---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't buy a book if you think that it can…"
description: "\"Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you educated only by reading it.\" — Vikrant Parsai"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg"
---

#  Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you…

![“Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you educated only by reading it.” quote by Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg)

> “Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you educated only by reading it.”

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Learning solely from books is insufficient; experience and critical thinking are essential.

**In simple terms:** Books alone don't educate.

Key Takeaway

Combine reading with practice.

Themes

education critical thinking experience learning

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- career growth
- self‑improvement
- academic study

Key Concepts

Epistemology pragmatism

Questions to Reflect On

- What have you learned beyond books?
- How do you test ideas you read?

A Different Perspective

Reading can be a substitute for real‑world learning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [“Having a college degree does not make you educated. Always learning new things is what makes you educated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/having-a-college-degree-does-not-make-you-educated-always-learning/)

[Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/)

> [But then it hasn't really been a focus of our government to make us an educated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/but-then-it-hasn-t-really-been-a-focus-of-our-government-to-make-us/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [Why buy a book when you can join a library?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/why-buy-a-book-when-you-can-join-a-library/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [I think it's a fallacy to say that a good book sells itself. It doesn't happen. I'm a voracious reader and I can give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/i-think-it-s-a-fallacy-to-say-that-a-good-book-sells-itself-it-doesn/)

[Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/)

> [You ever buy a book and not read it? You feel almost guilty having it up on a bookshelf. People are like, "Hey, how's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/you-ever-buy-a-book-and-not-read-it-you-feel-almost-guilty-having-it/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I believe if you've written a book, you have to stand up and say, 'Guys, buy the book.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/i-believe-if-you-ve-written-a-book-you-have-to-stand-up-and-say-guys/)

[Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/)

> [Most of the stats say that 90% of people who buy a book or check one out of a library would never get past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/most-of-the-stats-say-that-90-of-people-who-buy-a-book-or-check-one/)

[Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/)

> [“In every boy’s life, there is a girl he’ll never forget and in every girl’s life, there is a boy she’ll never forget!! -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep-nagarkar/in-every-boy-s-life-there-is-a-girl-he-ll-never-forget-and-in-every/)

[Sudeep Nagarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep-nagarkar/)

> [If you buy my book at Walmart, I don't want you to read it. I want you to set it on fire. Because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-benincasa/if-you-buy-my-book-at-walmart-i-don-t-want-you-to-read-it-i-want-you/)

[Sara Benincasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-benincasa/)

> [Sometimes, looking at the many books I have at home, I feel I shall die before I come to the end of them, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/sometimes-looking-at-the-many-books-i-have-at-home-i-feel-i-shall-die/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own; it's the freedom to buy any book you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/being-rich-is-not-about-how-much-money-you-have-or-how-many-homes-you/)

[John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/)

> [It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/it-s-against-my-principles-to-buy-a-book-i-haven-t-read-it-s-like/)

[Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/)

> [“I always buy another book when I still have ten to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipolarkath/i-always-buy-another-book-when-i-still-have-ten-to-read/)

Bipolarkath

> [You could buy my book in a paperback edition for a dollar, and in hard covers for $3.50. And for fifty cents extra, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/you-could-buy-my-book-in-a-paperback-edition-for-a-dollar-and-in-hard/)

[Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/)

> [My idea of rich is that you can buy every book you ever want without looking at the price and you're never around assholes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/my-idea-of-rich-is-that-you-can-buy-every-book-you-ever-want-without/)

[John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/)

## More by Vikrant Parsai

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [A child who goes to school but learns nothing is like an anchor that is always in the sea yet doesnt learn to swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-child-who-goes-to-school-but-learns-nothing-is-like-an-anchor-that/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [To follow good manners willingly is like paving the road and to tell somebody to follow them is like the road which is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/to-follow-good-manners-willingly-is-like-paving-the-road-and-to-tell/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We must live not as we like, but as we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/we-must-live-not-as-we-like-but-as-we-can/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Man is so intelligent animal on earth that if he was empowered as much as God, he would start battling with him to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/man-is-so-intelligent-animal-on-earth-that-if-he-was-empowered-as/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Societies that are disciplined to get what they want become dangerous when they don't get what they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/societies-that-are-disciplined-to-get-what-they-want-become-dangerous/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [It is the thoughts that matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/it-is-the-thoughts-that-matter/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [It is a bad well into which you have to pour water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/it-is-a-bad-well-into-which-you-have-to-pour-water/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [You can stop speaking to someone, but you cannot stop being related.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-can-stop-speaking-to-someone-but-you-cannot-stop-being-related/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Pay what you owe and youll know what youre worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/pay-what-you-owe-and-youll-know-what-youre-worth/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [He who has no house of his own is everywhere at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/he-who-has-no-house-of-his-own-is-everywhere-at-home/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

[Explore all 1,642 Vikrant Parsai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

## 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": "Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you educated only by reading it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vikrant Parsai"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-can-make-you-educated-only-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-can-make-you-educated-only-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/vikrant-parsai-70_book_don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-ca_2706010.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Don't buy a book if you think that it can make you educated only by reading it.” — Vikrant Parsai",
                "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": "Vikrant Parsai",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Don't buy a book if you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-can-make-you-educated-only-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/don-t-buy-a-book-if-you-think-that-it-can-make-you-educated-only-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
