--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it…" description: "\"if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg" --- # if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth… ![“if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg) > “if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that a truly valuable book should be clear and self‑explanatory, implying that obscurity diminishes its worth. **In simple terms:** A good book should be easy to understand. Key Takeaway Seek clarity and accessibility in reading. Themes communication clarity literary value accessibility interpretation Mood thoughtful critical Type literary theory reading philosophy When to use this quote - book clubs - writing workshops - educational curricula - library recommendations Key Concepts authorial intent reader comprehension literary standards Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer straightforward narratives? - When is ambiguity purposeful? A Different Perspective Complex works can still be valuable despite lack of immediate clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-isn-495779/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Explanatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanatory-1488237/) [Explanatory Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanatory-isn-5227667/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Explanatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-explanatory-1446175/) [Worth reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The Art of War is self-explanatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-art-of-war-is-self-explanatory/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Self explanatory, you just here to spread the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/self-explanatory-you-just-here-to-spread-the-story/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [It's pretty self-explanatory. If we play well, we know what our picture is. If we don't play well, we'll know what our picture is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-utley/it-s-pretty-self-explanatory-if-we-play-well-we-know-what-our-picture/) [Chase Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-utley/) > [I was trying to make the weirdest face and... the rest is self explanatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/i-was-trying-to-make-the-weirdest-face-and-the-rest-is-self/) [Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/) > [If we would listen to our kids, we'd discover that they are largely self-explanatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/if-we-would-listen-to-our-kids-we-d-discover-that-they-are-largely/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“Your objective should always be to eliminate instructions entirely by making everything self-explanatory, or as close to it as possible. When instructions are absolutely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-krug/your-objective-should-always-be-to-eliminate-instructions-entirely-by/) [Steve Krug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-krug/) > [My songs are self-explanatory... somebody pointed out to me that... my songs pretty much speak for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mcvie/my-songs-are-self-explanatory-somebody-pointed-out-to-me-that-my/) [Christine McVie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mcvie/) > [Chronicles are not explanatory of what they record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-ryle/chronicles-are-not-explanatory-of-what-they-record/) [Gilbert Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-ryle/) > [“When we’re at the point of communicating our analysis to our audience, we really want to be in the explanatory space, meaning you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/when-we-re-at-the-point-of-communicating-our-analysis-to-our-audience/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [I have been using the word 'other' as though it were self-explanatory, yet who the 'other' is must always be something of a mystery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-dowrick/i-have-been-using-the-word-other-as-though-it-were-self-explanatory/) [Stephanie Dowrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-dowrick/) > [“We are particularly concerned with the question to what degree approval and implementation of an explanatory model minimising collective or institutional responsibility for certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waterman/we-are-particularly-concerned-with-the-question-to-what-degree/) [Daniel Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waterman/) > [“The explanatory stories that people find compelling are simple; are concrete rather than abstract; assign a larger role to talent, stupidity, and intentions than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-explanatory-stories-that-people-find-compelling-are-simple-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [I cried. You walked away. I think that's self-explanatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cried-you-walked-away-i-think-that-s-self-explanatory/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life in itself is sufficient, self-explanatory and complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/life-in-itself-is-sufficient-self-explanatory-and-complete/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [Programming is an explanatory activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-harper/programming-is-an-explanatory-activity/) [Roman Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-harper/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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": "if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it-isn-t-worth-reading/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it-isn-t-worth-reading/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/paulo-coelho-10_book_if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it_3076369.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“if a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "if a book isn't self-explanatory, then...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it-isn-t-worth-reading/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-a-book-isn-t-self-explanatory-then-it-isn-t-worth-reading/#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 } } ] } ```