Book Reading Quotes

“We lose ourselves in what we read, only to return to ourselves, transformed and part of a more expansive world.”
― Judith Butler

“I, too, feel the need to reread the books I have already read," a third reader says, "but at every rereading I seem to be reading a new book, for the first time. Is it I who keep changing and seeing new things of which I was not previously aware? Or is reading a construction that assumes form, assembling a great number of variables, and therefore something that cannot be repeated twice according to the same pattern? Every time I seek to relive the emotion of a previous reading, I experience different and unexpected impressions, and do not find again those of before. At certain moments it seems to me that between one reading and the next there is a progression: in the sense, for example, of penetrating further into the spirit of the text, or of increasing my critical detachment. At other moments, on the contrary, I seem to retain the memory of the readings of a single book one next to another, enthusiastic or cold or hostile, scattered in time without a perspective, without a thread that ties them together. The conclusion I have reached is that reading is an operation without object; or that its true object is itself. The book is an accessory aid, or even a pretext.”
― Italo Calvino, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler

“Have you never picked up a book you've read before, and found it speaks to you in a new way?”
― Django Wexler, The Forbidden Library

“A strong man does not succumb to pressures, he knows that without pressures he will not find pleasures and so he will not be made.”
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

“A bran' new book is a beautiful thing, all promise and fresh pages, the neatly squared spine, the brisk sense of a journey beginning. But a well-worn book also has its pleasures, the soft caress and give of the paper's edges, the comfort, like an old shawl, of an oft-read story.”
― Lewis Buzbee, The Haunting of Charles Dickens

“We haven't remained idle, twiddling our thumbs while you were off having a good time. Through books Cathy and I have lived a zillion lives . . . our vicarious way to feel alive.”
― V.C. Andrews, Flowers in the Attic

“The pauper is vulnerable to pride and pride is the destroyer of man's glory.”
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

“There is really nothing you gain from being a pauper rather you loose every thing.”
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

“I read a lot, too, though I can’t figure out if I’m reading all these books because I want to be clever enough to deal with everything, or whether I’m reading them for enjoyment.”
― Matty Healy

“Hetty was eating, rather than reading, large slabs of a very thin book of contemporary verse each page having a thick wodge of print, without capital letters, starting at the top and running nearly to the bottom. Her eyes were very close to the book and she frowned with concentration.”
― Stella Gibbons, Nightingale Wood

“As a child, she was curious about the world beyond the sea, but in a vague, half-sketched way, as she was curious about a lot of things she read in books. London and Treasure Island and horses and dragons were all equally imagined to her. She thought she would probably see them one day, when she was old. In the meantime, the island was hers to explore, and it took up more time than she could ever imagine having. There were books to read, thousands of them in the castle library, and Rowan brought back more all the time. There were trees to climb, caves along the beach to get lost in, traces of the fair folk who had once lived on the island to find and bring home. There was work to be done: Food needed to be grown and harvested; the livable parts of the castle, the parts that weren't a crumbling ruin, needed to be combed for useful things when the tide went out. She was a half-wild thing of ink and grass and sea breezes, raised by books and rabbits and fairy lore, and that was all she cared to be.”
― H.G. Parry, The Magician’s Daughter

“The soul of a book lies not in its pages, but in the connection it forms with the reader's heart.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Dreams are crafted while reading books.”
― Avijeet Das

“The soul finds solace in the sanctuary of books, where every page is a sanctuary of understanding.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“When we open a book, we open a door to our own souls, inviting exploration and discovery.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“A well-loved book is not just a possession, but a companion that nourishes the soul.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Books are the mirrors through which we glimpse the depths of our own souls.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Let the stories you read breathe life into your soul, enriching your journey with wisdom and wonder.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Books are the lifelines that connect our hearts to the wisdom of the ages and the dreams of tomorrow.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Each book is a journey through the landscapes of the mind, enriching our lives with every page turned.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Life is a story, and books are the chapters that fill our minds with adventures, knowledge, and wonder.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Books breathe life into our imaginations, turning ordinary moments into extraordinary journeys.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“In the library of life, each book is a doorway to a new world, inviting us to explore and grow.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Life is a book and every person we meet, every experience we have, adds a page to our story.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Books are the mirrors of our souls, reflecting the depths of our humanity and the heights of our aspirations.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“A good book enriches life, offering a refuge for the mind and a playground for the soul.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Reading is the key to life's hidden treasures, revealing the beauty and complexity of the world around us.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“Books are the companions that walk beside us through the journey of life, offering comfort, insight, and joy.”
― Umesha Chathurangi Handapangoda

“The best effect of any good book is that it excites the reader to self activity.”
― Thomas Carlyle

“Our society is distracted, unfocused, and in a hurry. A curriculum that rushes through content perpetuates the anxiety of our time. Reading a book (slowly and leisurely) is a countercultural act.”
― Brian Tolentino