--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should always choose our books as God…" description: "\"We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.\" — Oswal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg" --- # We should always choose our books as God chooses our… ![“We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.” quote by Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg) > “We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.” [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing books slightly beyond our current level pushes us to grow and strive for excellence. **In simple terms:** Pick books a bit harder than you think. Key Takeaway Read challenging books to improve. Themes growth learning challenge Mood motivated reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - academic study - skill building - spiritual growth Key Concepts self-improvement literary ambition Questions to Reflect On - What book has stretched you recently? - How do you balance difficulty and enjoyment? A Different Perspective If the book is too far beyond you, it may cause frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“They say that one chooses one’s friends, but one’s relations are thrust upon one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-holt/they-say-that-one-chooses-one-s-friends-but-one-s-relations-are/) [Victoria Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-holt/) > [I don't like the idea of a book being a test or being used for a test. The way - in my opinion -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/i-don-t-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-test-or-being-used-for-a-test/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [As long as I keep my head clear and hit the books, then God will take me to whatever heights I'm going to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jrue-holiday/as-long-as-i-keep-my-head-clear-and-hit-the-books-then-god-will-take/) [Jrue Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jrue-holiday/) > [I don't write the books. God writes the books and delivers the speeches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-don-t-write-the-books-god-writes-the-books-and-delivers-the-speeches/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [I cannot help leaving my books behind me whenever God calls me hence; but in every other respect, my own hands will be my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-cannot-help-leaving-my-books-behind-me-whenever-god-calls-me-hence/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [“I have written so many books on God, but after all that, what do I really know? I think, in the end, God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-dufour/i-have-written-so-many-books-on-god-but-after-all-that-what-do-i/) Leon Dufour > [Do not suppose, however, that I intend to urge a diet of classics on anybody. I have seen such diets at work. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/do-not-suppose-however-that-i-intend-to-urge-a-diet-of-classics-on/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“He pulled out a thick black volume. "You've never read this, for example." The Savage took it. "The Holy Bible, containing the Old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/he-pulled-out-a-thick-black-volume-you-ve-never-read-this-for-example/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [O God, let me write books! Please, God, let me write books!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/o-god-let-me-write-books-please-god-let-me-write-books/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I'm constantly reading books on God or the absence of God and atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-m-constantly-reading-books-on-god-or-the-absence-of-god-and-atheism/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Without books, God is silent, justice dormant, natural science at a stand, philosophy lame, letters dumb, and all things involved in darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-books-god-is-silent-justice-dormant-natural-science-at-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But if you know about God, why don’t you tell them?' asked the Savage indignantly. 'Why don’t you give them these books about God?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/but-if-you-know-about-god-why-don-t-you-tell-them-asked-the-savage/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“There is nothing more wonderful than a book. It may be a message to us from the dead, from human souls we never saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/there-is-nothing-more-wonderful-than-a-book-it-may-be-a-message-to-us/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [I fell in love with reading when I was allowed to choose whatever books I wanted to check out of the library. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/i-fell-in-love-with-reading-when-i-was-allowed-to-choose-whatever/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [We should choose our books as we would our companions, for their sterling and intrinsic merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-should-choose-our-books-as-we-would-our-companions-for-their/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## More by Oswald Chambers > [“If we deliberately choose to obey God, then He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-we-deliberately-choose-to-obey-god-then-he-will-tax-the-remotest/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/realize-that-the-lord-is-here-now-and-the-freedom-you-receive-is/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr; or the blood of one man for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/when-jesus-christ-shed-his-blood-on-the-cross-it-was-not-the-blood-of/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/let-circumstances-take-you-where-they-will-but-keep-drawing-on-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-a-solemn-thing-and-no-small-scandal-in-the-kingdom-to-see-god-s/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“If my holiness is not drawing towards Him, it is not holiness of the right order, but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-my-holiness-is-not-drawing-towards-him-it-is-not-holiness-of-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/my-spiritual-history-must-have-as-its-underlying-foundation-a/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We always have visions, before a thing is made real. When we realize that although the vision is real, it is not real in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-always-have-visions-before-a-thing-is-made-real-when-we-realize/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-lasting-value-of-our-public-service-for-god-is-measured-by-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-thing-that-awakens-the-deepest-fountain-of-gratitude-in-a-human/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The secret of the missionary is...I am His, and He is carrying out His work through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-secret-of-the-missionary-is-i-am-his-and-he-is-carrying-out-his/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) [Explore all 922 Oswald Chambers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## 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! 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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": "We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oswald Chambers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god-chooses-our-friends-just-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god-chooses-our-friends-just-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/oswald-chambers-205_book_we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god_1136332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do…” — Oswald Chambers", "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": "Oswald Chambers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We should always choose our books...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god-chooses-our-friends-just-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-should-always-choose-our-books-as-god-chooses-our-friends-just-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 } } ] } ```