---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you still don't like a book after…"
description: "\"“If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than 50 years old, subtract your age from 100 a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png"
---

#  If you still don't like a book after slogging through the…

![“If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than 50 years old, subtract your age from 100 and only grant it that many pages.” quote by Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png)

> ““If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than 50 years old, subtract your age from 100 and only grant it that many pages.””

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

## About This Quote

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

If a book fails to engage you early, stop reading; older readers should limit their commitment proportionally to age.

**In simple terms:** Stop reading uninteresting books; limit reading based on age.

Key Takeaway

Quit early if not hooked; adjust reading length with age.

Themes

reading habits age literature

Mood

practical encouraging

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- library use
- personal development
- time management

Key Concepts

pragmatic reading self‑care

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance patience with time constraints?
- Should age dictate reading goals?

A Different Perspective

Age‑based limits may discourage perseverance with challenging works.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[50 Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/50-pages-994685/) [Act your age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-your-age/) [Aside 50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aside-50-1495744/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Like Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-book/) [Slogging 50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slogging-50-1495746/) [Subtract Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtract-age-1495745/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [“Give a book 50 pages. When you get to the bottom of Page 50, ask yourself if you're really liking the book… And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/give-a-book-50-pages-when-you-get-to-the-bottom-of-page-50-ask/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [First women subtract from their age, then they divide it, and then they extract its square root.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-women-subtract-from-their-age-then-they-divide-it-and-then-they/)

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

> [If you're 50 years old or younger, give every book about 50 pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-re-50-years-old-or-younger-give-every-book-about-50-pages/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [The first 40-50 pages of 'Veekai' is what made it film-friendly. I realised the subject would be relevant even after 50 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/the-first-40-50-pages-of-veekai-is-what-made-it-film-friendly-i/)

[Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/)

> [There is nothing harder than working 50 pages a day, working 16 hours a day, trying to be good with only shooting rehearsals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/there-is-nothing-harder-than-working-50-pages-a-day-working-16-hours/)

[Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/)

> [Most shows are normally 40 or 50 pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verica/most-shows-are-normally-40-or-50-pages/)

[Tom Verica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verica/)

> [It's important to over-deliver on the quality of the books as far as depth and content. It's not worth it to cut out 50…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-christe/it-s-important-to-over-deliver-on-the-quality-of-the-books-as-far-as/)

[Ian Christe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-christe/)

> [Respect the way characters may change once they've got 50 pages of life in them. Revisit your plan at this stage and see whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/respect-the-way-characters-may-change-once-they-ve-got-50-pages-of/)

[Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/)

> [You write a book, and after 50 pages you think it's about one thing, and then you write another hundred and you realize it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/you-write-a-book-and-after-50-pages-you-think-it-s-about-one-thing/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [I wrote my first script, which was 50 pages, at age 15. It was about two brothers in love with the same nurse while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-wrote-my-first-script-which-was-50-pages-at-age-15-it-was-about-two/)

[Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/)

> [Act your age and not your shoe size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/act-your-age-and-not-your-shoe-size/)

[Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/)

> [Act your age, not your dick size](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act-your-age-not-your-dick-size/)

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

> [Act your age, not your bra size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/act-your-age-not-your-bra-size/)

[Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/)

> [Don't act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-anthony-west/don-t-act-your-age-in-retirement-act-like-the-inner-young-person-you/)

[John Anthony West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-anthony-west/)

> [Act your age dont pretend to be older than you are, give yourself time to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act-your-age-dont-pretend-to-be-older-than-you-are-give-yourself-time/)

