---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trick is to teach yourself to read in…"
description: "\"The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.\" — Stephen King"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg"
---

#  The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as…

![“The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg)

> “The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.”

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## About This Quote

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

Reading should be practiced both in brief, frequent sessions and in longer, immersive periods.

**In simple terms:** Read in small bursts and long sessions.

Key Takeaway

Balance short and deep reading habits.

Themes

reading learning habit focus literacy

Mood

thoughtful practical

Type

educational motivational

When to use this quote

- school assignments
- personal development
- research reading
- creative writing

Key Concepts

Cognitive psychology learning strategies literature appreciation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does varied reading length affect retention?
- What reading schedule best fits your goals?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on one style may reduce comprehension depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Swallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-swallows-2421512/) [Read Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-small-2421511/) [Small Sips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-sips-2421510/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-read-609077/) [Trick Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trick-teach-2421513/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [I was read to as a small child, I read on my own as soon as I could, and I recall being more or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-was-read-to-as-a-small-child-i-read-on-my-own-as-soon-as-i-could/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [I don't read such small stuff as letters, I read men and nations. I can see through a millstone, though I can't see through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/i-don-t-read-such-small-stuff-as-letters-i-read-men-and-nations-i-can/)

[Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/)

> [“In the end, it is your responsibility to read the small print, whether it is for gig contracts, record contracts, investors, management, booking agents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-weisman/in-the-end-it-is-your-responsibility-to-read-the-small-print-whether/)

[Loren Weisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-weisman/)

> [I learned to read at two. I was in a Montessori school and they teach you to read really, really young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-fanning/i-learned-to-read-at-two-i-was-in-a-montessori-school-and-they-teach/)

[Dakota Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-fanning/)

> [A book may not tell us exactly how to live our own lives, but our own lives can teach us how to read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mead/a-book-may-not-tell-us-exactly-how-to-live-our-own-lives-but-our-own/)

[Rebecca Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mead/)

> [The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-simplest-way-to-make-sure-that-we-raise-literate-children-is-to/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Find children in your neighborhood, Teach them to read and write Take them out of the darkness, Into the light”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde/find-children-in-your-neighborhood-teach-them-to-read-and-write-take/)

[Charmaine J Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde/)

> [All that a university or final highest school. can do for us is still but what the first school began doing--teach us to read.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/all-that-a-university-or-final-highest-school-can-do-for-us-is-still/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [I have to teach myself not to read too much into everything. It comes from too long having to read into hardly anything at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/i-have-to-teach-myself-not-to-read-too-much-into-everything-it-comes/)

[Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/)

> [School made us 'literate' but did not teach us to read for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/school-made-us-literate-but-did-not-teach-us-to-read-for-pleasure/)

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

> [“A good speed reading course should therefore teach you to read at many different speeds, not just one speed that is faster than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-good-speed-reading-course-should-therefore-teach-you-to-read-at/)

[Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/)

> [All you have to do to educate a child is leave him alone and teach him to read. The rest is brainwashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/all-you-have-to-do-to-educate-a-child-is-leave-him-alone-and-teach/)

[Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/)

> [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [You could get in rehearsals, pre-production, anything that would actually contribute to the understanding of how a film gets made. I actually find those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/you-could-get-in-rehearsals-pre-production-anything-that-would/)

[Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

## More by Stephen King

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More Long quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

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

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

[Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/)

> [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

[Browse all 39,551 Long quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-in-small-sips-as-well-as-long/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Long"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-in-small-sips-as-well-as-long/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/stephen-king-13_long_the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-i_1039521.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.” — Stephen King",
                "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": "Stephen King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The trick is to teach yourself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-in-small-sips-as-well-as-long/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-trick-is-to-teach-yourself-to-read-in-small-sips-as-well-as-long/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
