---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If people didn't read books on the…"
description: "\"If people didn't read books on the subway, underground journeys would be dreary.\" — Russell Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg"
---

#  If people didn't read books on the subway, underground…

![“If people didn't read books on the subway, underground journeys would be dreary.” quote by Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg)

> “If people didn't read books on the subway, underground journeys would be dreary.”

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reading books on subways makes journeys interesting; without it, they become dull.

**In simple terms:** Reading on subways adds interest; without it, journeys are dull.

Key Takeaway

Read while traveling to enrich experience.

Themes

travel reading urban life culture

Mood

thoughtful curious

Type

observational inspirational

When to use this quote

- commuting
- traveling
- waiting in stations
- long rides

Key Concepts

commuting knowledge acquisition entertainment

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you have a favorite travel reading habit?
- How does reading change your perception of a commute?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone reads during travel.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Journeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journeys/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Underground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underground/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't ride the bus , the subway is more underground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-ride-the-bus-the-subway-is-more-underground/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People are always telling me that they've seen people reading my books on the subway, or the beach, or whenever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/people-are-always-telling-me-that-they-ve-seen-people-reading-my/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-us-then-fellow-citizens-unite-with-one-heart-and-one-mind-let-us/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The events of the day's march are now becoming so dreary and dispiriting that one longs to forget them when we camp; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-falcon-scott/the-events-of-the-day-s-march-are-now-becoming-so-dreary-and/)

[Robert Falcon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-falcon-scott/)

> [Michelle Alexander's brave and bold new book paints a haunting picture in which dreary felon garb, post-prison joblessness, and loss of voting rights now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/michelle-alexander-s-brave-and-bold-new-book-paints-a-haunting/)

Lani Guinier

> [If European symbols and traditions have grown tired, perfunctory and oppressively banal in Australia, or been drained of spirit and meaning by the dreary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-european-symbols-and-traditions-have-grown-tired-perfunctory-and/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I always figured I myself would never be lucky enough to die, I'd just live on and on in this increasingly dreary spiral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-always-figured-i-myself-would-never-be-lucky-enough-to-die-i-d-just/)

[Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/)

> [From the top of a high rock, I obtained a good few of the most extensive and dreary wilderness I ever beheld. It chilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/from-the-top-of-a-high-rock-i-obtained-a-good-few-of-the-most/)

[John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/)

> [There are houses in certain provincial towns whose aspect inspires melancholy, akin to that called forth by sombre cloisters, dreary moorlands, or the desolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/there-are-houses-in-certain-provincial-towns-whose-aspect-inspires/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [I have always considered The Merry Wives one of the worst plays, if not altogether the worst, that Shakespeare has left us. The wit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/i-have-always-considered-the-merry-wives-one-of-the-worst-plays-if/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-pharcellus-church/yes-virginia-there-is-a-santa-claus-he-exists-as-certainly-as-love/)

[Francis Pharcellus Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-pharcellus-church/)

> [Much of the same sort of degraded and filthy talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/much-of-the-same-sort-of-degraded-and-filthy-talk-can-still-be-heard/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [“I'm afraid I always find Shakespeare terribly dreary. All those long scenes where everybody is drunk and it's supposed to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-m-afraid-i-always-find-shakespeare-terribly-dreary-all-those-long/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/)

[Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

## More by Russell Smith

> [If you tell your husband or boyfriend for his whole life that he needn't worry about his clothes, that he couldn't possibly understand them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-you-tell-your-husband-or-boyfriend-for-his-whole-life-that-he/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Canadian writers don't live in gated mansions; you can just talk to them when you see them lining up at the Second Cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/canadian-writers-don-t-live-in-gated-mansions-you-can-just-talk-to/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [I was given a thick paperback copy of the 'Guinness Book of Records' when I was 11 years old, and I read it gluttonously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-was-given-a-thick-paperback-copy-of-the-guinness-book-of-records/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [I would rather be nuts than unattractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-would-rather-be-nuts-than-unattractive/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [What I would love to see is art that explicitly addresses not personal intimacies but anonymous intimacies: the vast collections of facts about you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-would-love-to-see-is-art-that-explicitly-addresses-not/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Indeed, the whole point of the man bun, I have surmised, is to assert a high proficiency at yoga. There are no yoga-achievement badges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/indeed-the-whole-point-of-the-man-bun-i-have-surmised-is-to-assert-a/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Anything that encourages a boy to open a book, in a world of more violent and therefore more compelling video games, is something I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/anything-that-encourages-a-boy-to-open-a-book-in-a-world-of-more/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Verisimilitude is something I am constantly seeking in fiction. I am looking for surface detail that makes something seem real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/verisimilitude-is-something-i-am-constantly-seeking-in-fiction-i-am/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Increasingly, to dismiss any popular artistic style is seen as the worst kind of snobbery. And snobbery, it goes without saying, is unacceptable in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/increasingly-to-dismiss-any-popular-artistic-style-is-seen-as-the/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [What I don't understand is why men have decided that they like wearing hats indoors. It makes no sense to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-don-t-understand-is-why-men-have-decided-that-they-like/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [I am indeed completely nuts, but that doesn't mean I don't care about how I look. Sometimes, I admit, I will privilege appearance over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-am-indeed-completely-nuts-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-don-t-care-about/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [Everyone likes to hear that their eccentricities and their addictions are simply evidence of their sensitive artistic nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/everyone-likes-to-hear-that-their-eccentricities-and-their-addictions/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-actually-no-such-thing-as-an-artist-type-artist-is-just-an/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [One of the qualities essential to writing exciting stories, whether for page or screen, is an ability to abandon one's morality. We simply cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/one-of-the-qualities-essential-to-writing-exciting-stories-whether/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

[Explore all 69 Russell Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

## 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": "If people didn't read books on the subway, underground journeys would be dreary.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Russell Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subway-underground-journeys-would/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subway-underground-journeys-would/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/russell-smith-9877_books_if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subwa_2473560.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If people didn't read books on the subway, underground journeys would be dreary.” — Russell Smith",
                "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": "Russell Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If people didn't read books on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subway-underground-journeys-would/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-people-didn-t-read-books-on-the-subway-underground-journeys-would/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
