--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...there are pleasures to be had from…" description: "\"“...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being lightly entertained. There is the pleasure of being challenged; the pleasure of feeling one’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg" --- # ...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being… ![“...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being lightly entertained. There is the pleasure of being challenged; the pleasure of feeling one’s range and capacities expanding; the pleasure of entering into an unfamiliar world, and being led into empathy with a consciousness very different…” quote by Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg) > ““...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being lightly entertained. There is the pleasure of being challenged; the pleasure of feeling one’s range and capacities expanding; the pleasure of entering into an unfamiliar world, and being led into empathy with a consciousness very different from one’s own; the pleasure of knowing what others have already thought it worth knowing, and entering a larger conversation. ( The New Yorker , 13 Aug 2014)”” [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books offer deep, challenging experiences that expand empathy, knowledge, and self‑understanding beyond mere entertainment. **In simple terms:** Reading expands mind and empathy. Key Takeaway Seek books that challenge and broaden perspective. Themes literature empathy knowledge growth challenge reading Mood inspired thoughtful reflective Type literary educational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - education - book clubs - creative writing - academic study Key Concepts cognitive expansion emotional resonance cultural insight Questions to Reflect On - Which books have changed your worldview? - How does challenging reading affect empathy? A Different Perspective Not all readers enjoy or benefit equally from challenging texts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“the pleasure of knowing secrets was doubled by telling them to people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-pleasure-of-knowing-secrets-was-doubled-by-telling-them-to-people/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“I like watching him take his pleasure in me, knowing that he’s been waiting for this for weeks, and now he’s got me trained,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-hale/i-like-watching-him-take-his-pleasure-in-me-knowing-that-he-s-been/) [Brianna Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-hale/) > [Curiosity is a gift, a capacity of pleasure in knowing, which if you destroy, you make yourself cold and dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/curiosity-is-a-gift-a-capacity-of-pleasure-in-knowing-which-if-you/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“She took no pleasure in knowing…whatever he asked of her, she would do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-marino/she-took-no-pleasure-in-knowing-whatever-he-asked-of-her-she-would-do/) [Joy Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-marino/) > [“the pleasure of knowing secrets was doubled by telling them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-pleasure-of-knowing-secrets-was-doubled-by-telling-them/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [The truth is, I do indulge myself a little the more in pleasure, knowing that this is the proper age of my life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-pepys/the-truth-is-i-do-indulge-myself-a-little-the-more-in-pleasure/) [Samuel Pepys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-pepys/) > [I find that I take a great deal of pleasure knowing I get up people's noses to some degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/i-find-that-i-take-a-great-deal-of-pleasure-knowing-i-get-up-people-s/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [The pleasures of writing correspond exactly to the pleasures of reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-pleasures-of-writing-correspond-exactly-to-the-pleasures-of/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In order to increase his pleasures, man has intentionally added to the number and pressure of his needs, which in their original state were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-order-to-increase-his-pleasures-man-has-intentionally-added-to-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [One of life's few really reliable pleasures: to have a family you love, and to leave them for a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/one-of-life-s-few-really-reliable-pleasures-to-have-a-family-you-love/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [...pleasure, of course, is a slippery word… Our pleasures ultimately belong to us, not to the pleasure's so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/pleasure-of-course-is-a-slippery-word-our-pleasures-ultimately-belong/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [The greatest of all pleasures is the pleasure of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-greatest-of-all-pleasures-is-the-pleasure-of-learning/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) ## More by Rebecca Mead > [“Eliot was scornful of idle women readers who imagined themselves the heroines of French novels, and of self-regarding folk who saw themselves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/eliot-was-scornful-of-idle-women-readers-who-imagined-themselves-the/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [“Some very eminent critics writing in the decades immediately after the novel's publication felt that Eliot failed to maintain sufficient critical distance in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/some-very-eminent-critics-writing-in-the-decades-immediately-after/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [My longest love affair: with a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/my-longest-love-affair-with-a-book/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [I would have thought that one of the things one should learn from college is that nothing is guaranteed. Even if you study something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/i-would-have-thought-that-one-of-the-things-one-should-learn-from/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [What's your favorite book?' is a question that is usually only asked by children and banking identity-verification services--and favorite isn't, anyway, the right word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/what-s-your-favorite-book-is-a-question-that-is-usually-only-asked-by/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [The best education for a writer, I think, is to read a lot - college can be a good place to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/the-best-education-for-a-writer-i-think-is-to-read-a-lot-college-can/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [Best qualification for an aspiring journalist is curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/best-qualification-for-an-aspiring-journalist-is-curiosity/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [“I could understand the impulse to make the novel more accessible. I want as many people as possible to read The Mill on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/i-could-understand-the-impulse-to-make-the-novel-more-accessible-i/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [Reading is sometimes thought of as a form of escapism, and it’s a common turn of phrase to speak of getting lost in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/reading-is-sometimes-thought-of-as-a-form-of-escapism-and-it-s-a/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [But to demand that a work be “relatable” expresses a different expectation: that the work itself be somehow accommodating to, or reflective of, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/but-to-demand-that-a-work-be-relatable-expresses-a-different/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [While the fashion industry may, at least at the top end, be thriving, the notion of fashion itself is becoming more and more meaningless.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/while-the-fashion-industry-may-at-least-at-the-top-end-be-thriving/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [A book may not tell us exactly how to live our own lives, but our own lives can teach us how to read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/a-book-may-not-tell-us-exactly-how-to-live-our-own-lives-but-our-own/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [I'm not a policy expert - I am only arguing that there is more to an education than an economic ticket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/i-m-not-a-policy-expert-i-am-only-arguing-that-there-is-more-to-an/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [Books gave us a way to shape ourselves - to form our thoughts and to signal to each other who we were and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/books-gave-us-a-way-to-shape-ourselves-to-form-our-thoughts-and-to/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) > [Of course we all know people who aren't cut out for college, but I know it's a mistake to think of education only as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/of-course-we-all-know-people-who-aren-t-cut-out-for-college-but-i/) [Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) [Explore all 18 Rebecca Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/) ## 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": "“...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being lightly entertained. There is the pleasure of being challenged; the pleasure of feeling one’s range and capacities expanding; the pleasure of entering into an unfamiliar world, and being led into empathy with a consciousness very different from one’s own; the pleasure of knowing what others have already thought it worth knowing, and entering a larger conversation. ( The New Yorker , 13 Aug 2014)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Mead" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books-beyond-being-lightly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books-beyond-being-lightly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/rebecca-mead-29532_books_there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books_2423258.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...there are pleasures to be had from books beyond being lightly entertained. There is the pleasure of being…” — Rebecca Mead", "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": "Rebecca Mead", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...there are pleasures to be had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books-beyond-being-lightly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/there-are-pleasures-to-be-had-from-books-beyond-being-lightly/#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 } } ] } ```