--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not terribly well read. My wife…" description: "\"I'm not terribly well read. My wife forces books into my hands and insists I read them, which I'm grateful to her for. She made me read 'War and Peace...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/peter-capaldi-2535_amazing_i-m-not-terribly-well-read-my-wife-force_2008568.jpg" --- # I'm not terribly well read. My wife forces books into my… ![“I'm not terribly well read. My wife forces books into my hands and insists I read them, which I'm grateful to her for. She made me read 'War and Peace.' The whole thing. It was amazing, but I had to hide it. You can't walk round reading 'War and Peace' - it's like you're in a comedy sketch and you…” quote by Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/peter-capaldi-2535_amazing_i-m-not-terribly-well-read-my-wife-force_2008568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/peter-capaldi-2535_amazing_i-m-not-terribly-well-read-my-wife-force_2008568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/peter-capaldi-2535_amazing_i-m-not-terribly-well-read-my-wife-force_2008568.jpg) > “I'm not terribly well read. My wife forces books into my hands and insists I read them, which I'm grateful to her for. She made me read 'War and Peace.' The whole thing. It was amazing, but I had to hide it. You can't walk round reading 'War and Peace' - it's like you're in a comedy sketch and you think you're smart.” [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He begrudgingly reads classic literature, finding it rewarding yet feels embarrassed to display it publicly. **In simple terms:** He reads classics, enjoys them, but feels awkward showing it. Key Takeaway Embrace reading without fear of judgment. Themes reading humility selfawareness Mood humorous conflicted Type personal relatable When to use this quote - book clubs - private study - social gatherings Key Concepts literature social anxiety personal growth Questions to Reflect On - Why hide your reading habits? - How can you share literary joy confidently? A Different Perspective Reading can be private joy; public display may cause discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazing/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forces/) [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/her/) [Hide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide/) [Insists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insists/) [Insists Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insists-read-3574932/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-war-573632/) [Read Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-wife-2499274/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-war-3325810/) [Round](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/round/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) [Sketch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketch/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Terribly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terribly/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Anybody who writes a diary insists it must be read by someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/anybody-who-writes-a-diary-insists-it-must-be-read-by-someone-else/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Yeah I was aware of the book, but hadn't read it. So as soon as I'd finished the script, I got a copy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/yeah-i-was-aware-of-the-book-but-hadn-t-read-it-so-as-soon-as-i-d/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [Every child's taste is different. Don't worry if they're not reading 'War and Peace' at age 12. First, build a good foundation and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/every-child-s-taste-is-different-don-t-worry-if-they-re-not-reading/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“Hungary felt increasingly like reading War and Peace: new characters came up every five minutes, with their unusual names and distinctive locutions, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/hungary-felt-increasingly-like-reading-war-and-peace-new-characters/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Lara Jones never fails to tell me that my reading about war makes me weird, but I can't get her fascination with reading abour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/lara-jones-never-fails-to-tell-me-that-my-reading-about-war-makes-me/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-took-a-speed-reading-course-and-read-war-and-peace-in-twenty/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Boys and girls, And women, that would groan to see a child Pull off an insect's leg, all read of war, The best amusement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/boys-and-girls-and-women-that-would-groan-to-see-a-child-pull-off-an/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I have to admit that I only read 'War and Peace' when I was 40. But I knew the basics before then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-have-to-admit-that-i-only-read-war-and-peace-when-i-was-40-but-i/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [I first read War And Peace about 100 years after Tolstoy wrote it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/i-first-read-war-and-peace-about-100-years-after-tolstoy-wrote-it/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“To My Children, I'm dedicating my little story to you; doubtless you will be among the very few who will ever read it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/to-my-children-i-m-dedicating-my-little-story-to-you-doubtless-you/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [At present, I am a poet trying to be a soldier. To tell the truth, I am not interested in writing nowadays, except in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-kilmer/at-present-i-am-a-poet-trying-to-be-a-soldier-to-tell-the-truth-i-am/) [Joyce Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-kilmer/) > [I don't really have a bucket list, but if I did, one entry would be to dust off my college Russian and spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-don-t-really-have-a-bucket-list-but-if-i-did-one-entry-would-be-to/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [If I wanted to be bored by 6,000 pages of unreadable dreck, I'd read War and Peace four times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-i-wanted-to-be-bored-by-6-000-pages-of-unreadable-dreck-i-d-read/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I think people used to read 'War and