--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On my website there's a quote from the…" description: "\"“On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony Burgess: \"The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/simon-cheshire-47996_art-form_on-my-website-there-s-a-quote-from-the-w_153530.jpg" --- # On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony… ![“On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony Burgess: "The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind." I've always found that inspiring because the written word, as an art…” quote by Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/simon-cheshire-47996_art-form_on-my-website-there-s-a-quote-from-the-w_153530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/simon-cheshire-47996_art-form_on-my-website-there-s-a-quote-from-the-w_153530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/simon-cheshire-47996_art-form_on-my-website-there-s-a-quote-from-the-w_153530.jpg) > ““On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony Burgess: "The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind." I've always found that inspiring because the written word, as an art form, is unlike any other: movies, TV, music, they're shared experiences, but books aren't like that. The relationship between a writer and a reader is utterly unique to those two individuals. The world that forms in your head as you read a book will be slightly different to that experienced by every other reader. Anywhere. Ever. Reading is very personal, a communication from one mind to another, something which can't be exactly copied, or replicated, or directly shared. If I read the work of, say, one of the great Victorian novelists, it's like a gift from the past, a momentary connection to another's thoughts. Their ideas are down on paper, to be picked up by me, over a century later. Writers can speak individually to readers across a year, or ten years, or a thousand. That's why I love books.”” [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading offers a unique, personal communication between writer and reader, providing knowledge, emotion, and a timeless connection across generations. **In simple terms:** Books create a personal, timeless connection between writer and reader. Key Takeaway Value reading as a personal, timeless exchange. Themes literature knowledge empathy Mood contemplative inspired Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - education - creative inspiration - cultural heritage Key Concepts communication timelessness personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape your worldview? - What book has changed you most? A Different Perspective Reading cannot replace shared media experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Greatest gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-gift/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“A writer is first of all a reader. It is from reading that I derive the standards by which I measure my own work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/a-writer-is-first-of-all-a-reader-it-is-from-reading-that-i-derive/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Reading, therefore, is a co-production between writer and reader. The simplicity of this tool is astounding. So little, yet out of it whole worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/reading-therefore-is-a-co-production-between-writer-and-reader-the/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [The greatest gift is a passion for reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/the-greatest-gift-is-a-passion-for-reading/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/the-greatest-gift-is-the-passion-for-reading-it-is-cheap-it-consoles/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [“Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death-- fascinating, cruel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-swann/life-can-t-ever-really-defeat-a-writer-who-is-in-love-with-writing-2/) Cara Swann > [“Love is a gift. Passion is a curse”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/love-is-a-gift-passion-is-a-curse/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [“God gave you the gift of passion so that you and your husband can experience intimate oneness. He also gave it to you so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-dillow/god-gave-you-the-gift-of-passion-so-that-you-and-your-husband-can/) [Linda Dillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-dillow/) > [“The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/the-greatest-gift-is-a-passion-for-reading-it-is-cheap-it-consoles-it/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [We all have a gift; we all have a passion - it's just about finding it and going into it. Being an asset to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bassett/we-all-have-a-gift-we-all-have-a-passion-it-s-just-about-finding-it/) [Angela Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bassett/) > [Writers speak for those who are kept in silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/writers-speak-for-those-who-are-kept-in-silence/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [For the source of the short story is usually lyrical. And all writers speak from, and speak to, emotions eternally the same in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/for-the-source-of-the-short-story-is-usually-lyrical-and-all-writers/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [The only authors whom I acknowledge as American are the journalists. They, indeed, are not great writers, but they speak the language of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-only-authors-whom-i-acknowledge-as-american-are-the-journalists/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [All good writers speak in honest voices and tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/all-good-writers-speak-in-honest-voices-and-tell-the-truth/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [The better the writers the less they will speak about what they have written themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-better-the-writers-the-less-they-will-speak-about-what-they-have/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Great writers speak with their works not with their mouths!