---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I can't read, if I can't make a simple…"
description: "\"“If I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding, then I don't see the point in living much more, really. Because aside from a good book, and ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg"
---

#  If I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding…

![“If I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding, then I don't see the point in living much more, really. Because aside from a good book, and perhaps, a fresh morning in a dew-covered garden, few things in life give me as much pleasure as magic of making a truly spectacular dessert.” quote by Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg)

> ““If I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding, then I don't see the point in living much more, really. Because aside from a good book, and perhaps, a fresh morning in a dew-covered garden, few things in life give me as much pleasure as magic of making a truly spectacular dessert.””

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

## About This Quote

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

Finding joy in simple pleasures like cooking, reading, and nature can give life meaning beyond material pursuits.

**In simple terms:** Simple joys give life purpose.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate everyday delights to enrich existence.

Themes

joy simplicity culinary arts

Mood

warm reflective

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- daily routines
- creative cooking
- mindful walking

Key Concepts

psychology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- What daily habit brings you the most joy?
- How can you integrate more simple pleasures into your day?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on novelty can distract from present happiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dessert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dessert/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Indian Pudding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian-pudding-1757136/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pudding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding/) [Pudding Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding-don-1494498/) [Spectacular Dessert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spectacular-dessert-1757137/) [Things in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-in-life/)

## Related quotes

> [“How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? -- Roger Waters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-ellis/how-can-you-have-any-pudding-if-you-don-t-eat-your-meat-roger-waters/)

[J.E. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-ellis/)

> [How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/how-can-you-have-any-pudding-if-you-don-t-eat-your-meat/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [“If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink-floyd/if-you-don-t-eat-your-meat-you-can-t-have-any-pudding-how-can-you/)

[Pink Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink-floyd/)

> [“She spent the afternoon typing up notes, answering readers' questions, and blogging about a new online source for organic cinnamon and nutmeg, either of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/she-spent-the-afternoon-typing-up-notes-answering-readers-questions/)

[Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/)

> [My secret indulgent food is dessert. I have an incredible sweet tooth - chocolate pudding with vanilla ice-cream or trifle and pavlova. I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborra-lee-furness/my-secret-indulgent-food-is-dessert-i-have-an-incredible-sweet-tooth/)

[Deborra-Lee Furness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborra-lee-furness/)

> [My family suffered. My hair turned up in every corner, every drawer, every meal. Even in the rice puddings Tessie made, covering each little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/my-family-suffered-my-hair-turned-up-in-every-corner-every-drawer/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [Sticky toffee pudding is my favorite dessert in the U.K.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve/sticky-toffee-pudding-is-my-favorite-dessert-in-the-u-k/)

[Eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve/)

> [Eating a lot is an occupational hazard but it's a pretty great problem to have. I spend a lot of time eating sweets on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-simmons/eating-a-lot-is-an-occupational-hazard-but-it-s-a-pretty-great/)

[Gail Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-simmons/)

> [When you think about a barbecue, most people think of slabs of ribs, but you don't need to do that in today's culinary barbecue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-garvin/when-you-think-about-a-barbecue-most-people-think-of-slabs-of-ribs/)

[G. Garvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-garvin/)

> [My favorite dessert is banana pudding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennon-parham/my-favorite-dessert-is-banana-pudding/)

[Lennon Parham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennon-parham/)

> [Fruits each in its season, are the cheapest, most elegant and wholesome dessert you can offer your family or friends, at luncheon or tea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-virginia-terhune/fruits-each-in-its-season-are-the-cheapest-most-elegant-and-wholesome/)

[Mary Virginia Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-virginia-terhune/)

> [That's what dessert means to me: a dollop of sweet love in an otherwise cold world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/that-s-what-dessert-means-to-me-a-dollop-of-sweet-love-in-an/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [“Speaking of pits in plum pudding, do you remember your sister’s first attempt? Your grandfather broke off his only remaining tooth trying to eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/speaking-of-pits-in-plum-pudding-do-you-remember-your-sister-s-first/)

[Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/)

> [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/)

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

> [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/)

[Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/)

## More by Sarah Strohmeyer

> [“He bowed deeply before me and slipped to one knee, taking my hand in his and gazing with the perfect Fairyland combination of princely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/he-bowed-deeply-before-me-and-slipped-to-one-knee-taking-my-hand-in/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [“For years, he’s been listening to her complain about being ignored by Justin and assuring it her it was simply a matter of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/for-years-he-s-been-listening-to-her-complain-about-being-ignored-by/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [“On behalf of all that is good and melodic, Ludwig van Beethoven, I apologize.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/on-behalf-of-all-that-is-good-and-melodic-ludwig-van-beethoven-i/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [I think the only answer is to live life to the fullest while you can and collect memories like fools collect money. Because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/i-think-the-only-answer-is-to-live-life-to-the-fullest-while-you-can/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [We may not get what we want, when we want. But with a bit of perseverance and a lot of patience, we can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/we-may-not-get-what-we-want-when-we-want-but-with-a-bit-of/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [The imagination is a wonderful thing; it allows for all manner of undiscoverable sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/the-imagination-is-a-wonderful-thing-it-allows-for-all-manner-of/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [In fact, a case could be made that worrying about a problem actually prevents you from resolving it, because it deceives your mind into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/in-fact-a-case-could-be-made-that-worrying-about-a-problem-actually/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [“Bruce Springsteen settled down. He used to run around with lots of women and now all he wants to do is hang out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/bruce-springsteen-settled-down-he-used-to-run-around-with-lots-of/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [Love doesn't go anywhere when you die, you know. The person passes on, the body withers, but love, it survives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/love-doesn-t-go-anywhere-when-you-die-you-know-the-person-passes-on/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [See that's what people don't get about food. It's never the food, it's the love that goes into making it. That's what's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/see-that-s-what-people-don-t-get-about-food-it-s-never-the-food-it-s/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [It's the closest I've come to touching immortality, by reading the words of dead people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/it-s-the-closest-i-ve-come-to-touching-immortality-by-reading-the/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [“Bones is, in short, my hero. She is like a one-woman marketing campaign for smart girls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/bones-is-in-short-my-hero-she-is-like-a-one-woman-marketing-campaign/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [He's definitely one of those men you love before you get to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/he-s-definitely-one-of-those-men-you-love-before-you-get-to-know/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [The power of women united, I am again reminded, is an invincible thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/the-power-of-women-united-i-am-again-reminded-is-an-invincible-thing/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

> [Risk is the universe's way of pushing us to become more than what we are. Risk is faith at the edge. Risk is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/risk-is-the-universe-s-way-of-pushing-us-to-become-more-than-what-we/)

[Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

[Explore all 39 Sarah Strohmeyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding, then I don't see the point in living much more, really. Because aside from a good book, and perhaps, a fresh morning in a dew-covered garden, few things in life give me as much pleasure as magic of making a truly spectacular dessert.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Strohmeyer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple-indian-pudding-then-i-don-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple-indian-pudding-then-i-don-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/sarah-strohmeyer-16516_books_if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple_1768573.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I can't read, if I can't make a simple Indian pudding, then I don't see the point in living much more…” — Sarah Strohmeyer",
                "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": "Sarah Strohmeyer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If I can't read, if I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple-indian-pudding-then-i-don-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/if-i-can-t-read-if-i-can-t-make-a-simple-indian-pudding-then-i-don-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
