---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the speedy reader paragraphs become a…"
description: "\"For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye flies over looking for landmarks, reference points, airports, restrooms, passages of sex.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png"
---

#  For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye…

![“For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye flies over looking for landmarks, reference points, airports, restrooms, passages of sex.” quote by William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png)

> “For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye flies over looking for landmarks, reference points, airports, restrooms, passages of sex.”

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

## About This Quote

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

Fast reading reduces complex text to a superficial map, missing depth and nuance.

**In simple terms:** Speed reading skims over details.

Key Takeaway

Read slowly to appreciate richness.

Themes

reading depth attention literature

Mood

analytical introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- studying literature
- editing drafts
- teaching writing
- reading for pleasure

Key Concepts

cognitive load literary analysis mindful reading

Questions to Reflect On

- When is skimming appropriate?
- How do you balance speed and depth?

A Different Perspective

Speed reading can be efficient for certain tasks, though it may sacrifice comprehension.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Airports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airports/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eye Flies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye-flies-2647076/) [Landmarks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landmarks/) [Looking Landmarks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-landmarks-5897053/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Paragraphs Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraphs-country-5897054/) [Passages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passages/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Paragraphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-paragraphs-5897055/) [Restroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restroom/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Speedy Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speedy-reader-3027209/)

## Related quotes

> [Well do I remember that dark hot little office in the hospital at Begumpett, with the necessary gleam of light coming in from under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-ross/well-do-i-remember-that-dark-hot-little-office-in-the-hospital-at/)

[Ronald Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-ross/)

> [You have to be a speedy reader because there’s so so much to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/you-have-to-be-a-speedy-reader-because-there-s-so-so-much-to-read/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [You have to be a speedy reader 'cause there's so, so much to read!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/you-have-to-be-a-speedy-reader-cause-there-s-so-so-much-to-read/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [I am concentrating docilely on the question why U.S. restrooms always appear to us as infirmaries for public distress, the place to reagain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-am-concentrating-docilely-on-the-question-why-u-s-restrooms-always/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [That awkward moment when a girl talks to you in the restroom like you guys have been best friends forever...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-a-girl-talks-to-you-in-the-restroom-like-you/)

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

> [Restrooms at gas stations were an unpleasant and shocking surprise; I had never considered the serious drawbacks of such lazily-cleaned rooms. I was completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/restrooms-at-gas-stations-were-an-unpleasant-and-shocking-surprise-i/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [Why do they call it the restroom? Is there anybody just resting in this room?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/why-do-they-call-it-the-restroom-is-there-anybody-just-resting-in/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [I propose a limitation be put on how many sqares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-propose-a-limitation-be-put-on-how-many-sqares-of-toilet-paper-can/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [When you're coming off a flight, skip the restroom by the gates and head to the one in baggage claim, which is always cleaner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/when-you-re-coming-off-a-flight-skip-the-restroom-by-the-gates-and/)

[Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/)

> [I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-propose-a-limitation-be-put-on-how-many-squares-of-toilet-paper-can/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [For a number of years at my public elementary school in rural Maine, I was treated like all the other girls in school. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/for-a-number-of-years-at-my-public-elementary-school-in-rural-maine-i/)

[Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/)

> [Anything that I'm doing I think I always come at it from an outsider perspective. The first like real front page story that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-polgreen/anything-that-i-m-doing-i-think-i-always-come-at-it-from-an-outsider/)

[Lydia Polgreen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-polgreen/)

> [We segregate men from women, and no matter how many times we insist that men and women are equal, men and women should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-t-mitchell/we-segregate-men-from-women-and-no-matter-how-many-times-we-insist/)

[W. J. T. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-t-mitchell/)

> [“Show me a filthy public restroom and I’ll show you a society where discipline and order have broken down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lourd-ernest-h-de-veyra/show-me-a-filthy-public-restroom-and-i-ll-show-you-a-society-where/)

[Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lourd-ernest-h-de-veyra/)

> [You have some cities that are saying that if you have a man who feels like he's a woman, he can use the women's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/you-have-some-cities-that-are-saying-that-if-you-have-a-man-who-feels/)

[Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/)

