--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always assume that a good book is more…" description: "\"I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.\" — Umberto Eco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/umberto-eco-313_assuming_i-always-assume-that-a-good-book-is-more_772029.jpg" --- # I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than… ![“I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/umberto-eco-313_assuming_i-always-assume-that-a-good-book-is-more_772029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/umberto-eco-313_assuming_i-always-assume-that-a-good-book-is-more_772029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/umberto-eco-313_assuming_i-always-assume-that-a-good-book-is-more_772029.jpg) > “I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.” [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book can convey insights beyond its author's conscious intent, revealing deeper truths through narrative. **In simple terms:** Books can be smarter than their writers. Key Takeaway Read critically and value the text itself. Themes literature intelligence authorial intent interpretation Mood thoughtful curious Type analytical literary When to use this quote - book clubs - academic study - writing workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts semiotics philosophy creativity Questions to Reflect On - How does a text outgrow its creator? - What responsibilities do readers have? A Different Perspective Not all books surpass their authors; some reflect the author's mind. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ At age 19, I read a book \[The Intelligent Investor\] and what I'm doing today, at age 76, is running things through the same… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/at-age-19-i-read-a-book-the-intelligent-investor-and-what-i-m-doing/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [More and more the writer is aware of an international community of readers for whom dense language use and frequent local references are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-parks/more-and-more-the-writer-is-aware-of-an-international-community-of/) [Tim Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-parks/) > [There's no reason you shouldn't, as a writer, not be aware of the necessity to revise yourself constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-s-no-reason-you-shouldn-t-as-a-writer-not-be-aware-of-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“We are led to expect that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-are-led-to-expect-that-the-author-will-have-something-to-say-to/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Power in praise or mountain that move is a nice book bec not only reading it after you read when you put it into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-carothers/power-in-praise-or-mountain-that-move-is-a-nice-book-bec-not-only/) Merlin Carothers > [“Good books don't make you think, because the author has already done all of the thinking for you, but a terrible book can really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-queenan/good-books-don-t-make-you-think-because-the-author-has-already-done/) [Joe Queenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-queenan/) > [One of the two is almost always a prevailing tendency of every author: either not to say some things which certainly should be said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/one-of-the-two-is-almost-always-a-prevailing-tendency-of-every-author/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [“Stories survive not just because of empathetic characters that we can still identify with but because the author has something to say to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-connelly/stories-survive-not-just-because-of-empathetic-characters-that-we-can/) [Victoria Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-connelly/) > [The good of a book lies in its being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-good-of-a-book-lies-in-its-being-read/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [O, there is lovely to feel a book, a good book, firm in the hand, for its fatness holds rich promise, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/o-there-is-lovely-to-feel-a-book-a-good-book-firm-in-the-hand-for-its/) [Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/) > [“A good book is like a stream, with which we can flow slowly, playfully, it lets us savor the joy of weaving the magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/a-good-book-is-like-a-stream-with-which-we-can-flow-slowly-playfully/) [Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/) > [In Russia there is an emigration of intelligence: émigrés cross the frontier in order to read and to write good books. But in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-russia-there-is-an-emigration-of-intelligence-migr-s-cross-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Natalie was bored in her marriage. At first she could hardly admit it to herself. After all, they were a perfect match: similar backgrounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-becker-holstein/natalie-was-bored-in-her-marriage-at-first-she-could-hardly-admit-it/) [Barbara Becker Holstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-becker-holstein/) > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. 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But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) [Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More Assuming quotes > [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/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. 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