--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never read Ford Madox Ford's \"The Good…" description: "\"I never read Ford Madox Ford's \"The Good Soldier.\" I've been reading books that I should have read years ago and did not. That's one of them.\" — Stephe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/stephen-dobyns-13599_book_i-never-read-ford-madox-ford-s-the-good_1706699.jpg" --- # I never read Ford Madox Ford's "The Good Soldier." I've… ![“I never read Ford Madox Ford's "The Good Soldier." I've been reading books that I should have read years ago and did not. That's one of them.” quote by Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/stephen-dobyns-13599_book_i-never-read-ford-madox-ford-s-the-good_1706699.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/stephen-dobyns-13599_book_i-never-read-ford-madox-ford-s-the-good_1706699.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/stephen-dobyns-13599_book_i-never-read-ford-madox-ford-s-the-good_1706699.jpg) > “I never read Ford Madox Ford's "The Good Soldier." I've been reading books that I should have read years ago and did not. That's one of them.” [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker regrets neglecting a classic novel while focusing on other overdue reading, highlighting procrastination and missed literary experiences. **In simple terms:** Regretting not reading a classic book. Key Takeaway Prioritize reading important works. Themes regret procrastination literature prioritization selfreflection Mood reflective motivational Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - book club - academic curriculum Key Concepts reading habits time management literary appreciation Questions to Reflect On - What books have you postponed? - How can you balance new reading with classics? A Different Perspective The speaker may be overgeneralizing one missed book as a major loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-read/) [Good soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-soldiers/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) ## Related quotes > [Like many people, I only knew of Ford Madox Ford through a book called 'The Good Soldier,' which is everybody's favorite Ford Madox Ford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/like-many-people-i-only-knew-of-ford-madox-ford-through-a-book-called/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I read 'The Good Soldier' by Ford Madox Ford again every so often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-beauman/i-read-the-good-soldier-by-ford-madox-ford-again-every-so-often/) [Ned Beauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-beauman/) > [I want to be like Ford Madox Ford. 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I mean, look at the brilliant work which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-abrams/i-think-it-s-possible-perhaps-even-necessary-to-find-comedy-in-any/) [Dave Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-abrams/) > [War is killing the individual in it unless he has learned livingness - if he had it he wouldn't be a good soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/war-is-killing-the-individual-in-it-unless-he-has-learned-livingness/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every good soldier wants to live in an organized environment, secure in the knowledge that he or she will not be threatened or harassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-connelly/every-good-soldier-wants-to-live-in-an-organized-environment-secure/) [William A. Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-connelly/) > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [A good soldier has his heart and soul in it. When he receives an order, he gets a hard on, and when he drives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/a-good-soldier-has-his-heart-and-soul-in-it-when-he-receives-an-order/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [To be a good soldier, you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/to-be-a-good-soldier-you-must-love-the-army-to-be-a-good-commander/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [Every good soldier is trained for the battle field. God is prepping you my darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonto-dikeh/every-good-soldier-is-trained-for-the-battle-field-god-is-prepping/) [Tonto Dikeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonto-dikeh/) > [A good soldier, like a good horse, cannot be of a bad color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/a-good-soldier-like-a-good-horse-cannot-be-of-a-bad-color/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [No man was ever a good soldier but the man who goes into the battle determined to conquer, or not to come back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/no-man-was-ever-a-good-soldier-but-the-man-who-goes-into-the-battle/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [In order to be a good soldier it is necessary to know how to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-order-to-be-a-good-soldier-it-is-necessary-to-know-how-to-dance/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More by Stephen Dobyns > [Love doesn't need a reason. Hate needs a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/love-doesn-t-need-a-reason-hate-needs-a-reason/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Isn't that why you want to shoot yourself? To make a protest against change?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/isn-t-that-why-you-want-to-shoot-yourself-to-make-a-protest-against/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“If he could not find beauty, nothing else would be worth finding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/if-he-could-not-find-beauty-nothing-else-would-be-worth-finding/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [He thinks of that ocean house and wishes he were back in his former life or that one could take one moment and remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/he-thinks-of-that-ocean-house-and-wishes-he-were-back-in-his-former/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [My wife's dying upstairs and I can't do anything about it. I look in her face and I see the memories there. 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A work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/a-work-of-art-gives-testimony-to-what-it-is-to-be-a-human-being-it/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“It was not that she felt any allegiance to the truth. God knows she had cheated on too many men for the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/it-was-not-that-she-felt-any-allegiance-to-the-truth-god-knows-she/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [I'm reading "The Sunset of a Splendid Century" by W.H. Lewis. He was C.S. Lewis's brother. He wrote two books about the French court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-m-reading-the-sunset-of-a-splendid-century-by-w-h-lewis-he-was-c-s/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Each thing I do I rush through so I can do something else.. in such a way do the days pass.. I see all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/each-thing-i-do-i-rush-through-so-i-can-do-something-else-in-such-a-2/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [It was as if pain were a room he had entered and the door had been locked behind him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/it-was-as-if-pain-were-a-room-he-had-entered-and-the-door-had-been/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [Many of my poems try to use a comic element to reach a place that isn't comic at all. The comic element works as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/many-of-my-poems-try-to-use-a-comic-element-to-reach-a-place-that-isn/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [I majored in English in college and that was my major in graduate school before switching to creative writing. 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