--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What one knows best is ... what one has…" description: "\"What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from books but as a result of books, through the reflections to which they have given rise.\" — Nico..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png" --- # What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from… ![“What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from books but as a result of books, through the reflections to which they have given rise.” quote by Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png) > “What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from books but as a result of books, through the reflections to which they have given rise.” [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True knowledge emerges from personal reflection on what we have read, not just from the books themselves. **In simple terms:** Learning comes from reflecting on reading. Key Takeaway Practice reflective reading for deeper insight. Themes education self-improvement reflection Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - book clubs - personal journaling - academic study Key Concepts philosophy literary criticism cognitive development Questions to Reflect On - How does reflection deepen understanding? - What methods help you reflect on reading? A Different Perspective Reflection can be superficial without depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) ## Related quotes > [Self knowledge is best learned not by contemplation, but by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/self-knowledge-is-best-learned-not-by-contemplation-but-by-action/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Some lessons are BEST learned, only through PAIN .. !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-lessons-are-best-learned-only-through-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some things are best learned in calm, others in storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/some-things-are-best-learned-in-calm-others-in-storm/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“tis not best that you seem too learned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibram-x-kendi/tis-not-best-that-you-seem-too-learned/) [Ibram X. Kendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibram-x-kendi/) > [We should ask, not who is the most learned, but who is the best learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/we-should-ask-not-who-is-the-most-learned-but-who-is-the-best-learned/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [I learned from books that I picked up. That was something that just came out of nowhere but continued to be an attraction. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-learned-from-books-that-i-picked-up-that-was-something-that-just/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [“...at a luncheon, I sat next to a green-eyed young woman, a poet, who declared loftily that you learned nothing from books, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/at-a-luncheon-i-sat-next-to-a-green-eyed-young-woman-a-poet-who/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“I learned that books are never finished, that it is possible for stories to go on writing themselves without an author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-learned-that-books-are-never-finished-that-it-is-possible-for/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I learned little save that most of the deeds, good and bad both, incurring opprobrium or plaudits or reward either, within the scope of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-learned-little-save-that-most-of-the-deeds-good-and-bad-both/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/do-not-be-guilty-of-possessing-a-library-of-learned-books-while/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [I imagine that no art has ever been learned from books. fly-fishing is no exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-e-m-skues/i-imagine-that-no-art-has-ever-been-learned-from-books-fly-fishing-is/) G. E. M. Skues > [We do not learn much from learned books, but from true, sincere, human books, from frank and honest biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-do-not-learn-much-from-learned-books-but-from-true-sincere-human/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [All I have learned, I learned from books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-i-have-learned-i-learned-from-books/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I was painting furniture, learning to stencil, and explore all kinds of traditional techniques of decoration. I learned from books that I picked up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-was-painting-furniture-learning-to-stencil-and-explore-all-kinds-of/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [“Even before I learned what I was, books were my escape from the world. This place . . . bookstores, libraries . . . they’re the closest thing I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/even-before-i-learned-what-i-was-books-were-my-escape-from-the-world/) [Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/) ## More by Nicolas Chamfort > [Men of reason have endured;men of passion have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/men-of-reason-have-endured-men-of-passion-have-lived/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Contact with the world either breaks or hardens the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/contact-with-the-world-either-breaks-or-hardens-the-heart/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Of all days, the day on which one has not laughed is the one most surely wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/of-all-days-the-day-on-which-one-has-not-laughed-is-the-one-most/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Nature never said to me: Do not be poor; still less did she say: Be rich; her cry to me was always: Be independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/nature-never-said-to-me-do-not-be-poor-still-less-did-she-say-be-rich/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [It is commonly supposed that the art of pleasing is a wonderful aid in the pursuit of fortune; but the art of being bored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/it-is-commonly-supposed-that-the-art-of-pleasing-is-a-wonderful-aid/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [How many fools does it take to make up a public?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/how-many-fools-does-it-take-to-make-up-a-public/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [The poor are the blacks of Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/the-poor-are-the-blacks-of-europe/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [It is with happiness as with watches: the less complicated, the less easily deranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/it-is-with-happiness-as-with-watches-the-less-complicated-the-less/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [A modicum of discord is the very spice of courtship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/a-modicum-of-discord-is-the-very-spice-of-courtship/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Tragedy has the great moral defect of giving too much importance to life and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/tragedy-has-the-great-moral-defect-of-giving-too-much-importance-to/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Men's hearts and faces are always wide asunder; women's are not only in close connection, but are mirror-like in the instant power of reflection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/men-s-hearts-and-faces-are-always-wide-asunder-women-s-are-not-only/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [I only study the things I like; I apply my mind only to matters that interest me. They'll be useful-or useless-to me or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/i-only-study-the-things-i-like-i-apply-my-mind-only-to-matters-that/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Contemptuous people are sure to be contemptible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/contemptuous-people-are-sure-to-be-contemptible/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/do-not-suppose-opportunity-will-knock-twice-at-your-door/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Sometimes apparent resemblance of character will bring two men together and for a certain time unite them. But their mistake gradually becomes evident, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/sometimes-apparent-resemblance-of-character-will-bring-two-men/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) [Explore all 169 Nicolas Chamfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) ## 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": "What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from books but as a result of books, through the reflections to which they have given rise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicolas Chamfort" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-learned-not-from-books-but-as-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-learned-not-from-books-but-as-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/nicolas-chamfort-2263_book_what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-lear_698740.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What one knows best is ... what one has learned not from books but as a result of books, through the…” — Nicolas Chamfort", "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": "Nicolas Chamfort", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What one knows best is ......", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-learned-not-from-books-but-as-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/what-one-knows-best-is-what-one-has-learned-not-from-books-but-as-a/#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 } } ] } ```