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/great-writers-speak-with-their-works-not-with-their-mouths/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Simon Cheshire > [“Gran follows recipes by looking at picture—to the eye, delicious; to the tongue, boiled socks. Makes you wanna cry really.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/gran-follows-recipes-by-looking-at-picture-to-the-eye-delicious-to/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“There are some moments you feel like you'll remember forever. Rare, still moments when everything is NOW, as if everything has been stopped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/there-are-some-moments-you-feel-like-you-ll-remember-forever-rare/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“You can't be like pop stars, but you can be part of their story. You can be their fan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/you-can-t-be-like-pop-stars-but-you-can-be-part-of-their-story-you/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“Music is very personal. It means different things to different people. To you it means belonging. To me it means knowing I exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/music-is-very-personal-it-means-different-things-to-different-people/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“For a moment, my eyes shift focus to the glass wall beside her and I see my reflection. There stands Dominic Smith, whose tinted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/for-a-moment-my-eyes-shift-focus-to-the-glass-wall-beside-her-and-i/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“I suppose what I mean is, I never felt like I was part of a gang. No, that's the wrong word. Part of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/i-suppose-what-i-mean-is-i-never-felt-like-i-was-part-of-a-gang-no/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) > [“How can you claim to have a passionate interest in something, and then make no effort to properly understand it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cheshire/how-can-you-claim-to-have-a-passionate-interest-in-something-and-then/) [Simon Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) [Explore all 8 Simon Cheshire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cheshire/) ## More Art form quotes > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [Comedy, although it is not one of the fine arts - it's a vulgar art, it's one of the people's arts, it's the spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/comedy-although-it-is-not-one-of-the-fine-arts-it-s-a-vulgar-art-it-s/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [If you consider yourself a part of the culture, then finances can't allow you to be bigger than the actual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/if-you-consider-yourself-a-part-of-the-culture-then-finances-can-t/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [Stage performing is a dying art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-spector/stage-performing-is-a-dying-art-form/) [Ronnie Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-spector/) > [I'm very interested in dance, and I'm very interested in how people express themselves through movement. And of course, cinema is a kinetic art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wright/i-m-very-interested-in-dance-and-i-m-very-interested-in-how-people/) [Joe Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wright/) > [The book it reminded me of most is Henry Miller’s The Books in My Life. Like Miller, Shields manages to convey his affection for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/the-book-it-reminded-me-of-most-is-henry-miller-s-the-books-in-my/) [Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/) > [Stand-up comedy is an art form and it dies unless you expand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kinison/stand-up-comedy-is-an-art-form-and-it-dies-unless-you-expand-it/) [Sam Kinison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kinison/) > [My worry is that opera will become an historic art form as opposed to a living, breathing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/my-worry-is-that-opera-will-become-an-historic-art-form-as-opposed-to/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [Dick Clark was a really great influence in my career; he helped me a lot with his whole organization, and they were awesome to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/dick-clark-was-a-really-great-influence-in-my-career-he-helped-me-a/) [Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/) > [“Whenever an art form loses its fire, when it gets weakened by intellectual inbreeding and first principles fade into stale tradition, a radical fringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/whenever-an-art-form-loses-its-fire-when-it-gets-weakened-by/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [I think movies are now like going to a museum and seeing the latest exhibit - people just aren't going. It really is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-movies-are-now-like-going-to-a-museum-and-seeing-the-latest/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [Photography was inspired by painting, cinema by theatre and photography, I don't believe that any new art form was ever created from scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cage/photography-was-inspired-by-painting-cinema-by-theatre-and/) [David Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cage/) > [I've always wanted to be an animator. That's an ultimate art form, right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-marsden/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-an-animator-that-s-an-ultimate-art-form/) [Jason Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-marsden/) > [Stand-up is one of the art forms where you don't have to look nice, and I hope it stays that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-conaty/stand-up-is-one-of-the-art-forms-where-you-don-t-have-to-look-nice/) [Roisin Conaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-conaty/) > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) [Browse all 1,182 Art form quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On my website there's a quote from the writer Anthony Burgess: \"The greatest gift is the passion for reading. 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