--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The annoying thing about reading is that…" description: "\"“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore flicking through a book called something l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg" --- # The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get… ![“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore flicking through a book called something like 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (and, without naming names, you should be aware that the task set by the title is by definition…” quote by Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg) > ““The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore flicking through a book called something like 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (and, without naming names, you should be aware that the task set by the title is by definition impossible, because at least four hundred of the books suggested would kill you anyway), but reading begets reading--that's sort of the point of it, surely?--and anybody who never deviates from a set list of books is intellectually dead anyway.”” [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. Reading endlessly without finishing books is futile; chasing exhaustive lists is impossible, and limiting oneself to a set list stifles intellectual growth. **In simple terms:** Reading without finishing is pointless; strict lists limit thinking. Key Takeaway Embrace selective reading and personal exploration. Themes reading intellectual freedom literature Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - reading habits - book selection - literary criticism Key Concepts critical thinking personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What books truly expand your mind? - How do you decide what to read? A Different Perspective Lists claim completeness but are inherently impossible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that-you-can-never-get-the-job-2/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Because that’s the thing about reading / books. For all their vulnerabilities and lack of pull relative to screens, reading / books has proven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/because-that-s-the-thing-about-reading-books-for-all-their/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Never feel guilty about reading, it's what you do to do your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/never-feel-guilty-about-reading-it-s-what-you-do-to-do-your-job/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [I consider reading to be part of my job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/i-consider-reading-to-be-part-of-my-job/) [Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/) > [“If you're a writer, reading is part of your job description.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rubinstein/if-you-re-a-writer-reading-is-part-of-your-job-description/) [Mark Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rubinstein/) > [“Ir you're a writer, reading is part of your job description. ~ Mark Rubinstein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rubinstein/ir-you-re-a-writer-reading-is-part-of-your-job-description-mark/) [Mark Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rubinstein/) > [“I was commissioned to write copy for an annual publication produced by Top Tourist Parks of Australia. After a print run of seventy-five thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thorne/i-was-commissioned-to-write-copy-for-an-annual-publication-produced/) [David Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thorne/) > [But I have a list of books that I want to read before I die, and whenever I get time to read something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/but-i-have-a-list-of-books-that-i-want-to-read-before-i-die-and/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [“A sign of the times. But the times has so many signs that if we read them all we'd die of heartbreak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-sign-of-the-times-but-the-times-has-so-many-signs-that-if-we-read/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I once read that you die because you see the Angel of Death, and you fall in love. And you fall in love so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-once-read-that-you-die-because-you-see-the-angel-of-death-and-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read. I would read them together with you, as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/life-is-a-book-and-there-are-a-thousand-pages-i-have-not-yet-read-i/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [We are all of us born with a letter inside us, and that only if we are true to ourselves, may we be allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/we-are-all-of-us-born-with-a-letter-inside-us-and-that-only-if-we-are/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Every time your work is read, you die several deaths for every word, and poetry is like being flayed alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stewart/every-time-your-work-is-read-you-die-several-deaths-for-every-word/) [Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stewart/) > [ “\[Jean\] had the guts to kill herself, and I admire her for it, although, of course, she was quite crazy at the time, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lott/jean-had-the-guts-to-kill-herself-and-i-admire-her-for-it-although-of/) Tim Lott > [“The great thing is to be always reading but never to get bored -- treat it not like work, more as a vice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-great-thing-is-to-be-always-reading-but-never-to-get-bored-treat/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## 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 Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore flicking through a book called something like 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (and, without naming names, you should be aware that the task set by the title is by definition impossible, because at least four hundred of the books suggested would kill you anyway), but reading begets reading--that's sort of the point of it, surely?--and anybody who never deviates from a set list of books is intellectually dead anyway.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Hornby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that-you-can-never-get-the-job/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that-you-can-never-get-the-job/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/nick-hornby-325_books_the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that_840612.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore…” — Nick Hornby", "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": "Nick Hornby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The annoying thing about reading is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that-you-can-never-get-the-job/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-annoying-thing-about-reading-is-that-you-can-never-get-the-job/#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 } } ] } ```