--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know many books which have bored their…" description: "\"I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png" --- # I know many books which have bored their readers, but I… ![“I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png) > “I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books that bore readers are harmless, but those that cause real harm are dangerous. **In simple terms:** Boring books are safe; harmful books are dangerous. Key Takeaway Beware of ideas that cause real harm. Themes literature ethics danger influence responsibility Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - education - publishing - political discourse Key Concepts philosophy censorship propaganda Questions to Reflect On - What makes a book harmful? - How can we balance free expression with preventing harm? A Different Perspective None; context determines impact of ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ## Related quotes > [I was never much of a reader when I was a boy. Books bored me. I liked action. 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The real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsugumi-ohba/kira-is-evil-there-s-no-denying-that-but-lately-i-ve-been-starting-to/) [Tsugumi Ohba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsugumi-ohba/) > [You have to understand the good in things, to detect the real evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/you-have-to-understand-the-good-in-things-to-detect-the-real-evil/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life. Whether a man would die tomorrow or the day after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-what-constitutes-evil-real-evil-is-the-taking-of-a-single-human/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shall-i-tell-you-what-the-real-evil-is-to-cringe-to-the-things-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sadly, of course, there is real evil in the world. You watch the news, and you see all of the people suffering and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/sadly-of-course-there-is-real-evil-in-the-world-you-watch-the-news/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [“I no nothing of god or the devil, and after 400 years... This is the only real evil left...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-no-nothing-of-god-or-the-devil-and-after-400-years-this-is-the-only/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-what-constitutes-evil-real-evil-is-the-taking-of-a-single-human-2/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [The real evil isn't the objects of technology but the tendency of technology to isolate people into lonely attitudes of objectivity. It's the objectivity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-real-evil-isn-t-the-objects-of-technology-but-the-tendency-of/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [There is no real evil in life, except great pain; all the rest is imaginary, and depends on the light in which we view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-real-evil-in-life-except-great-pain-all-the-rest-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Disabled people used to be either the good person or the real evil villain. There's no way in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/disabled-people-used-to-be-either-the-good-person-or-the-real-evil/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [Perhaps this is the only real evil left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/perhaps-this-is-the-only-real-evil-left/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“There’s real evil, Mr Honey. Not that existential crap, either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-barron/there-s-real-evil-mr-honey-not-that-existential-crap-either/) [Laird Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-barron/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## 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! 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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. 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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": "I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their-readers-but-i-know-of-none/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their-readers-but-i-know-of-none/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e70/voltaire-173_books_i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their_1170544.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.” — Voltaire", "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": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know many books which have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their-readers-but-i-know-of-none/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-know-many-books-which-have-bored-their-readers-but-i-know-of-none/#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 } } ] } ```