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

## More by Nancy Pearl

> [The role of a librarian is to make sense of the world of information. If that's not a qualification for superhero-dom, what is?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/the-role-of-a-librarian-is-to-make-sense-of-the-world-of-information/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [No one should ever finish a book they're not enjoying, no matter how popular or well reviewed the book is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/no-one-should-ever-finish-a-book-they-re-not-enjoying-no-matter-how/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [“I can relate to the novelist Carrie Brown...who described herself as being 'a promiscuous reader.' I'll give almost any book a chance to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/i-can-relate-to-the-novelist-carrie-brown-who-described-herself-as/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [“Girl discovers reading, then discovers life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/girl-discovers-reading-then-discovers-life/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [I just said, 'Well, the real people performing miracles every day are librarians,' and we all laughed ourselves off our chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/i-just-said-well-the-real-people-performing-miracles-every-day-are/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [Whenever I begin reading a new book, I am embarking on a new, uncharted journey with an unmarked destination. I never know where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/whenever-i-begin-reading-a-new-book-i-am-embarking-on-a-new-uncharted/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [Reading has always brought me pure joy. I read to encounter new worlds and new ways of looking at the world. I read to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/reading-has-always-brought-me-pure-joy-i-read-to-encounter-new-worlds/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [If you're 50 years old or younger, give every book about 50 pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-re-50-years-old-or-younger-give-every-book-about-50-pages/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [“Book lust forever!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/book-lust-forever/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [“Give a book 50 pages. When you get to the bottom of Page 50, ask yourself if you're really liking the book… And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/give-a-book-50-pages-when-you-get-to-the-bottom-of-page-50-ask/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [When we want a book exactly like the one we just finished reading, what we really want is to recreate that pleasurable experience--the headlong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/when-we-want-a-book-exactly-like-the-one-we-just-finished-reading/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [“To read Hotel Angeline is to celebrate how this diverse group of writers (and readers, all of them) can pool their talents and expertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/to-read-hotel-angeline-is-to-celebrate-how-this-diverse-group-of/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [I have for a long time felt that our society is becoming more and more fractured and divisive and that you could go a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/i-have-for-a-long-time-felt-that-our-society-is-becoming-more-and/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [Simply adored Timothy Schaffert's The Coffins of Little Hope: the voice of Essie, the narrator, is terrific &amp; the last line blew me away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/simply-adored-timothy-schaffert-s-the-coffins-of-little-hope-the/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

[Explore all 15 Nancy Pearl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

## More Act your age quotes

> [Act your age dont pretend to be older than you are, give yourself time to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act-your-age-dont-pretend-to-be-older-than-you-are-give-yourself-time/)

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

> [Don't act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-anthony-west/don-t-act-your-age-in-retirement-act-like-the-inner-young-person-you/)

[John Anthony West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-anthony-west/)

> [Act your age, not your bra size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/act-your-age-not-your-bra-size/)

[Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/)

> [Act your age, not your dick size](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act-your-age-not-your-dick-size/)

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

> [Act your age and not your shoe size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/act-your-age-and-not-your-shoe-size/)

[Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/)

> [Act your age. Students do not look upon you as a buddy, pal, or peer. They expect you to be a mature adult…Many young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-brown/act-your-age-students-do-not-look-upon-you-as-a-buddy-pal-or-peer/)

[Jim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-brown/)

> [Some people are just so immature, like grow up, act your age &amp; mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-are-just-so-immature-like-grow-up-act-your-age-mind-your/)

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

> [“You know you’re not perfect and that’s good. Perfect is boring. You have a lot to offer. A lot more to experience and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/happy-positivity/you-know-you-re-not-perfect-and-that-s-good-perfect-is-boring-you/)

[Happy Positivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/happy-positivity/)

> [If you're 50 years old or younger, give every book about 50 pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-re-50-years-old-or-younger-give-every-book-about-50-pages/)

[Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/)

> [You need to act your age and not your girl's age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/you-need-to-act-your-age-and-not-your-girl-s-age/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [Act your age don't pretend to be older than you are give yourself time to grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/act-your-age-don-t-pretend-to-be-older-than-you-are-give-yourself/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [“... you know what was really messing me up when I got down there to Pittsburgh? Was how young he seemed. He kept asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/you-know-what-was-really-messing-me-up-when-i-got-down-there-to/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [That awkward moment when you realize you're only just pretending to act your age...you're really just a little kid inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-realize-you-re-only-just-pretending-to/)

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

> [The older you get, the more important it is to not act your age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/the-older-you-get-the-more-important-it-is-to-not-act-your-age/)

[Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/)

> [“If I fuck you, you’ll think all your prayers have been answered. I’ll make you see god, Middleton. I’ll make you think I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-dangerfield/if-i-fuck-you-you-ll-think-all-your-prayers-have-been-answered-i-ll-2/)

[Eve Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-dangerfield/)

[Browse all 34 Act your age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-your-age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than 50 years old, subtract your age from 100 and only grant it that many pages.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nancy Pearl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slogging-through-the-first-50/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Act your age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slogging-through-the-first-50/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/nancy-pearl-32577_act-your-age_if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slo_1738198.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than…” — Nancy Pearl",
                "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": "Nancy Pearl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If you still don't like a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slogging-through-the-first-50/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/if-you-still-don-t-like-a-book-after-slogging-through-the-first-50/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
