Logo - Feel The Words

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.

What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered I would probably... have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a don and every now and then...

Quotes by W. Somerset Maugham

A classic is a book that doesn't have to be written again.

Quotes by W. E. B. Du Bois

A subject which at first glance seems quite removed from the undeclared concern of the book can encapsulate that concern.

Quotes by W. G. Sebald

Style and Structure are the essence of a book; great ideas are hogwash.

Quotes by Vladimir Nabokov

The good, the admirable reader identifies himself not with the boy or the girl in the book, but with the mind that conceived and composed that book.

Quotes by Vladimir Nabokov

Writing a book is usually a full-time job that takes years. I didn't have years. So I decided to crowdsource content for the book.

Quotes by Vivek Wadhwa

I was a terrible student. For me, to take a book home was a trial.

Quotes by Vladimir Horowitz

I read the book of Job last night, I don't think God comes out well in it.

Virginia Woolf

In 1976, I read a book by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss and knew immediately that I, too, could write a historical romance. It took me a year to complete the manuscript. I was a forty-year-old Scarborough housewife who knew no one...

Quotes by Virginia Henley

To have a successful writing career, you must be willing to sacrifice a great deal. The book, the deadline come first before anything else. Writing is not a job; it is a lifestyle, and it is a roller-coaster ride of...

Quotes by Virginia Henley

Probably every book I read influenced me in some small way. Authors like Jan Westcott, Kathleen Winsor, Catherine Cookson, Georgette Heyer, and even Barbara Cartland taught me to write character-driven stories.

Quotes by Virginia Henley

I first started writing historical fiction in the late '70s and kept pictures of Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers on my refrigerator until my first book was published by Avon in 1982. The biggest advantage of this genre for me...

Quotes by Virginia Henley

Our audience is all the girls who made Britney a huge star. Those are the girls who bought the book. I didn't read the book at first. I read the script just to see what I would think of the...

Quotes by Virginia Madsen

Apple doesn't need to maximize book sales. It simply needs to keep publishers happy enough to maintain an impressive-sounding inventory of titles while waiting for entirely new forms of publishing to develop.

Quotes by Virginia Postrel

When I look for self-help books for myself, I used to be scared that I was going to pick up a book that would depress me even more.

Quotes by Vinny Guadagnino

If anybody reads a story in a magazine or book, different pictures compete in their minds.

Quotes by Vincente Minnelli

The last book I read was the book I've been rereading most of my life, The Fountainhead.

Quotes by Vince Vaughn

One of the people that wrote a forward to my book is Gerry Spence, whom I admire. Gerry is a friend of mine, and Gerry's perhaps the leading criminal defense attorney in the country.

Quotes by Vincent Bugliosi

It's unbelievable, there's a book out attacking Gore, when he's the most unfortunate loser in political history.

Quotes by Vincent Bugliosi

I'm trying to finish my book on the Kennedy assassination.

Quotes by Vincent Bugliosi

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.