---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a most wonderful comfort to sit…"
description: "\"It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg"
---

#  It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a…

![“It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.” quote by Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg)

> “It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.”

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

## About This Quote

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

Reading alone under a lamp creates an intimate connection with authors from the past, offering comfort and a sense of companionship.

**In simple terms:** Reading links us with past minds.

Key Takeaway

Books bridge time and loneliness.

Themes

reading solitude literature historical connection

Mood

tranquil nostalgic

Type

reflection personal insight

When to use this quote

- late‑night study sessions
- quiet evenings with a classic novel
- reflective journaling after reading

Key Concepts

intellectual companionship comfort through narrative

Practical Applications

- set a dedicated reading nook
- schedule regular solitary reading time

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does solitary reading feel like a conversation?
- Can this comfort replace human interaction?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Communes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communes/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [“Before I took to the road, a friend tried to get me to go to a department store with him. He said it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/before-i-took-to-the-road-a-friend-tried-to-get-me-to-go-to-a/)

[Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/)

> [I am invariably of the politics of the people at whose table I sit, or beneath whose roof I sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-invariably-of-the-politics-of-the-people-at-whose-table-i-sit-or/)

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

> [“The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under a lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/the-pleasantest-of-all-diversions-is-to-sit-alone-under-a-lamp-a-book/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [I went over to see Marina two or three or four times a week. I knew as long as I could see the girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-over-to-see-marina-two-or-three-or-four-times-a-week-i-knew-as/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [When I look back at my past and the way I grew up, I grew up on communes. That was meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/when-i-look-back-at-my-past-and-the-way-i-grew-up-i-grew-up-on/)

[Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/)

> [In 1980, Osho left India for America. I, like many other sannyasins, moved to Oregon where work had begun on the 'new commune'. Osho…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-anand-milarepa/in-1980-osho-left-india-for-america-i-like-many-other-sannyasins/)

Swami Anand Milarepa

> [The older I get, the more of a recluse I turn into. I love the social aspect of my work. It’s like a commune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-daniels/the-older-i-get-the-more-of-a-recluse-i-turn-into-i-love-the-social/)

[Ben Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-daniels/)

> [Back in the 60s, San Francisco artists lived in communes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gedde-watanabe/back-in-the-60s-san-francisco-artists-lived-in-communes/)

[Gedde Watanabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gedde-watanabe/)

> [The psalms, like no other literature, lift us to a position where we can commune with God, capturing a sense of the greatness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-fee/the-psalms-like-no-other-literature-lift-us-to-a-position-where-we/)

[Gordon Fee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-fee/)

> [Anyone who says that economic security is a human right, has been to much babied. While he babbles, other men are risking and losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/anyone-who-says-that-economic-security-is-a-human-right-has-been-to/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [When we commune with the spirit within and ask for new ideas, they are always forthcoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fillmore/when-we-commune-with-the-spirit-within-and-ask-for-new-ideas-they-are/)

[Charles Fillmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fillmore/)

> [Atheism in legislation, indifference in matters of religion, and the pernicious maxims which go under the name of Liberal Catholicism are the true causes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-ix/atheism-in-legislation-indifference-in-matters-of-religion-and-the/)

[Pope Pius IX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-ix/)

> [The heart communes best when it does not try to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-weis/the-heart-communes-best-when-it-does-not-try-to-speak/)

[Margaret Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-weis/)

> [Model communes are the ones where the leaders lie the best and the biggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/model-communes-are-the-ones-where-the-leaders-lie-the-best-and-the/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

## More by Yoshida Kenko

> [One should write not unskillfully in the running hand, be able to sing in a pleasing voice and keep good time to music; and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/one-should-write-not-unskillfully-in-the-running-hand-be-able-to-sing/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [The true criminal must be defined as a man who commits a crime though he is as decently fed and clothed as others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/the-true-criminal-must-be-defined-as-a-man-who-commits-a-crime-though/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“In everything, no matter what it may be, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/in-everything-no-matter-what-it-may-be-uniformity-is-undesirable/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [There is nothing finer than to be alone with nothing to distract you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/there-is-nothing-finer-than-to-be-alone-with-nothing-to-distract-you/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“It is a great error to be superior to others…It is such pride as this that makes a man appear a fool, makes him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-great-error-to-be-superior-to-others-it-is-such-pride-as-this/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under a lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/the-pleasantest-of-all-diversions-is-to-sit-alone-under-a-lamp-a-book/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [In everything, no matter what it may be, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/in-everything-no-matter-what-it-may-be-uniformity-is-undesirable-2/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“If you must take care that your opinions do not differ in the least from those of the person with whom you are talking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/if-you-must-take-care-that-your-opinions-do-not-differ-in-the-least/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“Jos kaiken aikaa täytyy varoa olemasta eri mieltä keskustelukumppaninsa kanssa, tuntuu kuin loppujen lopuksi olisi aivan yksin. But such a man there cannot be;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/jos-kaiken-aikaa-t-ytyy-varoa-olemasta-eri-mielt/)

[Yoshida Kenkō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“It is a fine thing when a man who thoroughly understands a subject is unwilling to open his mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-fine-thing-when-a-man-who-thoroughly-understands-a-subject-is/)

[Yoshida Kenkō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“Well! Being born into this world there are, I suppose, many aims which we may strive to attain. The Imperial Throne of the Mikado…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/well-being-born-into-this-world-there-are-i-suppose-many-aims-which/)

[Yoshida Kenkō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“As a rule the tales which get abroad in the world are false. . . . People always exaggerate things. More so, when months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/as-a-rule-the-tales-which-get-abroad-in-the-world-are-false-people/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [What a strange, demented feeling it gives me when I realize I have spent whole days before this ink stone, with nothing better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/what-a-strange-demented-feeling-it-gives-me-when-i-realize-i-have/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [On a moonlit night, after a snowfall, or under cherry blossoms, it adds to our pleasure if, while chatting at our ease, we bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/on-a-moonlit-night-after-a-snowfall-or-under-cherry-blossoms-it-adds/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [Even members of the nobility, let alone persons of no consequence, would do well not to have children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/even-members-of-the-nobility-let-alone-persons-of-no-consequence/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

[Explore all 31 Yoshida Kenko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yoshida Kenko"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-alone-beneath-a-lamp-book/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-alone-beneath-a-lamp-book/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/yoshida-kenk-15122_book_it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-al_98582.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone…” — Yoshida Kenko",
                "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": "Yoshida Kenko",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is a most wonderful comfort...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-alone-beneath-a-lamp-book/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/it-is-a-most-wonderful-comfort-to-sit-alone-beneath-a-lamp-book/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
