---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He began to read at haphazard. He entered…"
description: "\"“He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to find in each some guide by which he could ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg"
---

#  He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system…

![“He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to find in each some guide by which he could rule his conduct; he felt himself like a traveller in unknown countries and as he pushed forward the enterprise fascinated him; he read emotionally…” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg)

> ““He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to find in each some guide by which he could rule his conduct; he felt himself like a traveller in unknown countries and as he pushed forward the enterprise fascinated him; he read emotionally, as other men read pure literature, and his heart leaped as he discovered in noble words what himself had obscurely felt.””

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## About This Quote

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

Reading with excitement turns literature into a guide for personal conduct, revealing hidden feelings.

**In simple terms:** Exciting reading reveals self‑knowledge.

Key Takeaway

Read actively to discover inner truths.

Themes

learning self‑discovery literature

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- educational pursuits
- creative writing
- self‑reflection

Key Concepts

narrative immersion emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- What books have shaped your values?
- How does emotional reading affect decisions?

A Different Perspective

Over‑identification with characters may blur reality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Began Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-read-516791/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Enterprise Fascinated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise-fascinated-4332559/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-heart-4332558/) [Read Emotionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-emotionally-4332556/) [Read Haphazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-haphazard-4332557/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-de-lamartine/music-is-the-literature-of-the-heart-it-commences-where-speech-ends/)

[Alphonse de Lamartine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-de-lamartine/)

> [“He thought the best thing he had gained in Paris was a complete liberty of spirit, and he felt himself at last absolutely free.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-thought-the-best-thing-he-had-gained-in-paris-was-a-complete/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“It came upon me little by little. I came to like the life here, with its ease and its leisure, and the people, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-came-upon-me-little-by-little-i-came-to-like-the-life-here-with/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> ['Beasts of No Nation' began when I read an article about child soldiers in Sierra Leone during my final year of high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/beasts-of-no-nation-began-when-i-read-an-article-about-child-soldiers/)

[Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/)

> [“Eventually, in an attempt to avoid his nightmares, he began to read, late at night, which was when his motionless body felt most restless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eventually-in-an-attempt-to-avoid-his-nightmares-he-began-to-read/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I first began to read religious books at school, and especially the Bible, when I was eleven years old; and almost immediately commenced a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-first-began-to-read-religious-books-at-school-and-especially-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“After I consumed Frost in his entirety, my days of exploration began. I read The Diving Comedy while leafing through E. E. Cummings. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-gordon/after-i-consumed-frost-in-his-entirety-my-days-of-exploration-began-i/)

[Spencer Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-gordon/)

> [“She picked up the book she was reading, Beyond the Ice Limit, found her dog-eared place at the beginning of chapter six, and began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/she-picked-up-the-book-she-was-reading-beyond-the-ice-limit-found-her/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

> [I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was life-changing. I read Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read-some-stuff-on-my-own-my/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“The start of a new novel carried with it a sense of occasion, and the alphabets in Luna’s mind started to shuffle their letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/the-start-of-a-new-novel-carried-with-it-a-sense-of-occasion-and-the/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [Klaus sighed, and opened a book, and as at so many other times when the middle Baudelaire child did not want to think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/klaus-sighed-and-opened-a-book-and-as-at-so-many-other-times-when-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She found the page, cleared her throat and began to read, " 'There was nary a doubt that I had ever seen such big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/she-found-the-page-cleared-her-throat-and-began-to-read-there-was/)

[Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/)

> [“Bastian looked at the book. 'I wonder,' he said to himself, 'what's in a book while it's closed. Oh, I know it's full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/bastian-looked-at-the-book-i-wonder-he-said-to-himself-what-s-in-a/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“once i began to read I began to exist”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/once-i-began-to-read-i-began-to-exist/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

> [I was an atheist, I was open-minded, and I began to read in that direction, in the direction of Islam, and everything that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-was-an-atheist-i-was-open-minded-and-i-began-to-read-in-that/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

## More by W. Somerset Maugham

> [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

[Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to find in each some guide by which he could rule his conduct; he felt himself like a traveller in unknown countries and as he pushed forward the enterprise fascinated him; he read emotionally, as other men read pure literature, and his heart leaped as he discovered in noble words what himself had obscurely felt.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. Somerset Maugham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered-upon-each-system-with-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered-upon-each-system-with-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/w-somerset-maugham-237_adventure_he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered_1310264.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to…” — W. Somerset Maugham",
                "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": "W. Somerset Maugham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He began to read at haphazard....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered-upon-each-system-with-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered-upon-each-system-with-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
