--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good books should be an overwhelming…" description: "\"“Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the personality.”\" — Steffan Piper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg" --- # Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the… ![“Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the personality.” quote by Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg) > ““Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the personality.”” [Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that powerful literature should profoundly challenge and reshape a reader’s identity. **In simple terms:** Great books should deeply challenge you. Key Takeaway Seek works that stretch your worldview. Themes literature personal growth challenge Mood provocative introspective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - college coursework - personal development - book clubs - creative writing Key Concepts psychological impact identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you react when a book unsettles you? - What benefits arise from confronting uncomfortable ideas? A Different Perspective Not all readers enjoy intense confrontation; some may feel overwhelmed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assault Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assault-personality-5160748/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Overwhelming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-overwhelming-5160746/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Good books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-books/) [Overwhelming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelming/) [Overwhelming Assault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelming-assault-5160747/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“There are so many good books waiting to be read, I’ll never go back and read one twice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-baker/there-are-so-many-good-books-waiting-to-be-read-i-ll-never-go-back/) [Deb Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-baker/) > [The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/the-reading-of-all-good-books-is-indeed-like-a-conversation-with-the/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [What I tell myself is that there is never going to be another 'Gone Girl' for me. I mean, I really believe that. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/what-i-tell-myself-is-that-there-is-never-going-to-be-another-gone/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“all good books are bad!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-ostrom/all-good-books-are-bad/) [Elinor Ostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elinor-ostrom/) > [You know, looking at it objectively, I've written one or two good books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-looking-at-it-objectively-i-ve-written-one-or-two-good-books/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The modernness of all good books seems to give men an existence as wide as man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-modernness-of-all-good-books-seems-to-give-men-an-existence-as/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“One thing I will surely miss is that I couldn't read all the good books in this lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/one-thing-i-will-surely-miss-is-that-i-couldn-t-read-all-the-good/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/in-the-case-of-good-books-the-point-is-not-to-see-how-many-of-them-2/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“All good books are about everything, abbreviated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-smith/all-good-books-are-about-everything-abbreviated/) [Andrew Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-smith/) > [Give me good books, good conversations, and my Trek Y-Foil, and I shall want for nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-plimpton/give-me-good-books-good-conversations-and-my-trek-y-foil-and-i-shall/) [George Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-plimpton/) > ['In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/in-the-case-of-good-books-the-point-is-not-to-see-how-many-of-them/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“I like good books and clever conversation and being left alone much of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/i-like-good-books-and-clever-conversation-and-being-left-alone-much/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [There are only two kinds of books -- good books and the others. The good are winnowed from the bad through the democracy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-are-only-two-kinds-of-books-good-books-and-the-others-the-good/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Books, not which afford us a cowering enjoyment, but in which each thought is of unusual daring; such as an idle man cannot read,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-not-which-afford-us-a-cowering-enjoyment-but-in-which-each/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Good books, written by men or women, are ones in which you lose consciousness of the person writing the sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/good-books-written-by-men-or-women-are-ones-in-which-you-lose/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More by Steffan Piper > [“Those you love the most are not obligated to love you back – and often won’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/those-you-love-the-most-are-not-obligated-to-love-you-back-and-often/) [Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/) > [“No one will ever love you as much as you want them to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/no-one-will-ever-love-you-as-much-as-you-want-them-to/) [Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/) > [“Maybe that's all real love was--just something that happened quickly and vanished, a kind of gesture to a stranger or a fleeting moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/maybe-that-s-all-real-love-was-just-something-that-happened-quickly/) [Steffan Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/) > [“Some people will tell you that they make, or have made, sacrifices for you, but don't buy it. 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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": "“Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the personality.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steffan Piper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-assault-upon-the-personality/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-assault-upon-the-personality/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/steffan-piper-40821_books_good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-ass_3065396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good books should be an overwhelming assault upon the personality.” — Steffan Piper", "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": "Steffan Piper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffan-piper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Good books should be an overwhelming...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-assault-upon-the-personality/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffan-piper/good-books-should-be-an-overwhelming-assault-upon-the-personality/#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 } } ] } ```