--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of all I have ever seen or learned, that…" description: "\"“Of all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth — an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/thomas-wolfe-4237_books_of-all-i-have-ever-seen-or-learned-that_801464.jpg" --- # Of all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me… ![“Of all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth — and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to…” quote by Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/thomas-wolfe-4237_books_of-all-i-have-ever-seen-or-learned-that_801464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/thomas-wolfe-4237_books_of-all-i-have-ever-seen-or-learned-that_801464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/thomas-wolfe-4237_books_of-all-i-have-ever-seen-or-learned-that_801464.jpg) > ““Of all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth — and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound.”” [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author praises Ecclesiastes as the most profound, wise, and beautiful piece of literature, viewing it as the pinnacle of poetic truth and lasting wisdom. **In simple terms:** Ecclesiastes is the ultimate wise book. Key Takeaway Read and contemplate timeless wisdom. Themes literature wisdom poetry truth philosophy Mood contemplative respectful academic Type philosophical literary inspirational When to use this quote - studying classic texts - seeking philosophical guidance - applying ancient wisdom today - teaching literature appreciation Key Concepts spiritual insight human condition eternal truths Questions to Reflect On - What lessons from Ecclesiastes resonate today? - How does poetry convey truth? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary across cultures and personal beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Ecclesiastes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecclesiastes/) [Ecclesiastes Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecclesiastes-greatest-6136428/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Man's Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mans-life/) [Noblest Wisest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noblest-wisest-6136430/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Say Ecclesiastes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-ecclesiastes-6136429/) [Wisdom Expressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-expressed-4970378/) ## Related quotes > [We believe in the wisdom once expressed by the hockey star Wayne Gretzky, who explained his success by saying, 'I skate to where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/we-believe-in-the-wisdom-once-expressed-by-the-hockey-star-wayne/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [“This was the reason why, when he would try to remember how he looked when dead, he could remember nothing clearly except the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/this-was-the-reason-why-when-he-would-try-to-remember-how-he-looked/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“I believe in the power of origins, a belief that, as Ecclesiastes put it, 'that wich is done is that wich shall be done:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-believe-in-the-power-of-origins-a-belief-that-as-ecclesiastes-put/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [No Ideas original - there is nothing new under the sun...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/no-ideas-original-there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“Live in such a way that even if given another opportunity to live your life all over again, you would still choose to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-girao/live-in-such-a-way-that-even-if-given-another-opportunity-to-live/) [William B. 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"Ecclesiastes calls you the All-powerful; the Maccabees call you the Creator; the Epistle to the Ephesians calls you liberty; Baruch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/oh-you-who-are-ecclesiastes-calls-you-the-all-powerful-the-maccabees/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other. —Ecclesiastes 8:9      ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-seraphs/i-have-thought-deeply-about-all-that-goes-on-here-under-the-sun-where/) [Marc Seraphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-seraphs/) > [As Ecclesiastes tells it, a wholesale devotion to pleasure will, paradoxically, lead to a state of utter despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/as-ecclesiastes-tells-it-a-wholesale-devotion-to-pleasure-will/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [All things come alike to all; there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/all-things-come-alike-to-all-there-is-one-event-to-the-righteous-and/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-gaines/i-know-that-there-is-nothing-better-for-people-than-to-be-happy-and/) [Chip Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-gaines/) > [There is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/there-is-a-time-to-weep-and-a-time-to-laugh-a-time-to-mourn-and-a/) [Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon/) > [A good name is better than precious ointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/a-good-name-is-better-than-precious-ointment/) [Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon/) > [“A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-time-to-be-born-and-a-time-to-die-a-time-to-plant-and-a-time-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The point which we consider it our duty to note is, that outside of and beyond his faith, as it were, the Bishop possessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-point-which-we-consider-it-our-duty-to-note-is-that-outside-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3: 11a”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-rae-jordan/he-has-made-everything-beautiful-in-its-time-ecclesiastes-3-11a/) [Kimberly Rae Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-rae-jordan/) ## More by Thomas Wolfe > [“So all were gone at last, one by one, each swept out into the mighty flood tide of the city's life, there to prove,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/so-all-were-gone-at-last-one-by-one-each-swept-out-into-the-mighty/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“A stick is not only wood but the negation of wood. It is the meeting in space of wood and no-wood. A stick is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/a-stick-is-not-only-wood-but-the-negation-of-wood-it-is-the-meeting/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/all-things-on-earth-point-home-in-old-october-sailors-to-sea/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“At these repeated signs of decadence in a society which had once been the object of his envy and his highest ambition, Webber's face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/at-these-repeated-signs-of-decadence-in-a-society-which-had-once-been/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [If a man has talent and can't use it, he's failed. If he uses only half of it, he has partly failed. 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It seemed to him that all man’s life was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/there-came-to-him-an-image-of-man-s-whole-life-upon-the-earth-it/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“He had learned some of the things that every man must find out for himself, and he had found out about them as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/he-had-learned-some-of-the-things-that-every-man-must-find-out-for/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [What I had to face, the very bitter lesson that everyone who wants to write has got to learn, was that a thing may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/what-i-had-to-face-the-very-bitter-lesson-that-everyone-who-wants-to/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [The mountains were his masters. They rimmed in life. They were the cup of reality, beyond growth, beyond struggle and death. They were his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/the-mountains-were-his-masters-they-rimmed-in-life-they-were-the-cup/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“For four years he lived in Brooklyn, and four years in Brooklyn are a geologic age -- a single stratum of grey time. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/for-four-years-he-lived-in-brooklyn-and-four-years-in-brooklyn-are-a/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Eugene looked with passionate devotion at that grand old head, calm, wise and comforting. In a moment of vision, he saw that, for him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/eugene-looked-with-passionate-devotion-at-that-grand-old-head-calm/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Each moment is the fruit of forty thousand years. The minute-winning days, like flies, buzz home to death, and every moment is a window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/each-moment-is-the-fruit-of-forty-thousand-years-the-minute-winning/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Among other things Jonestown was an example of a definition well known to sociologists of religion: a cult is a religion with no political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/among-other-things-jonestown-was-an-example-of-a-definition-well/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“They clung together in that bright moment of wonder, there on the magic island, where the world was quiet, believing all they said. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/they-clung-together-in-that-bright-moment-of-wonder-there-on-the/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/loneliness-is-and-always-has-been-the-central-and-inevitable/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) [Explore all 109 Thomas Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) ## 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! 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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": "“Of all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth — and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. 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