--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A child's reading is guided by pleasure…" description: "\"“A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure is undifferentiated; he cannot distinguish, for example, between aesthetic pleasure and the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/w-h-auden-2-7412_books_a-child-s-reading-is-guided-by-pleasure_44469.jpg" --- # A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure… ![“A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure is undifferentiated; he cannot distinguish, for example, between aesthetic pleasure and the pleasures of learning or daydreaming. In adolescence we realize that there are different kinds of pleasure, some of which cannot be enjoyed…” quote by W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/w-h-auden-2-7412_books_a-child-s-reading-is-guided-by-pleasure_44469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/w-h-auden-2-7412_books_a-child-s-reading-is-guided-by-pleasure_44469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/w-h-auden-2-7412_books_a-child-s-reading-is-guided-by-pleasure_44469.jpg) > ““A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure is undifferentiated; he cannot distinguish, for example, between aesthetic pleasure and the pleasures of learning or daydreaming. In adolescence we realize that there are different kinds of pleasure, some of which cannot be enjoyed simultaneously, but we need help from others in defining them. Whether it be a matter of taste in food or taste in literature, the adolescent looks for a mentor in whose authority he can believe. He eats or reads what his mentor recommends and, inevitably, there are occasions when he has to deceive himself a little; he has to pretend that he enjoys olives or War and Peace a little more than he actually does. Between the ages of twenty and forty we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our duty to outgrow and the necessary limitations of our nature beyond which we cannot trespass with impunity. Few of us can learn this without making mistakes, without trying to become a little more of a universal man than we are permitted to be. It is during this period that a writer can most easily be led astray by another writer or by some ideology. When someone between twenty and forty says, apropos of a work of art, 'I know what I like,'he is really saying 'I have no taste of my own but accept the taste of my cultural milieu', because, between twenty and forty, the surest sign that a man has a genuine taste of his own is that he is uncertain of it. After forty, if we have not lost our authentic selves altogether, pleasure can again become what it was when we were children, the proper guide to what we should read.”” [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes how pleasure guides reading in childhood, becomes fragmented in adolescence requiring mentors, and later matures into a nuanced, authentic guide after life experience. **In simple terms:** Pleasure evolves from undifferentiated to discerning across life stages. Key Takeaway Authentic taste emerges through uncertainty and self‑reflection. Themes development taste identity mentorship self‑knowledge Mood reflective introspective nostalgic Type philosophical literary observational When to use this quote - choosing books in youth - seeking literary mentors - navigating career choices - evaluating artistic preferences Key Concepts pleasure reading adolescence cultural influence Practical Applications - designing reading curricula - coaching personal development Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty signal genuine taste? - What role does mentorship play in shaping preferences? A Different Perspective Some argue that taste can be cultivated without deception, relying on exposure rather than pretended enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Guidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guidance/) [Help From Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-from-others/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [When someone between twenty and forty says, apropos of a work of art, 'I know what I like,' he is really saying 'I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-between-twenty-and-forty-says-apropos-of-a-work-of-art-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Taking the alphabet first and learning one letter a year for twenty-six years he will be able to read and write as early in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kendrick-bangs/taking-the-alphabet-first-and-learning-one-letter-a-year-for-twenty/) [John Kendrick Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kendrick-bangs/) > [There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-surer-foundation-for-a-beautiful-friendship-than-a-mutual/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Taste is to literature what bon ton is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/taste-is-to-literature-what-bon-ton-is-in-society/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [You can tell a man's taste in literature by his judgment in knowing what not to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/you-can-tell-a-man-s-taste-in-literature-by-his-judgment-in-knowing/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [“Books are too personal as objects to be displayed, in case a potential buyer is put off by your taste for Nietzsche or Marian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/books-are-too-personal-as-objects-to-be-displayed-in-case-a-potential/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) > [Anyone who reads advice books about romance has one problem to begin with: bad taste in literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/anyone-who-reads-advice-books-about-romance-has-one-problem-to-begin/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“For each now strives to isolate his person as much as possible from the others, wishing to experience within himself life's completeness, yet from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/for-each-now-strives-to-isolate-his-person-as-much-as-possible-from/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Leadership is about pointing in the direction, articulating a vision of the world that does not yet exist. 