--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you ask 20 different readers why they…" description: "\"If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.\" — Teresa Nielsen Hayden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg" --- # If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will… ![“If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.” quote by Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg) > “If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.” [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading motivations vary, and each reason is valid, reflecting personal needs and desires. **In simple terms:** Everyone has a personal reason for reading. Key Takeaway Respect diverse reading motivations. Themes reading motivation diversity personal growth Mood curious reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - education - leisure - self‑development Key Concepts psychology of reading individual purpose Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to pick up a book? - How does reading fulfill your needs? A Different Perspective Some reasons may conflict; not all motivations are positive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20 Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20-different-697385/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-readers-1226183/) [Read Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-right-240505/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) [Readers Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-read-900651/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Readers read to escape from the world, Author's write to never have to go back to it again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chami-rupasinghe/readers-read-to-escape-from-the-world-author-s-write-to-never-have-to/) [Chami Rupasinghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chami-rupasinghe/) > [I have this belief that children become readers before they can read. They become hooked on books because they were read aloud to as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-wilson/i-have-this-belief-that-children-become-readers-before-they-can-read/) [Jacqueline Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-wilson/) > [“Real readers re-read good books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-bain/real-readers-re-read-good-books/) [Darrell Bain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-bain/) > [The sun shines. Readers read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-townley/the-sun-shines-readers-read/) [Roderick Townley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderick-townley/) > [A reader is entitled to believe what he or she believes is consonant with the facts of the book. It is not unusual that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/a-reader-is-entitled-to-believe-what-he-or-she-believes-is-consonant/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I think that different pleasures work for different readers - a friend of mine won't read anything that's not a cardiovascular sort of page-turner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/i-think-that-different-pleasures-work-for-different-readers-a-friend/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [A good book changes for you every few years because you are in a different place in your own life. That's a sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/a-good-book-changes-for-you-every-few-years-because-you-are-in-a/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [I must have made 20 different bicycles in my life; bicycle parts are like works of art in miniature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-linley/i-must-have-made-20-different-bicycles-in-my-life-bicycle-parts-are/) [David Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-linley/) > [I can deal with all the pangs of having to find money in 20 different places because you don't really reap the whirlwind with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doseone/i-can-deal-with-all-the-pangs-of-having-to-find-money-in-20-different/) [Doseone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doseone/) > [I was lucky enough to co-found a business in college that ended up with 400 employees, and I launched 20 different projects while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-was-lucky-enough-to-co-found-a-business-in-college-that-ended-up/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [There are 20 different space agencies here in America, and I'm the last person that's put a man in a rocket and launched it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hughes/there-are-20-different-space-agencies-here-in-america-and-i-m-the/) [Mike Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-hughes/) > [At Getty, I would have 20 different options for the same kind of event rather than focusing on the one image that will summarize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-berehulak/at-getty-i-would-have-20-different-options-for-the-same-kind-of-event/) [Daniel Berehulak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-berehulak/) > [In a magazine, one can get - from cover to cover - 15 to 20 different ideas about life and how to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/in-a-magazine-one-can-get-from-cover-to-cover-15-to-20-different/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I use about 20 different colours to retain the luminance in my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer/i-use-about-20-different-colours-to-retain-the-luminance-in-my-work/) [John Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer/) ## More by Teresa Nielsen Hayden > [There's a rule for what makes good fantasy work, and it's as strange as any riddle ever posed in a fairy tale: In fantasy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/there-s-a-rule-for-what-makes-good-fantasy-work-and-it-s-as-strange/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Writers say many true things about their own experiences with publicity and promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/writers-say-many-true-things-about-their-own-experiences-with/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [“Writer: It's not an occupation; it's a compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/writer-it-s-not-an-occupation-it-s-a-compulsion/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [So many problems are solved simply by knowing enough verbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/so-many-problems-are-solved-simply-by-knowing-enough-verbs/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [If there is no willingness to use force to defend civil society, it's civil society that goes away, not force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-there-is-no-willingness-to-use-force-to-defend-civil-society-it-s/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [I have to go make books. Sorry about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-have-to-go-make-books-sorry-about-that/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Didn't need the user icon to know you're white and male.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/didn-t-need-the-user-icon-to-know-you-re-white-and-male/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Just because you’re on their side doesn’t mean they’re on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/just-because-you-re-on-their-side-doesn-t-mean-they-re-on-your-side/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [I believe God put that itchy spot on our backs just exactly where we can't reach it in order to encourage us be nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/i-believe-god-put-that-itchy-spot-on-our-backs-just-exactly-where-we/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Plot is a literary convention. Story is a force of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/plot-is-a-literary-convention-story-is-a-force-of-nature/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Don't use metaphors in fantasy; your readers will take them literally. Or they may take them figuratively - but if so, they'll also take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/don-t-use-metaphors-in-fantasy-your-readers-will-take-them-literally/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [Sometimes writers say true things about the overall nature of publicity, promotion, and the publishing industry; but alas, not always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/sometimes-writers-say-true-things-about-the-overall-nature-of/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [The advent of the internet has made so many things possible. Self- published recreational journalism has always been around; but back when you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/the-advent-of-the-internet-has-made-so-many-things-possible-self/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [If this power could be used for good, it wouldn't be this power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-this-power-could-be-used-for-good-it-wouldn-t-be-this-power/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) > [That's the great thing about doing good: Anyone can do it, any time, no waiting periods or batteries required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/that-s-the-great-thing-about-doing-good-anyone-can-do-it-any-time-no/) [Teresa Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) [Explore all 16 Teresa Nielsen Hayden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/) ## 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. 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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 you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Teresa Nielsen Hayden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/teresa-nielsen-hayden-31945_books_if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they_142352.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.” — Teresa Nielsen Hayden", "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": "Teresa Nielsen Hayden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-nielsen-hayden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you ask 20 different readers...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-nielsen-hayden/if-you-ask-20-different-readers-why-they-read-they-will-all-be-right/#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 } } ] } ```