--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A learned man is a sedentary…" description: "\"A learned man is a sedentary, concentrated solitary enthusiast, who searches through books to discover some particular grain of truth upon which he has..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/virginia-woolf-49_authority_a-learned-man-is-a-sedentary-concentrate_289061.jpg" --- # A learned man is a sedentary, concentrated solitary… ![“A learned man is a sedentary, concentrated solitary enthusiast, who searches through books to discover some particular grain of truth upon which he has set his heart. If the passion for reading conquers him, his gains dwindle and vanish between his fingers. A reader, on the other hand, must check…” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/virginia-woolf-49_authority_a-learned-man-is-a-sedentary-concentrate_289061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/virginia-woolf-49_authority_a-learned-man-is-a-sedentary-concentrate_289061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/virginia-woolf-49_authority_a-learned-man-is-a-sedentary-concentrate_289061.jpg) > “A learned man is a sedentary, concentrated solitary enthusiast, who searches through books to discover some particular grain of truth upon which he has set his heart. If the passion for reading conquers him, his gains dwindle and vanish between his fingers. A reader, on the other hand, must check the desire for learning at the outset; if knowledge sticks to him well and good, but to go in pursuit of it, to read on a system, to become a specialist or an authority, is very apt to kill what suits us to consider the more humane passion for pure and disinterested reading.” [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A scholar may become trapped by obsessive study, losing the joy of reading for its own sake. **In simple terms:** Over‑studying can kill the love of reading. Key Takeaway Balance depth with curiosity. Themes learning reading passion balance Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - academic research - personal study - literary criticism - self‑education Key Concepts specialization intellectualism pure reading Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep reading enjoyable? - When does specialization hinder curiosity? A Different Perspective Depth can become a barrier to enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Checks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks/) [Conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquer/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-learning-2785855/) [Disinterested Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disinterested-reading-2785854/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Grain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grain/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Humane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humane/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learned Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-man-320250/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passion Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-reading-739047/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Solitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary/) [Specialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specialists/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Do you know I get such a passion for reading sometimes its like the other passion -writing- only the wrong side of the carpet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/do-you-know-i-get-such-a-passion-for-reading-sometimes-its-like-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-most-important-attitude-that-can-be-formed-is-that-of-desire-to/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The religious training inspired in me a desire for learning. In fact, I am immensely grateful for my Catholic education for instilling in me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-lawlor/the-religious-training-inspired-in-me-a-desire-for-learning-in-fact-i/) [Leonard Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-lawlor/) > [The fetish of the great university, of expensive colleges for young women, is too often simply a fetish. It is not based on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-fetish-of-the-great-university-of-expensive-colleges-for-young/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [Educational success should be measured by how strong your desire is to keep learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/educational-success-should-be-measured-by-how-strong-your-desire-is/) [Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/) > [If you desire ease, forsake learning. If you desire learning, forsake ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagarjun/if-you-desire-ease-forsake-learning-if-you-desire-learning-forsake/) [Nagarjun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagarjun/) > [Let us begin by clearing up the old confusion between theman who loves learning and the man who loves reading, and point out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/let-us-begin-by-clearing-up-the-old-confusion-between-theman-who/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I have always loved books, and as a mother, I wanted to share my passion for reading with my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/i-have-always-loved-books-and-as-a-mother-i-wanted-to-share-my/) [Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/) > [“The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/the-greatest-gift-is-a-passion-for-reading-it-is-cheap-it-consoles-it/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [The greatest gift is a passion for reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/the-greatest-gift-is-a-passion-for-reading/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [My passion was reading newspapers - and I became curious, in particular, about Islam and the Arab world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/my-passion-was-reading-newspapers-and-i-became-curious-in-particular/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [Of all things I liked books best. My father had a large library and whenever I could manage I tried to satisfy my passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/of-all-things-i-liked-books-best-my-father-had-a-large-library-and/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [I can clearly trace my passion for reading back to the Jonesboro, Georgia, library, where, for the first time in my life, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-can-clearly-trace-my-passion-for-reading-back-to-the-jonesboro/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [Criticism starts - it has to start - with a real passion for reading. It can come in adolescence, even in your twenties, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/criticism-starts-it-has-to-start-with-a-real-passion-for-reading-it/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“Sleeping is my passion, reading is my hobby and you are my drug.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aril-daine/sleeping-is-my-passion-reading-is-my-hobby-and-you-are-my-drug/) [Aril Daine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aril-daine/) ## More by Virginia Woolf > [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here & read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [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/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. 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This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. 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Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A learned man is a sedentary, concentrated solitary enthusiast, who searches through books to discover some particular grain of truth upon which he has set his heart. If the passion for reading conquers him, his gains dwindle and vanish between his fingers. 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