Peace,' and now they don't; now they sit around with their tablets and watch 'Downton Abbey'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-people-used-to-read-war-and-peace-and-now-they-don-t-now-they/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Americans will listen, but they do not care to read. War and Peace must wait for the leisure of retirement, which never really comes:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/americans-will-listen-but-they-do-not-care-to-read-war-and-peace-must/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) ## More by Peter Capaldi > [Being asked to play 'The Doctor' is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/being-asked-to-play-the-doctor-is-an-amazing-privilege-like-the/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I never really think of acting and directing as being separate; they are just different expressions of the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-never-really-think-of-acting-and-directing-as-being-separate-they/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I've only lost my temper three times in my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-ve-only-lost-my-temper-three-times-in-my-whole-life/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [Comic-Con is so legendary, so a great thrill to be invited along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/comic-con-is-so-legendary-so-a-great-thrill-to-be-invited-along/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [It'll be sad not to be Doctor Who anymore because that's an incredible thing to wake up in the morning and go, 'Oh, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/it-ll-be-sad-not-to-be-doctor-who-anymore-because-that-s-an/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [The Americans just have a great sort of wit about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/the-americans-just-have-a-great-sort-of-wit-about-them/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [ I knew Richard E. Grant, and I went to him and said "Would you like to \[play Kafka in the film\]?" and he said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-knew-richard-e-grant-and-i-went-to-him-and-said-would-you-like-to/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [It was great being brought up in a Glasgow working-class tenement. It wasn't miserable, and it wasn't poverty stricken. It felt very safe, full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/it-was-great-being-brought-up-in-a-glasgow-working-class-tenement-it/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > ['Atlantic City' is very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/atlantic-city-is-very-good/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [It's one thing getting the job of Doctor Who, which is wonderful. And then the next thing they say to you is, 'We're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/it-s-one-thing-getting-the-job-of-doctor-who-which-is-wonderful-and/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [One of the very, very exciting things I have found here in L.A. is that no one talks to you about being Scottish. Whereas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/one-of-the-very-very-exciting-things-i-have-found-here-in-l-a-is-that/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [Everybody loves monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/everybody-loves-monsters/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I think the nice thing about 'Doctor Who' is whether people like it or don't like it, somewhere, someone loves you and will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-think-the-nice-thing-about-doctor-who-is-whether-people-like-it-or/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [Even though I am a lifelong 'Doctor Who' fan, I've not played him since I was nine. I downloaded old scripts and practised those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/even-though-i-am-a-lifelong-doctor-who-fan-i-ve-not-played-him-since/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I'm not an extravagant man. The fact that I can have a coffee out whenever I want still makes me feel grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-m-not-an-extravagant-man-the-fact-that-i-can-have-a-coffee-out/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) [Explore all 162 Peter Capaldi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) ## More Amazing quotes > [My favorite galaxy of all is called the Sombrero, NGC 4594. It's an amazing galaxy that is really two galaxies in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-faber/my-favorite-galaxy-of-all-is-called-the-sombrero-ngc-4594-it-s-an/) [Sandra Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-faber/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [Yoga's an amazing release.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-keena/yoga-s-an-amazing-release/) [Monica Keena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-keena/) > [I struggled and I did theater for 10 years, for 15 years, I tried to get little parts here and there in TV shows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tupper/i-struggled-and-i-did-theater-for-10-years-for-15-years-i-tried-to/) [James Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tupper/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. 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Just to keep putting out real, honest music that people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daya/a-stadium-tour-would-be-amazing-that-s-definitely-one-of-my-goals/) [Daya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daya/) > [I definitely want to put together an amazing debut album with some really dreamy collaborations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-runway/i-definitely-want-to-put-together-an-amazing-debut-album-with-some/) [Bree Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-runway/) > [So crazy to think that we have only known each other 2 years. its been so amazing and we have got to do so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-direction/so-crazy-to-think-that-we-have-only-known-each-other-2-years-its-been/) [One Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-direction/) > [I saw Frank Frazetta's art, and it seared on my memory. I love his paintings. 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My wife forces books into my hands and insists I read them, which I'm grateful to her for. She made me read 'War and Peace.' The whole thing. It was amazing, but I had to hide it. 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