• When a book, any sort of book, reaches a certain intensity of artistic performance it becomes literature. That intensity may be a matter of style, situation, character, emotional tone, or idea, or half a dozen other things. It may also be a perfection of

  

  Raymond Chandler

  WriterAmerican1888 · 19th century

  3.6 · 9 votes · 111 reads

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• When a poet's mind is perfectly equipped for its work, it is constantly amalgamating disparate experiences.

  

  Susan Sontag

  AuthorAmerican1933 · 20th century

  3.9 · 34 votes · 92 reads

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• When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

  

  Erasmus of Rotterdam

  TheologianDutch1466 · 15th century

  3.3 · 39 votes · 32 reads

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• When I read about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.

  

  Isaac Asimov

  ScientistAmerican1920 · 20th century

  4.9 · 38 votes · 84 reads

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• When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.

  

  John F. Kennedy

  PoliticianAmerican1917 · 20th century

  4.2 · 22 votes · 114 reads

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• When the book comes out it may hurt you - but in order for me to do it, it had to hurt me first. I can only tell you about yourself as much as I can face about myself.

  J

  James Baldwin

  WriterAmerican1924 · 20th century

  3.1 · 48 votes · 112 reads

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• When we read of human beings behaving in certain ways, with the approval of the author, who gives his benediction to this behavior by his attitude towards the result of the behavior arranged by himself, we can be influenced towards behaving in the same wa

  

  Susan Sontag

  AuthorAmerican1933 · 20th century

  3.2 · 9 votes · 172 reads

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• When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before.

  C

  Clifton Fadiman

  WriterAmerican1904 · 20th century

  4.2 · 37 votes · 116 reads

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• Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?

  

  Henry Ward Beecher

  PoliticianAmerican1813 · 19th century

  3.1 · 34 votes · 109 reads

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• Whether I'm at the office, at home, or on the road, I always have a stack of books I'm looking forward to reading.

  

  Bill Gates

  BusinessmanAmerican1955 · 20th century

  3.8 · 44 votes · 127 reads

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• Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image, but thee who destroys a good book, kills reason itself.

  

  John Milton

  PoetEnglish1608 · 17th century

  3.2 · 59 votes · 98 reads

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• With a pen in my hand I have successfully stormed bulwarks from which others armed with sword and excommunication have been repulsed.

  G

  Georg C. Lichtenberg

  ScientistGerman1742 · 18th century

  3.6 · 59 votes · 27 reads

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• With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.

  

  Edgar Allan Poe

  WriterAmerican1809 · 19th century

  4.2 · 24 votes · 68 reads

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• With one day's reading a man may have the key in his hands.

  E

  Ezra Pound

  PoetAmerican1885 · 19th century

  4.7 · 52 votes · 25 reads

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• Without books the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are the engines of change, windows on the world, ''Lighthouses'' as the poet said ''erected in the sea of time.'' They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treas

  

  Arthur Schopenhauer

  PhilosopherGerman1788 · 18th century

  3.4 · 47 votes · 79 reads

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• Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.

  

  Robert Burton

  EducatorEnglish1577 · 16th century

  4.3 · 36 votes · 18 reads

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• Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.

  

  Jules Renard

  WriterFrench1864 · 19th century

  3.5 · 51 votes · 115 reads

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• Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others. Then we might even come to see that it is our veneration for what has already been created, however beautiful and valid it may be, that petrifies u

  A

  Antonin Artaud

  PoetFrench1896 · 19th century

  4.6 · 64 votes · 184 reads

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• You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.

  

  Ray Bradbury

  WriterAmerican1920 · 20th century

  3.6 · 48 votes · 156 reads

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• You know lots of criticism is written by characters who are very academic and think it is a sign you are worthless if you make jokes or kid or even clown. I wouldn't kid Our Lord if he was on the cross. But I would attempt a joke with him if I ran into hi

  

  Ernest Hemingway

  WriterAmerican1899 · 19th century

  3.6 · 30 votes · 124 reads

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• You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not an audience, it's one to one.

  

  Pablo Picasso

  PainterSpanish1881 · 19th century

  3.8 · 5 votes · 195 reads

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• You should read books like you take medicine, by advice, and not by advertisement.

  

  John Ruskin

  WriterEnglish1819 · 19th century

  4.8 · 59 votes · 188 reads

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• You will not find poetry anywhere unless you bring some of it with you.

  

  Joseph Joubert

  French1754 · 18th century

  5.0 · 6 votes · 92 reads

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• Your library is your paradise.

  

  Erasmus of Rotterdam

  TheologianDutch1466 · 15th century

  3.0 · 55 votes · 114 reads

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Page 5 of 5 · 344 quotes about literature

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• Education315 quotes
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