People get nothing out of books but what they bring to them

People get nothing out of books but what they bring to them

There is no Past, so long as Books shall live!

There is no Past, so long as Books shall live!

A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.

A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.

My books are water; those of the great geniuses are wine -- everybody drinks water.

My books are water; those of the great geniuses are wine -- everybody drinks water.

That place that does contain
My books, the best companions, is to me
A glorious court, where read more

That place that does contain
My books, the best companions, is to me
A glorious court, where hourly I converse
With the old sages and philosophers;
And sometimes, for variety, I confer
With kings and emperors, and weigh their counsels;
Calling their victories, if unjustly got,
Unto a strict account, and, in my fancy,
Deface their ill-placed statues.

This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.

This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.

He who studies books alone will know how things ought to be, and he who studies men will know how read more

He who studies books alone will know how things ought to be, and he who studies men will know how they are.

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all

These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.

These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.