--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because he did not have time to read…" description: "\"Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski used a simple and efficient meth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/neil-postman-1598_all-time_because-he-did-not-have-time-to-read-eve_1192782.jpg" --- # Because he did not have time to read every new book in his… ![“Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski used a simple and efficient method of deciding which ones were worth his attention: Upon receiving a new book, he immediately checked the index to see if his name was cited, and…” quote by Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/neil-postman-1598_all-time_because-he-did-not-have-time-to-read-eve_1192782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/neil-postman-1598_all-time_because-he-did-not-have-time-to-read-eve_1192782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/neil-postman-1598_all-time_because-he-did-not-have-time-to-read-eve_1192782.jpg) > “Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski used a simple and efficient method of deciding which ones were worth his attention: Upon receiving a new book, he immediately checked the index to see if his name was cited, and how often. The more Malinowski the more compelling the book. No Malinowski, and he doubted the subject of the book was anthropology at all.” [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prioritized books where his work was cited, using relevance as a filter for reading. **In simple terms:** Read only what directly relates to you. Key Takeaway Use citation relevance to select reading material. Themes efficiency research focus Mood analytical pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - literature review - academic research - professional development - time management Key Concepts information overload academic curation Questions to Reflect On - How can you discover valuable ideas beyond your own citations? - What alternative filters could you apply? A Different Perspective May miss groundbreaking work outside his niche. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [All time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-time/) [Anthropologist Bronislaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropologist-bronislaw-3545856/) [Anthropologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropologists/) [Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-anthropology-3545857/) [Book Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-malinowski-3545858/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cited Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cited-malinowski-3545855/) [Compelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelling/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubted/) [Efficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [New books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-books/) [Polish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polish/) [Polish Anthropologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polish-anthropologist-3545859/) [Receiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receiving/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [People like ourselves may see nothing wondrous in writing, but our anthropologists know how strange and magical it appears to a purely oral people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/people-like-ourselves-may-see-nothing-wondrous-in-writing-but-our/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [As a social anthropologist, I naturally accept and even stress the fact that there are major differences, both mental and psychological, which separate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leakey/as-a-social-anthropologist-i-naturally-accept-and-even-stress-the/) [Louis Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leakey/) > [Anthropologists have often described what happens to a primitive society when its spiritual values are exposed to the impact of modern civilisation. 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