--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only advice ... that one person can…" description: "\"The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg" --- # The only advice ... that one person can give another about… ![“The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg) > “The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.” [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. Reading should be guided by personal judgment rather than external directives, encouraging independent thought. **In simple terms:** Read by trusting yourself. Key Takeaway Trust your instincts when reading. Themes independence critical thinking reading self-reliance Mood thoughtful reflective Type advice literary When to use this quote - choosing books - literary analysis - educational settings Key Concepts literary criticism personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal taste with broader literary insights? - What role does community play in shaping reading habits? A Different Perspective Advice may overlook diverse perspectives that can enrich understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Advice Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice-person-928545/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Person Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-reading-794247/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-advice-2492537/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [That one person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-one-person/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-only-advice-indeed-that-one-person-can-give-another-about-reading/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I would never offer advice without the person asking for it. I, in general, don't believe in giving advice, actually, as a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-would-never-offer-advice-without-the-person-asking-for-it-i-in/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [It's unrealistic to expect the person you go to for sage advice also to be the person you go out and have a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/it-s-unrealistic-to-expect-the-person-you-go-to-for-sage-advice-also/) [Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/) > [I mean, I try to say the right things and give the right advice. But still, I'm only a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-brandis/i-mean-i-try-to-say-the-right-things-and-give-the-right-advice-but/) [Jonathan Brandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-brandis/) > [I never give advice unless someone asks me for it. One thing I've learned, and possibly the only advice I have to give, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-never-give-advice-unless-someone-asks-me-for-it-one-thing-i-ve/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Every person who has a reading with me has an audiotape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/every-person-who-has-a-reading-with-me-has-an-audiotape/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [Beautiful- defination of the person who's reading this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/beautiful-defination-of-the-person-who-s-reading-this/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/) > [“Clothes does not make the person; reading does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxleyval-sagasta/clothes-does-not-make-the-person-reading-does/) [Laxleyval Sagasta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laxleyval-sagasta/) > [The words are not mere words. They are the breath and mind, perhaps even the soul, of the person who is reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verlyn-klinkenborg/the-words-are-not-mere-words-they-are-the-breath-and-mind-perhaps/) [Verlyn Klinkenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verlyn-klinkenborg/) > [My earliest memory of books is not of reading but of being read to. I spent hours listening, watching the face of the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-earliest-memory-of-books-is-not-of-reading-but-of-being-read-to-i/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [I'm a private person, a shy person. Sometimes, reading for eleven hours straight feels to me like the perfect way to spend a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-m-a-private-person-a-shy-person-sometimes-reading-for-eleven-hours/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [Books, I don't know what you see in them. I can understand a person reading them, but I can't for the life of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/books-i-don-t-know-what-you-see-in-them-i-can-understand-a-person/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mem-fox/the-fire-of-literacy-is-created-by-the-emotional-sparks-between-a-2/) [Mem Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mem-fox/) > [the Bible is only as good and decent as the person reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-bible-is-only-as-good-and-decent-as-the-person-reading-it/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [“It doesn't matter how many copies of my book I sell. The important thing is that the person reading it likes it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-raygoza/it-doesn-t-matter-how-many-copies-of-my-book-i-sell-the-important/) [Jennifer Raygoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-raygoza/) ## 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 Advice quotes > [The sensible person is always serious about sensible advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-sensible-person-is-always-serious-about-sensible-advice/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Time is priceless. You have it, but you don't own it. You spend it, but you can't keep it. And once it's gone, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-priceless-you-have-it-but-you-don-t-own-it-you-spend-it-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't need to take a persons advice to make him feel good, just ask him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/you-don-t-need-to-take-a-persons-advice-to-make-him-feel-good-just/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [“If your clothes are enough to drive would-be friends away, they're not the kind of friends you want." Typical mother advice. Sweet, honest, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/if-your-clothes-are-enough-to-drive-would-be-friends-away-they-re-not/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [“My kingdom not for a horse, but for a good piece of advice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/my-kingdom-not-for-a-horse-but-for-a-good-piece-of-advice/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [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/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [My relationship with Ibrahimovic was completely neutral. He is not the type of player to approach the younger players and give them advice. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-coman/my-relationship-with-ibrahimovic-was-completely-neutral-he-is-not-the/) [Kingsley Coman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-coman/) [Browse all 8,535 Advice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virginia Woolf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give-another-about-reading-is-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give-another-about-reading-is-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/virginia-woolf-49_advice_the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give_2014379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own…” — Virginia Woolf", "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": "Virginia Woolf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only advice ... that one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give-another-about-reading-is-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-only-advice-that-one-person-can-give-another-about-reading-is-to/#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 } } ] } ```