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These cannot be viewed merely as successive steps, since most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-e-adams/there-are-at-least-seven-separately-definable-elements-involved-in/) [Jay E. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-e-adams/) > [“It doesn’t matter how smart you are – you can only accomplish finite with two hands and one brain. To scale heights, you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jag-randhawa/it-doesn-t-matter-how-smart-you-are-you-can-only-accomplish-finite/) [Jag Randhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jag-randhawa/) > [“No one made it to the top without the help from others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-corazzari/no-one-made-it-to-the-top-without-the-help-from-others/) [Manuel Corazzari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-corazzari/) > [“Most of those who think their strength is gone and ask for help from others do not know that the strength that seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/most-of-those-who-think-their-strength-is-gone-and-ask-for-help-from/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by W.H. Auden > [“Part came from Lane, and part from D.H. Lawrence; Gide, though I didn't know it then, gave part. 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Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“In any first-class work of art, you can find passages that in themselves are extremely boring, but try to cut them out, as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/in-any-first-class-work-of-art-you-can-find-passages-that-in/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Healing is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/healing-is-not-a-science-but-the-intuitive-art-of-wooing-nature/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“For a desert island, one would choose a good dictionary rather than the greatest literary masterpiece imaginable, for, in relation to its readers, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/for-a-desert-island-one-would-choose-a-good-dictionary-rather-than/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Sorry, my dear, one mustn't be bohemian!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/sorry-my-dear-one-mustn-t-be-bohemian/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Our hunting fathers told the story Of the sadness of the creatures, Pitied the limits and the lack Set in their finished features; Saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/our-hunting-fathers-told-the-story-of-the-sadness-of-the-creatures/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“After Portia has trapped Shylock through his own insistence upon the letter of the law of Contract, she produces another law by which any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/after-portia-has-trapped-shylock-through-his-own-insistence-upon-the/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Iago’s treatment of Othello conforms to Bacon’s definition of scientific enquiry as putting Nature to the Question. If a member of the audience were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/iago-s-treatment-of-othello-conforms-to-bacon-s-definition-of/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“But round your image there is no fog, and the Earth can still astonish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/but-round-your-image-there-is-no-fog-and-the-earth-can-still-astonish/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“O dear white children casual as birds, Playing among the ruined languages, So small beside their large confusing words, So gay against the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/o-dear-white-children-casual-as-birds-playing-among-the-ruined/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) [Explore all 89 W.H. Auden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## 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! 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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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": "“A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure is undifferentiated; he cannot distinguish, for example, between aesthetic pleasure and the pleasures of learning or daydreaming. In adolescence we realize that there are different kinds of pleasure, some of which cannot be enjoyed simultaneously, but we need help from others in defining them. Whether it be a matter of taste in food or taste in literature, the adolescent looks for a mentor in whose authority he can believe. He eats or reads what his mentor recommends and, inevitably, there are occasions when he has to deceive himself a little; he has to pretend that he enjoys olives or War and Peace a little more than he actually does. Between the ages of twenty and forty we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our duty to outgrow and the necessary limitations of our nature beyond which we cannot trespass with impunity. Few of us can learn this without making mistakes, without trying to become a little more of a universal man than we are permitted to be. It is during this period that a writer can most easily be led astray by another writer or by some ideology. When someone between twenty and forty says, apropos of a work of art, 'I know what I like,'he is really saying 'I have no taste of my own but accept the taste of my cultural milieu', because, between twenty and forty, the surest sign that a man has a genuine taste of his own is that he is uncertain of it. After forty, if we have not lost our authentic selves altogether, pleasure can again become what it was when we were children, the proper guide to what we should read.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.H. 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