## More by William H. Gass

> [“Try to remember that artists in these catastrophic times, along with the serious scientists, are the only salvation for us, if there is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/try-to-remember-that-artists-in-these-catastrophic-times-along-with/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“If someone asks me, “Why do you write?” I can reply by pointing out that it is a very dumb question. Nevertheless, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/if-someone-asks-me-why-do-you-write-i-can-reply-by-pointing-out-that/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [The things that stayed were things that didn't matter except they stayed, night and day, all seasons the same, and were peaceful to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/the-things-that-stayed-were-things-that-didn-t-matter-except-they/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [When book and reader's furrowed brow meet, it isn't always the book that's stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/when-book-and-reader-s-furrowed-brow-meet-it-isn-t-always-the-book/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [Getting even is one reason for writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/getting-even-is-one-reason-for-writing/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“It's a simple world for her. A curtain fluttering - that's how she is - lives, moves - obediently, yet with every appearnace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/it-s-a-simple-world-for-her-a-curtain-fluttering-that-s-how-she-is/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“I dreamed my lips would drift down your back like a skiff on a river. I'd follow a vein with the point of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/i-dreamed-my-lips-would-drift-down-your-back-like-a-skiff-on-a-river/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“Yes, we call it recursive, the act of reading, of looping the loop, of continually returning to an earlier group of words, behaving like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/yes-we-call-it-recursive-the-act-of-reading-of-looping-the-loop-of/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“Then let us have a language worthy of our world, a democratic style where rich and well-born nouns can roister with some sluttish verb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/then-let-us-have-a-language-worthy-of-our-world-a-democratic-style/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“Excellence is inconveniently difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/excellence-is-inconveniently-difficult/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [We must take our sentences seriously, which means we must understand them philosophically, and the odd thing is that the few who do, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/we-must-take-our-sentences-seriously-which-means-we-must-understand/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [We converse as we live by repeating, by combining and recombining a few elements over and over again just as nature does when of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/we-converse-as-we-live-by-repeating-by-combining-and-recombining-a/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“Why were they whining then?...whining, damn them, whining… Because they’d have to give up their hope of living like an animal and return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/why-were-they-whining-then-whining-damn-them-whining-because-they-d/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [Sports, politics, and religion are the three passions of the badly educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/sports-politics-and-religion-are-the-three-passions-of-the-badly/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

> [“Then Jethro Furber wondered whether Omensetter wasn't an actor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/then-jethro-furber-wondered-whether-omensetter-wasn-t-an-actor/)

[William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

[Explore all 115 William H. Gass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/)

## More Airports quotes

> [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [I have to put my father over because he really taught me a lot, especially when it comes to out-of-the-ring psychology and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/i-have-to-put-my-father-over-because-he-really-taught-me-a-lot/)

[Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/)

> [Sharing a room with a cadaver is only mildly different from being in a room alone. They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-wrapped-a-movie-called-zombieland-in-which-i-was-constantly-under/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [If I never saw another airport again, I'd be happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emm-gryner/if-i-never-saw-another-airport-again-i-d-be-happy/)

[Emm Gryner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emm-gryner/)

> [If Real Madrid land on Manchester airport, then the airport will be surely flooded just to see one player whom fans want most. Everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-neville/if-real-madrid-land-on-manchester-airport-then-the-airport-will-be/)

[Gary Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-neville/)

> [What you must understand is oppression does not end with the niggers. It does not end with the poor people, it doesn't end with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/what-you-must-understand-is-oppression-does-not-end-with-the-niggers/)

[Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/)

> [She was standing in the airport of Copenhagen, staring at a doorway, trying to figure out if it was (a) a bathroom and (b)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/she-was-standing-in-the-airport-of-copenhagen-staring-at-a-doorway/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [I don't like waiting in airports for my bags. Even worse, I don't like waiting in airports when my bags are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-waugh/i-don-t-like-waiting-in-airports-for-my-bags-even-worse-i-don-t-like/)

[Steve Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-waugh/)

> [I am a Black revolutionary woman, and because of this i have been charged with and accused of every alleged crime in which a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-am-a-black-revolutionary-woman-and-because-of-this-i-have-been/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [I'm interested in people who become culturally fluent. And when I meet young people I'm often amazed they don't quite seem to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-m-interested-in-people-who-become-culturally-fluent-and-when-i-meet/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [I associate going to an airport with work because I travel so much with my job. So when I have a few days free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-glennie/i-associate-going-to-an-airport-with-work-because-i-travel-so-much/)

[Evelyn Glennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-glennie/)

> [I was once walking in an airport and a woman came up to me and said, 'Be zany!'. That'd be like walking up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-was-once-walking-in-an-airport-and-a-woman-came-up-to-me-and-said/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

> [Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon--my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/don-t-touch-my-junk-you-airport-security-goon-my-package-belongs-to/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [“Airports say work and security checks and delays. Ports say... I don’t know. Something completely different. Escape, maybe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ware/airports-say-work-and-security-checks-and-delays-ports-say-i-don-t/)

[Ruth Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ware/)

[Browse all 490 Airports quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airports/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye flies over looking for landmarks, reference points, airports, restrooms, passages of sex.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William H. Gass"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become-a-country-the-eye-flies-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Airports"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become-a-country-the-eye-flies-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/william-h-gass-4166_airports_for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become_2380993.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For the speedy reader paragraphs become a country the eye flies over looking for landmarks, reference…” — William H. Gass",
                "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": "William H. Gass",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For the speedy reader paragraphs become...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become-a-country-the-eye-flies-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/for-the-speedy-reader-paragraphs-become-a-country-the-eye-flies-over/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
