Books Quote by René Descartes
““Reading good books is like engaging in conversation with the most cultivated minds of past centuries who had composed them, or rather, taking part in a well-conducted dialogue in which such minds reveal to us only the best of their thoughts.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Letters to Friends, 1637
Reading great books lets us converse with the finest minds of history, absorbing their best ideas.
In simple terms: Books are conversations with great thinkers.
Key Takeaway
Read to learn from the best.
Themes
knowledge
conversation
history
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
educational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- academic study
- personal growth
- creative writing
Key Concepts
philosophy
literature
dialogue
Questions to Reflect On
- How does dialogue with past thinkers shape your views?
- What questions arise when you engage with classic texts?
A Different Perspective
Ideas may be outdated or biased; critical thinking required.
![“[About Pierre de Fermat] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. For my part, however, I have always been taught to take a broad overview of things, in order to be able to deduce from them general rules, which might be applicable…” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/588/ren-descartes-1376_able_about-pierre-de-fermat-it-cannot-be-deni_89929.jpg)
![“And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. [But how mistakenly!] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call the human body; I am not a subtle penetrating air distributed throughout all these members; I am not a wind, a fire, a vapor, a breath or anything at all that I can image. I am…” quote by René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/207/ren-descartes-1376_human-body_and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the_115493.jpg)
