--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents were very well read. They were…" description: "\"My parents were very well read. They were both New Englanders, not highly educated, but they had a sophisticated... they were both very humanistic, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/patti-smith-394_books_my-parents-were-very-well-read-they-were_2138560.jpg" --- # My parents were very well read. They were both New… ![“My parents were very well read. They were both New Englanders, not highly educated, but they had a sophisticated... they were both very humanistic, and they were sophisticated readers.” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/patti-smith-394_books_my-parents-were-very-well-read-they-were_2138560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/patti-smith-394_books_my-parents-were-very-well-read-they-were_2138560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/patti-smith-394_books_my-parents-were-very-well-read-they-were_2138560.jpg) > “My parents were very well read. They were both New Englanders, not highly educated, but they had a sophisticated... they were both very humanistic, and they were sophisticated readers.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being well-read and humanistic shapes a sophisticated worldview. **In simple terms:** Reading and humanity create depth. Key Takeaway Cultivate reading and empathy. Themes reading humanism culture Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - personal growth - creative work Key Concepts literature philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Which books broaden your perspective? - How does empathy influence creativity? A Different Perspective Limited access to diverse literature can hinder development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Humanistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanistic/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Aesthetic life is not something sophisticated - that's a humanistic lie. Aesthetic life is as integral to being human as building sandcastles on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-seerveld/aesthetic-life-is-not-something-sophisticated-that-s-a-humanistic-lie/) [Calvin Seerveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-seerveld/) > [I ended up doing amazing things with my life; I'm well-read, educated and sophisticated - and I'm not the stereotype everyone makes me out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-manning/i-ended-up-doing-amazing-things-with-my-life-i-m-well-read-educated/) [Taryn Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-manning/) > [Kids who are nine, 10 and 11 are pretty sophisticated readers; they know that there isn't always a good outcome every time and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/kids-who-are-nine-10-and-11-are-pretty-sophisticated-readers-they/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [The funniest novel you've never read. . . . Afternoon Men is a revelation to sophisticated readers of every stripe, but especially to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-bailey/the-funniest-novel-you-ve-never-read-afternoon-men-is-a-revelation-to/) [Blake Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-bailey/) > [My parents were very humanistic, but where we lived was not the cultural center of the world. Hardly. So I came to New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/my-parents-were-very-humanistic-but-where-we-lived-was-not-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ It's Steven's \[Sebring\] view of what he saw in traveling and working with me. But on another scale, I think the film \[Dream of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/it-s-steven-s-sebring-view-of-what-he-saw-in-traveling-and-working/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ I worked for Hillary \[Clinton\] when I was young - when she was running for the Senate. I was fundraising and things, I see… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-worked-for-hillary-clinton-when-i-was-young-when-she-was-running/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I was brought up in a home where I saw my parents read and I was taken to bookshops and libraries, so I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-was-brought-up-in-a-home-where-i-saw-my-parents-read-and-i-was/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I wasn't all that attracted to writing originally. I read a great deal. My parents read a great deal. I do know that as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-wasn-t-all-that-attracted-to-writing-originally-i-read-a-great-deal/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [She took out a shiny folded pamphlet, the kind they kept stacked in clear plastic stands in hospital waiting rooms. "How to Come Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/she-took-out-a-shiny-folded-pamphlet-the-kind-they-kept-stacked-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/i-feel-certain-that-if-in-our-homes-parents-will-read-from-the-book/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“Sunny was a treat to read. It is most appealing as the story is very well done and the artwork is beautiful. I applaud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-macinnis-schimmel/sunny-was-a-treat-to-read-it-is-most-appealing-as-the-story-is-very/) Theresa Macinnis Schimmel > [I am very much interested in getting parents to read to children, and trying to get people mentoring children. If I can do both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/i-am-very-much-interested-in-getting-parents-to-read-to-children-and/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [My parents read to me a lot as a kid, and I started writing very early, probably spurred on by Aesop's fables. Then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/my-parents-read-to-me-a-lot-as-a-kid-and-i-started-writing-very-early/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [As far as young kids go, my primary interest is to get parents to read to their kids. That's about the most you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/as-far-as-young-kids-go-my-primary-interest-is-to-get-parents-to-read/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## 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": "My parents were very well read. 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