--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It doesn't matter what you read. What…" description: "\"“It doesn't matter what you read. What matters is you read. Whether it’s Tolstoy or Twilight, Kierkegaard or Betty and Veronica, keep reading, and don’..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/trent-zelazny-35709_books_it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-read-what-mat_376349.jpg" --- # It doesn't matter what you read. What matters is you read… ![“It doesn't matter what you read. What matters is you read. Whether it’s Tolstoy or Twilight, Kierkegaard or Betty and Veronica, keep reading, and don’t ever let somebody else—anybody—have a say about, or try to control, what you choose to learn from and/or escape into.” quote by Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/trent-zelazny-35709_books_it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-read-what-mat_376349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/trent-zelazny-35709_books_it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-read-what-mat_376349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/trent-zelazny-35709_books_it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-read-what-mat_376349.jpg) > ““It doesn't matter what you read. What matters is you read. Whether it’s Tolstoy or Twilight, Kierkegaard or Betty and Veronica, keep reading, and don’t ever let somebody else—anybody—have a say about, or try to control, what you choose to learn from and/or escape into.”” [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading is valuable regardless of content; the act of reading cultivates mind and freedom of choice. **In simple terms:** Reading matters more than what you read. Key Takeaway Read consistently, choose freely. Themes education freedom literacy Mood curious inspired Type advice motivational When to use this quote - personal development - academic study - creative inspiration - escape from stress Key Concepts critical thinking personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What books have shaped your worldview? - How do you balance escapism and learning? A Different Perspective Reading alone doesn't guarantee insight without reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Because what you read matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penguin-classics/because-what-you-read-matters/) Penguin Classics > [What does it matter how cultivated and up-to-date we are, or how many thousands of books we’ve read? What matters is how we feel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/what-does-it-matter-how-cultivated-and-up-to-date-we-are-or-how-many/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [What you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a while. Read The Power of Habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spence/what-you-do-every-day-matters-more-than-what-you-do-every-once-in-a/) [John Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spence/) > [Truth of the matter is, I can't even read or write music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/truth-of-the-matter-is-i-can-t-even-read-or-write-music/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [“about these matters. One read that people abroad did frequently get emotional and kill each other. Probably the heat. Miss Seeton stepped aside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heron-carvic/about-these-matters-one-read-that-people-abroad-did-frequently-get/) Heron Carvic > [“If they want to come for you, they will come, and it doesn't matter what you read or what you failed to read. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-thien/if-they-want-to-come-for-you-they-will-come-and-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Madeleine Thien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-thien/) > [It seems no matter what I read I think this is not harry potter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/it-seems-no-matter-what-i-read-i-think-this-is-not-harry-potter/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who said it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/believe-nothing-no-matter-where-you-read-it-or-who-said-it/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“But I’m not sure it actually matters what we read. Our lives continue along the straight lines that have been set out for us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/but-i-m-not-sure-it-actually-matters-what-we-read-our-lives-continue/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“But I’m not sure it actually matters what we read. Our lives continue along the straight lines that have been set out for us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/but-i-m-not-sure-it-actually-matters-what-we-read-our-lives-continue-2/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“Every real reader must read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: the whole of his/her life of reading will change its meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-milani/every-real-reader-must-read-tolstoy-and-the-purple-chair-the-whole-of/) Paolo Milani > [One of the things that really impressed me about Anna Karenina when I first read it was how Tolstoy sets you up to expect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/one-of-the-things-that-really-impressed-me-about-anna-karenina-when-i/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“I don't wish to marry, ever. I like men quite well- at least the ones I've been acquainted with- but I shouldn't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-don-t-wish-to-marry-ever-i-like-men-quite-well-at-least-the-ones-i/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“I know very well you can't help me," he said. "But I tell you, because unsuccessful and superfluous people like me find their salvation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/i-know-very-well-you-can-t-help-me-he-said-but-i-tell-you-because/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I have never read any Tolstoy. I felt badly about this until I read a Bill Simmons column where he confessed that he'd never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-have-never-read-any-tolstoy-i-felt-badly-about-this-until-i-read-a/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More by Trent Zelazny > [“Life goes different ways for different people. Some people’s lives are formed by a cookie cutter and some are immediately tossed from the kitchen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/life-goes-different-ways-for-different-people-some-people-s-lives-are/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“You build desires, and as a result, rather than just being who and what you are, you create one, ten, hundreds of false egos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/you-build-desires-and-as-a-result-rather-than-just-being-who-and-what/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“Where would people stand on abortion if Saint Mary had gotten one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/where-would-people-stand-on-abortion-if-saint-mary-had-gotten-one/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“If only Tim had gone to the goddamn store like his mother had asked him, none of this would have happened. Mom had wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/if-only-tim-had-gone-to-the-goddamn-store-like-his-mother-had-asked/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [Art is art. You can take it or leave it. Liking it or not liking it does not make you a better person, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/art-is-art-you-can-take-it-or-leave-it-liking-it-or-not-liking-it/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [Snobbery might sometimes look cool, like smoking, but the end result is usually a repelling one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/snobbery-might-sometimes-look-cool-like-smoking-but-the-end-result-is/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“The trick with that would be allowing yourself transparency, rather than trying to be transparent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/the-trick-with-that-would-be-allowing-yourself-transparency-rather/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“I’m you, Blake. I’m a reflection of you, a multi-dimensional reflection. It’s easier to see a reflection of yourself than to see yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/i-m-you-blake-i-m-a-reflection-of-you-a-multi-dimensional-reflection/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [Pure poetry in motion. A swift-moving, heartfelt tale of love and loss, two stories intersecting-an d connecting-by magic. Michelle Baker is a born poet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/pure-poetry-in-motion-a-swift-moving-heartfelt-tale-of-love-and-loss/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“Her entire being was like a wonderful yet horrible dream he wasn’t sure he could or would want to wake up from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/her-entire-being-was-like-a-wonderful-yet-horrible-dream-he-wasn-t/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [“Extinction, that’s where it’s going, that’s where we’re headed. And we’re going that way because we’re all so fucking afraid of it. We’re so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/extinction-that-s-where-it-s-going-that-s-where-we-re-headed-and-we/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) > [We learn to walk when we’re babies and never forget unless we’re drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-zelazny/we-learn-to-walk-when-we-re-babies-and-never-forget-unless-we-re-drunk/) [Trent Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) [Explore all 13 Trent Zelazny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-zelazny/) ## 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 > [“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. 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 > [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": "“It doesn't matter what you read. What matters is you read. 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