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Book Quotes

Why books work the way they do.

This page highlights what books can do that film can't, including slower pacing and quiet stretches, alongside a reminder that some things simply translate poorly to screen. For a companion collection, see Books.

A good book, in the language of the book-sellers, is a salable one; in that of the curious, a scarce one; in that of men of sense, a useful and instructive one.

Quotes by Oswald Chambers

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

Oscar Wilde

My favourite all-time work of fiction: Lord of the Rings. My favourite all-time nonfiction book: Guns, Germs, and Steel. Ask me again next week, you'll get a different answer.

Quotes by Orson Scott Card

As a child, I had the opportunity to meet the captain onboard a British Airways flight. It was so exciting to see the cockpit and controls. I was in awe of the captain, and he stamped my log book, which...

Quotes by Orlando Bloom

I've never read a self help book... the most self-help I've read is on a beer mat.

Quotes by Ophelia Lovibond

I'm quite nosy. Somebody will be reading a book on a train, and I'll go: 'How is it? Is it any good?' and they'll be like, 'Yeah, now let me read it.'

Quotes by Ophelia Lovibond

I became interested in AI in high school because I read 'Goedel, Escher, Bach,' a book by Douglas Hofstader. He showed how all their work in some ways fit together, and he talked about artificial intelligence. I thought 'Wow, this...

Quotes by Oren Etzioni

'Snow' is my most popular book in the United States. But in Turkey, it was not as popular as 'My Name is Red,' or even 'The Museum of Innocence,' because the secular leaders didn't want this bourgeois Orhan trying to...

Quotes by Orhan Pamuk

I don't have a process; I just feel it. My book on acting would be very short.

Quotes by Olivia Colman

One of the great upsides to a national book tour is the chance to break out of television's cocoon and interact directly with the American people.

Quotes by Oliver North

The English book world is relatively closed to translation, so only a small amount of foreign language work can come in.

Quotes by Olga Tokarczuk

While Fledging is a different type of book, The Parable series serve as cautionary tales. I wrote the Parable books because of the direction of the country. You can call it save the world fiction, but it clearly doesn't save...

Quotes by Octavia E. Butler

I'm not a fan of 'Gone With the Wind.' I didn't like the movie. I didn't like the book.

Quotes by Octavia Spencer

I like to read, even though it was really tough, because I could go anywhere in the world in a book, and I could have so many adventures in a book.

Quotes by Octavia Spencer

I really have reached a point where I can write a book about all of this.

Quotes by O. J. Simpson

The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book.

Quotes by Northrop Frye

A good book written for children can be read by adults.

Quotes by Norton Juster

The only other thing which I think is important is: Don't write a book or start a book with the expectation of communicating a message in a very important way.

Quotes by Norton Juster

And when I'm writing, I write a lot anyway. I might write pages and pages of conversation between characters that don't necessarily end up in the book, or in the story I'm working on, because they're simply my way of...

Quotes by Norton Juster

I received a grant from The Ford Foundation to write a book for kids about urban perception, or how people experience cities, but I kept putting off writing it. Instead I started to write what became The Phantom Tollbooth.

Quotes by Norton Juster

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a quote about pacing in books versus other media?
Yes. One quote observes: "In a book, you can kind of take time and have lulls in places." It highlights something books can do that faster-paced formats often can't.
Is there a quote about the difference between books and movies?
Yes - one quote notes that things that might work in a book just do not work in the visual medium of movies. It's a useful reminder that not every story translates directly from page to screen. For more on the reading side of storytelling, browse Books quotes.
Is there a quote about why books offer escapism?
Yes. One quote calls a great book "escapism" and says the artistry and the creativity in a story are better than any drugs. It's a strong statement about the emotional pull of good writing. For more on the community side of reading, see Book Club quotes.
Is there a quote about literature guiding how kids grow up?
Yes - one quote reflects that what sort of person you grow into shouldn't happen by default, which is often exactly what happens to kids, and describes seeing literature as a method of guidance, information, and contemplation. It's a thoughtful take on the role books can play in shaping character. For more on where to find these books, check out Bookstore quotes.
What different things do these "book" quotes celebrate?
The slower pacing only a book allows, the limits of adapting books into movies, books as a form of escapism, and literature's role in shaping how people grow up. If you're touring or exploring more book-related content, Book Tour quotes round things out.

One entry treats a great book as pure escapism, while another argues literature plays a real role in guiding how young people grow up. Explore further with Book Club or Bookstore.