy is time, or rather the lack of it. There is no problem in any Greek tragedy that could not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-essence-of-tragedy-is-time-or-rather-the-lack-of-it-there-is-no/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“A good speed reading course should therefore teach you to read at many different speeds, not just one speed that is faster than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-good-speed-reading-course-should-therefore-teach-you-to-read-at/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“A mind not agitated by good questions cannot appreciate the significance of even the best answers. It is easy enough to learn the answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-mind-not-agitated-by-good-questions-cannot-appreciate-the/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [“The failure in reading -the omnipresent verbalism- of those who have not been trained in the arts of grammar and logic shows how lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-failure-in-reading-the-omnipresent-verbalism-of-those-who-have/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

[Explore all 45 Mortimer J. Adler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

## 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": "“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Reading a book analytically is chewing and digesting it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mortimer J. Adler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/mortimer-j-adler-10958_book_francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-bo_491029.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be…” — Mortimer J. Adler",
                "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": "Mortimer J. Adler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```