--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's nothin' you can get from a book…" description: "\"There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get from a television fastah!\" -Harry Wormwood\" — Roald Dahl" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg" --- # There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get… ![“There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get from a television fastah!" -Harry Wormwood” quote by Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg) > “There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get from a television fastah!" -Harry Wormwood” [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books and TV both convey ideas, but books demand active imagination and deeper engagement than passive viewing. **In simple terms:** Reading requires imagination more than TV. Key Takeaway Choose books for deeper learning. Themes imagination learning media engagement Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary educational When to use this quote - education - personal growth - entertainment - parental guidance Key Concepts cognitive development critical thinking attention span Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape your imagination compared to TV? - When is TV a better learning tool? A Different Perspective TV can be more accessible but may reduce critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-television-3448457/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fastah Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fastah-harry-3448459/) [Harry Wormwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harry-wormwood-3448456/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Television Fastah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-fastah-3448458/) [Wormwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wormwood/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The difference between writing a book and being on television is the difference between conceiving a child and having a baby made in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-difference-between-writing-a-book-and-being-on-television-is-the/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“We don't hold with book-reading," Mr. Wormwood said. "You can't make a living from sitting on your fanny and reading story-books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/we-don-t-hold-with-book-reading-mr-wormwood-said-you-can-t-make-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [A girl should think about making herself look attractive so she can get a good husband later on. Looks is more important than books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/a-girl-should-think-about-making-herself-look-attractive-so-she-can/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than when a human, no longer desiring but still intending to do our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/be-not-deceived-wormwood-our-cause-is-never-more-in-jeopardy-than/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [With the first kiss his mouth will taste of wormwood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/with-the-first-kiss-his-mouth-will-taste-of-wormwood/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/do-not-be-deceived-wormwood-our-cause-is-never-more-in-danger-than/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-the-apostle/the-third-angel-sounded-his-trumpet-and-a-great-star-blazing-like-a/) [John the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-the-apostle/) > [“Funny, that. For so long Wormwood had desired the throne and then, when he'd had it, it hadn't been worth desiring after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/funny-that-for-so-long-wormwood-had-desired-the-throne-and-then-when/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [Ms. Wormwood: Calvin, can you tell us what Lewis and Clark did? Calvin: No, but I can recite the secret superhero origin of each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/ms-wormwood-calvin-can-you-tell-us-what-lewis-and-clark-did-calvin-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Desire is poison at lunch and wormwood at dinner; your bed is a stone, friendship is hateful and your fancy is always fixed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-aretino/desire-is-poison-at-lunch-and-wormwood-at-dinner-your-bed-is-a-stone/) [Pietro Aretino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-aretino/) > [Seventy is wormwood, Seventy is gall But its better to be seventy, Than not alive at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-mcginley/seventy-is-wormwood-seventy-is-gall-but-its-better-to-be-seventy-than/) [Phyllis McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-mcginley/) > [ \[A\] truly humble spirit humbles itself as much amid honors as amid insults, acting like the honeybee which makes its honey equally as well… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/a-truly-humble-spirit-humbles-itself-as-much-amid-honors-as-amid/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [I know sage, wormwood, and hyssop, but I can't smell character unless it stinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/i-know-sage-wormwood-and-hyssop-but-i-can-t-smell-character-unless-it/) [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) > [If you can sin and not weep over it, you are an heir of Hell. If you can go into sin, and afterwards feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-can-sin-and-not-weep-over-it-you-are-an-heir-of-hell-if-you/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Miss Wormwood: Calvin, your test was an absolute disgrace! It's obvious you haven't read any of the material. Our first president was not Chef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/miss-wormwood-calvin-your-test-was-an-absolute-disgrace-it-s-obvious/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## More by Roald Dahl > [Nowadays you can go anywhere in the world in a few hours, and nothing is fabulous any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/nowadays-you-can-go-anywhere-in-the-world-in-a-few-hours-and-nothing/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When I walked to school in the mornings I would start out alone but would pick up four other boys along the way. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-i-walked-to-school-in-the-mornings-i-would-start-out-alone-but/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“There's no earthly way of knowing Which direction we are going There's no knowing where we're rowing Or which way the river's flowing Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going-there/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/one-of-the-vital-things-for-a-writer-who-s-writing-a-book-which-is-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“When Bruce Bogtrotter had eaten his way through half of the entire enormous cake, he paused for just a couple of seconds and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-bruce-bogtrotter-had-eaten-his-way-through-half-of-the-entire/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented rollar skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/if-the-good-lord-intended-for-us-to-walk-he-wouldn-t-have-invented/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/those-who-don-t-believe-in-magic-will-never-find-it/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/but-there-was-one-other-thing-that-the-grown-ups-also-knew-and-it-was/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-writing-about-oneself-one-must-strive-to-be-truthful-truth-is/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“the world is a scary place for such a small child”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-world-is-a-scary-place-for-such-a-small-child/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/and-above-all-watch-with-glittering-eyes-the-world-around-you-because/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“We must hurry!’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/we-must-hurry-said-mr-wonka-we-have-so-much-time-and-so-little-to-do/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) [Explore all 318 Roald Dahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## 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! 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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": "There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get from a television fastah!\" -Harry Wormwood", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roald Dahl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-that-you-can-t-get-from-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-that-you-can-t-get-from-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/roald-dahl-899_book_there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-t_1990483.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's nothin' you can get from a book that you can't get from a television fastah!\" -Harry Wormwood” — Roald Dahl", "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": "Roald Dahl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's nothin' you can get from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-that-you-can-t-get-from-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-nothin-you-can-get-from-a-book-that-you-can-t-get-from-a/#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 } } ] } ```