Books Quote by Nick Hornby
“I don't want my books to exclude anyone, but if they have to, then I would rather they excluded the people who feel they are too smart for them!”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2015
Authors may unintentionally alienate readers; better to exclude those who think they’re above the material.
In simple terms: Don’t let elitist attitudes dictate who reads your work.
Key Takeaway
Write inclusively, but be honest about audience.
Themes
literature
inclusion
elitism
audience
humor
Mood
witty
thought‑provoking
Type
literary
satirical
When to use this quote
- Book clubs
- school curricula
- public libraries
- marketing strategies
Key Concepts
Reader engagement
authorial intent
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- Who decides what is “too smart” for a book?
- Does exclusion foster or hinder community?
A Different Perspective
Excluding “smart” readers may limit critical discourse.
![“I once heard [Gerald] Feinberg suggest that many of Manhattan's 1970s social problems could be solved by forbidding anyone who earned less than, say, $10,000 per year to live there. It had not occurred to him, apparently, that this excluded many of the people who worked at the university.” quote by Emanuel Derman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c28/emanuel-derman-55414_columbia-university_i-once-heard-gerald-feinberg-suggest-tha_2322215.jpg)
