---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like to carry around extremely…"
description: "\"I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I don't know if I can read them, but if I hold them near me, it imbues me with a sense of power..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg"
---

#  I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I…

![“I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I don't know if I can read them, but if I hold them near me, it imbues me with a sense of powerful intelligence.” quote by Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg)

> “I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I don't know if I can read them, but if I hold them near me, it imbues me with a sense of powerful intelligence.”

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

## About This Quote

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

Carrying pretentious books gives the speaker a feeling of intellectual power, even if they cannot fully understand the content.

**In simple terms:** Holding fancy books makes one feel smart.

Key Takeaway

Use symbols of knowledge to boost confidence, but seek genuine understanding.

Themes

confidence identity intellectualism pretension self‑image

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- personal study habits
- social gatherings

Key Concepts

symbolic capital cultural signaling learning motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you seek symbols of intelligence?
- How can you turn that feeling into real knowledge?

A Different Perspective

It may create a false sense of competence and hinder true learning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Pretentious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [You can't come up against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and not accept the risk. If they want to get you, over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-can-t-come-up-against-the-world-s-most-powerful-intelligence-2/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [You can't come up against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and not accept the risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-can-t-come-up-against-the-world-s-most-powerful-intelligence/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [You can't come forward against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and be completely free from risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-can-t-come-forward-against-the-world-s-most-powerful-intelligence/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [If I said who I was influenced by, it would be really weird and pretentious because it would be people who have nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/if-i-said-who-i-was-influenced-by-it-would-be-really-weird-and/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [My method is the magpie's: I look for shiny things. That is, I look for concrete material details of daily life, and I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/my-method-is-the-magpie-s-i-look-for-shiny-things-that-is-i-look-for/)

[Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/)

> [I wanted to be a musician. I just wanted to be famous because I wanted to escape from what I felt was my limitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-wanted-to-be-a-musician-i-just-wanted-to-be-famous-because-i-wanted/)

[Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/)

> [Until I can read a story physically, with the eyes, it doesn't seem to exist for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/until-i-can-read-a-story-physically-with-the-eyes-it-doesn-t-seem-to/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [With God's help, I've not had a drink in nine and a half years. That's my whole story right there. And because of that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/with-god-s-help-i-ve-not-had-a-drink-in-nine-and-a-half-years-that-s/)

[Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/)

> [I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way. Whatever may happen to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/i-feel-free-and-strong-if-i-were-not-a-reader-of-books-i-could-not/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [I was in front of an ambulance the other day, and I noticed that the word ambulance was spelled in reverse print on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-was-in-front-of-an-ambulance-the-other-day-and-i-noticed-that-the/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/there-is-so-much-about-my-fate-that-i-cannot-control-but-other-things/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [ I went right to Chicago to do improv \[after law school\], but I wish I had gone, "Let me just bypass this law thing."… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/i-went-right-to-chicago-to-do-improv-after-law-school-but-i-wish-i/)

[Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/)

> [A book has to be easy to open and you don't have to be a bodybuilder to lift it. I like books I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/a-book-has-to-be-easy-to-open-and-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-bodybuilder/)

[Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/)

> [I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-just-thought-you-d-like-to-know-i-can-read-you-got-anything-needs/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

> [Reviews are great. I can read negative reviews and say, 'You know that point they made... they were dead on.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/reviews-are-great-i-can-read-negative-reviews-and-say-you-know-that/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

## More by Sam Amidon

> [If I pick up a fiddle, I don't compose on it, so much as I just play whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/if-i-pick-up-a-fiddle-i-don-t-compose-on-it-so-much-as-i-just-play/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [Guitar comes more out of its limitations for me, like putting it in a weird tuning and then just go places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/guitar-comes-more-out-of-its-limitations-for-me-like-putting-it-in-a/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [There are some people who do great stuff singing and playing fiddle at the same time and doing that kind of arrangement. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/there-are-some-people-who-do-great-stuff-singing-and-playing-fiddle/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [I'm not somebody that has an encyclopedic knowledge of ballads and could sit around a fire and sing songs for three hours. I basically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-m-not-somebody-that-has-an-encyclopedic-knowledge-of-ballads-and/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [The whole thing of singing on my own has been accidental and random. I sang a huge amount as a kid, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/the-whole-thing-of-singing-on-my-own-has-been-accidental-and-random-i/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [I'm not really a folk singer, but I love the music and there's certain lines that will get just stuck in my head, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-m-not-really-a-folk-singer-but-i-love-the-music-and-there-s-certain/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [When I do older folk songs, I'm not doing them because they're old. I have no interest in reviving or continuing a tradition. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/when-i-do-older-folk-songs-i-m-not-doing-them-because-they-re-old-i/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [I was listening to this record by Paul Desmond called First Place Again. It's incredibly gorgeous. There is nothing better that you would want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-was-listening-to-this-record-by-paul-desmond-called-first-place/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [I am a complete jazz nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-am-a-complete-jazz-nerd/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [If I said who I was influenced by, it would be really weird and pretentious because it would be people who have nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/if-i-said-who-i-was-influenced-by-it-would-be-really-weird-and/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

> [Reading books is fantastic. I didn't do it until ten years ago. It's great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/reading-books-is-fantastic-i-didn-t-do-it-until-ten-years-ago-it-s/)

[Sam Amidon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

[Explore all 12 Sam Amidon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/)

## 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": "I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I don't know if I can read them, but if I hold them near me, it imbues me with a sense of powerful intelligence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Amidon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretentious-books-and-i-don-t-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretentious-books-and-i-don-t-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/sam-amidon-37109_book_i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretent_304772.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I like to carry around extremely pretentious books, and I don't know if I can read them, but if I hold them…” — Sam Amidon",
                "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": "Sam Amidon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-amidon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I like to carry around extremely...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretentious-books-and-i-don-t-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-amidon/i-like-to-carry-around-extremely-pretentious-books-and-i-don-t-know/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
