--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Last month I was banging on about how…" description: "\"“Last month I was banging on about how books were better than anything—-how just about any decent book you picked would beat up anything else, any film..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/nick-hornby-325_book_last-month-i-was-banging-on-about-how-bo_738009.png" --- # Last month I was banging on about how books were better… ![“Last month I was banging on about how books were better than anything—-how just about any decent book you picked would beat up anything else, any film or painting or piece of music, you cared to match it up with. Anyway, like most theories advanced in this column, it turned out to be utter…” quote by Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/nick-hornby-325_book_last-month-i-was-banging-on-about-how-bo_738009.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/nick-hornby-325_book_last-month-i-was-banging-on-about-how-bo_738009.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/nick-hornby-325_book_last-month-i-was-banging-on-about-how-bo_738009.png) > ““Last month I was banging on about how books were better than anything—-how just about any decent book you picked would beat up anything else, any film or painting or piece of music, you cared to match it up with. Anyway, like most theories advanced in this column, it turned out to be utter rubbish. I went to a couple of terrific exhibitions at the Royal Academy (and that’s a hole in my argument right there—one book might beat up one painting, but what chance has one book, or even four books, got against the collected works of Guston and Vuillard?)...”” [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The claim that books surpass all art forms is flawed; different media excel in distinct ways. **In simple terms:** Books aren’t inherently superior to other arts. Key Takeaway Recognize value across artistic mediums. Themes art literature comparative criticism subjectivity Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical literary When to use this quote - reading habits - museum visits - creative inspiration Key Concepts aesthetic value medium specificity Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which art form resonates most? - What criteria define artistic merit for you? A Different Perspective Each medium offers unique experiences; superiority is subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Life ain't like books. Books got somebody writin' 'em and tryin' to entertain ya. Life is more like a set of Legos. Unless you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moncur/life-ain-t-like-books-books-got-somebody-writin-em-and-tryin-to/) Laura Moncur > [England did nothing in that World Cup, so why were they bringing books out? 'We got beat in the quarter-finals. I played like s\*\*t.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/england-did-nothing-in-that-world-cup-so-why-were-they-bringing-books/) [Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/) > [We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/we-are-not-quite-novels-we-are-not-quite-short-stories-in-the-end-we/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“...an irresistible of why we read and why we love. We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/an-irresistible-of-why-we-read-and-why-we-love-we-are-not-quite/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I'm lucky enough to work with, I think, the greatest writer there's ever been, Shakespeare. Whose collected works would always be under my pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-west/i-m-lucky-enough-to-work-with-i-think-the-greatest-writer-there-s/) [Samuel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-west/) > [“My life is in these books. Read these and know my heart. We are not quire novels. We are not quite short stories. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/my-life-is-in-these-books-read-these-and-know-my-heart-we-are-not/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“In the end, we are collected works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/in-the-end-we-are-collected-works/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“In the end, we are collected works. He has read enough to know there are no collections where each story is perfect. Some hits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/in-the-end-we-are-collected-works-he-has-read-enough-to-know-there/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-orff/with-carmina-burana-my-collected-works-begin/) [Carl Orff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-orff/) > [Right now, we're living in an ugly chapter of our lives, but books always get better!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/right-now-we-re-living-in-an-ugly-chapter-of-our-lives-but-books/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Books are better friends than people at times. They do not threaten you, unless that feeling means you're anticipating the next event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/books-are-better-friends-than-people-at-times-they-do-not-threaten/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“Books are better than television, the internet, or the computer for educating and maintaining freedom. Books matter because they state ideas and then attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/books-are-better-than-television-the-internet-or-the-computer-for/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [My books are better thought about than read. They're insanely dull and unreadable.But they're wonderful to talk about and think about, to dip in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/my-books-are-better-thought-about-than-read-they-re-insanely-dull-and/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) > [Books are almost always better than the movies made from them, because there are things books do well and things movies do well, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/books-are-almost-always-better-than-the-movies-made-from-them-because/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Heroes in books should be so much better than heroes got up for the world's common wear and tear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/heroes-in-books-should-be-so-much-better-than-heroes-got-up-for-the/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) ## More by Nick Hornby > [You can wait forever for the muse to sit on your shoulder, but most of the time you know what has to be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/you-can-wait-forever-for-the-muse-to-sit-on-your-shoulder-but-most-of/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > […I've had a bad week." What's happened?" Nothing's happened. I've had a bad week in my head, is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-ve-had-a-bad-week-what-s-happened-nothing-s-happened-i-ve-had-a-bad/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“When they – I cannot bring myself to use the first-person plural in this instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/when-they-i-cannot-bring-myself-to-use-the-first-person-plural-in/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“What you don't ever catch a glimpse of on your wedding day - because how could you? - is that some days you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/what-you-don-t-ever-catch-a-glimpse-of-on-your-wedding-day-because/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You've got to kick off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/a-good-compilation-tape-like-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-and-takes-ages/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I'm still not a very good white wine, but I'm drinkable - you could put me in a punch, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-still-not-a-very-good-white-wine-but-i-m-drinkable-you-could-put/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I never mind the accusations of domesticity, as long as people recognise that all of us, even the luckiest, will live lives in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-never-mind-the-accusations-of-domesticity-as-long-as-people/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I wasted the 1980s. I wasted every minute at Cambridge talking to people who knew more about music than I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-wasted-the-1980s-i-wasted-every-minute-at-cambridge-talking-to/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I took her outside on to a little roof terrace that looked like it never got the sun at nay time of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-took-her-outside-on-to-a-little-roof-terrace-that-looked-like-it/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I feel as though I have been having conversations like this all my life. None of us is young anymore, but what has just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-feel-as-though-i-have-been-having-conversations-like-this-all-my/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I'm OK. Really. I can find people. I'll be all right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-ok-really-i-can-find-people-i-ll-be-all-right/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Read any women's magazine and you'll see the same complaint over and over again: men - those little boys ten or twenty or thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/read-any-women-s-magazine-and-you-ll-see-the-same-complaint-over-and/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Defansçılar her zaman forvetçilerden daha iyi analizcilerdir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/defans-lar-her-zaman-forvet-ilerden-daha-iyi-analizcilerdir/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [On New Year's Eve he ould make a resolution to recover some his previous scepticism, but until then he would do as the Romans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/on-new-year-s-eve-he-ould-make-a-resolution-to-recover-some-his/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [It's no good looking to writers for definitions of what constitutes proper writing, because you will drive yourself crazy, and you won't find anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/it-s-no-good-looking-to-writers-for-definitions-of-what-constitutes/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) [Explore all 645 Nick Hornby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## 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": "“Last month I was banging on about how books were better than anything—-how just about any decent book you picked would beat up anything else, any film or painting or piece of music, you cared to match it up with. 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