--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The books which help you most are those…" description: "\"The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading; every man that tries it finds it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/theodore-parker-4457_book_the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those_477911.png" --- # The books which help you most are those which make you… ![“The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading; every man that tries it finds it so. But a great book that comes from a great thinker, — it is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth, with beauty too.” quote by Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/theodore-parker-4457_book_the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those_477911.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/theodore-parker-4457_book_the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those_477911.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/theodore-parker-4457_book_the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those_477911.png) > “The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading; every man that tries it finds it so. But a great book that comes from a great thinker, — it is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth, with beauty too.” [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books that provoke deep thought are the most valuable; easy reading yields shallow learning, while great works carry profound truth and beauty. **In simple terms:** Deep thinking books are most valuable. Key Takeaway Seek challenging books. Themes learning critical thinking literature truth beauty Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic study - personal growth - book clubs - teaching - self‑education Key Concepts Philosophy cognitive development aesthetic appreciation Questions to Reflect On - What book has most changed your perspective? - How do you balance depth and enjoyment in reading? A Different Perspective Easy reading can still be useful for relaxation, even if less intellectually demanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-reading/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Great thinkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-thinkers/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth and beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-and-beauty/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/the-books-that-help-you-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the-most/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. A great book that comes from a great thinker is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-that-help-you-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the-most-2/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I think you must remember that a writer is a simple-minded person to begin with and go on that basis. He's not a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-caldwell/i-think-you-must-remember-that-a-writer-is-a-simple-minded-person-to/) [Erskine Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-caldwell/) > [When God lets loose a great thinker on this planet, then all things are at risk. There is not a piece of science but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-god-lets-loose-a-great-thinker-on-this-planet-then-all-things/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The host of men who stand between a great thinker and the average man are not automatic transmitters. They work on the ideas; perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-host-of-men-who-stand-between-a-great-thinker-and-the-average-man/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Every great thinker is someone else's moron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/every-great-thinker-is-someone-else-s-moron/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [I'll bet every great thinker and leader we've got Could see all kinds of things other people could not! So then why get upset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-ll-bet-every-great-thinker-and-leader-we-ve-got-could-see-all-kinds/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [No one can be a great thinker who does not recognize that as a thinker it is his first duty to follow his intellect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-one-can-be-a-great-thinker-who-does-not-recognize-that-as-a/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [I had a friend in college who loved to say: 'If you can dream it, you can do it.' It became my mantra. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-gorman/i-had-a-friend-in-college-who-loved-to-say-if-you-can-dream-it-you/) [Michele Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-gorman/) > [The small are always dependent on the great; they are "small" precisely because they think they are independent. The great thinker is one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/the-small-are-always-dependent-on-the-great-they-are-small-precisely/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [Every great thinker keeps a journal, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/every-great-thinker-keeps-a-journal-you-know/) [Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/) > [There's nothing like the discovery of an unknown work by a great thinker to set the intellectual community atwitter and cause academics to dart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-s-nothing-like-the-discovery-of-an-unknown-work-by-a-great/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-that-help-you-the-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [“Marriage is the hardest way to get a living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/marriage-is-the-hardest-way-to-get-a-living/) [Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/) > [Nothing lasts forever, I think that's the easiest lesson we all learn in the hardest way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-kirby/nothing-lasts-forever-i-think-that-s-the-easiest-lesson-we-all-learn/) [Elaine Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-kirby/) ## More by Theodore Parker > [That which is called liberality is frequently nothing more than the vanity of giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/that-which-is-called-liberality-is-frequently-nothing-more-than-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Every man has at times in his mind the Ideal of what he should be, but is not. This ideal may be high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/every-man-has-at-times-in-his-mind-the-ideal-of-what-he-should-be-but/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [For a thousand years no king in Christendom has shown such greatness or given so high a type of manly virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/for-a-thousand-years-no-king-in-christendom-has-shown-such-greatness/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Let us do our duty in our shop or our kitchen, in the market, the street, the office, the school, the home, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/let-us-do-our-duty-in-our-shop-or-our-kitchen-in-the-market-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Temperance is corporeal piety; it is the preservation of divine order in the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/temperance-is-corporeal-piety-it-is-the-preservation-of-divine-order/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Science is the natural ally of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/science-is-the-natural-ally-of-religion/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The lottery of honest labor, drawn by time, is the only one whose prizes are worth taking up and carrying home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-lottery-of-honest-labor-drawn-by-time-is-the-only-one-whose/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The joy of heaven will begin as soon as we attain the character of heaven, and do its duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-joy-of-heaven-will-begin-as-soon-as-we-attain-the-character-of/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-that-help-you-the-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Mankind never loses any good thing, physical, intellectual, or moral, till it finds a better, and then the loss is a gain. No steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/mankind-never-loses-any-good-thing-physical-intellectual-or-moral/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Manly natural religion - it is not joining the Church; it is not to believe in a creed, Hebrew, Protestant, Catholic, Trinitarian, Unitarian, Nothingarian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/manly-natural-religion-it-is-not-joining-the-church-it-is-not-to/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [What succeeds we keep, and it becomes the habit of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/what-succeeds-we-keep-and-it-becomes-the-habit-of-mankind/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Wit has its place in debate; in controversy it is a legitimate weapon, offensive and defensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/wit-has-its-place-in-debate-in-controversy-it-is-a-legitimate-weapon/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Love of truth will bless the lover all his days; yet when he brings her home, his fair-faced bride, she comes empty-handed to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/love-of-truth-will-bless-the-lover-all-his-days-yet-when-he-brings/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) [Explore all 110 Theodore Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. 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