Sadly, I do my homework. I’ve a soft spot for the boring minutiae. I read the Charter of the United Nations before meeting with Kofi Annan. I read the Meltzer report, and then I’ll read C. Fred Bergsten’s defense of institutions like the World Bank and the I.M.F. It’s embarrassing to admit.

I’m not a very creative person, you know? I’m not really an art person. I’m not a great reader or writer or artist or musician.

All books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time.

Every now and then I read a poem that does touch something in me, but I never turn to poetry for solace or pleasure in the way that I throw myself into prose.

What do we, as a nation, care about books? How much do you think we spend altogether on our libraries, public or private, as compared with what we spend on our horses?

A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.

To the man who reads ‚Scouting for Boys‘ superficially, there is a disappointing lack of religion in the book. But to him who tries it in practice, the basic religion underlying it soon becomes apparent.

If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write.

I’m always reading the next book. Taking notes. Highlighting, researching, studying. It doesn’t stop.

My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.

I spent much of my childhood in northern Quebec, and often there was no radio, no television – there wasn’t a lot to entertain us. When it rained, I stayed inside reading, writing, drawing.

Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.

Perhaps if you are in support functions waiting on the warfighters to spell out the specifics of what you are to do, you can avoid the consequences of not reading. Those who must adapt to overcoming an independent enemy’s will are not allowed that luxury.

Don’t judge. I used to buy underwear because I didn’t do my laundry.

I was enjoying myself writing, because I don’t know what’s going to happen when I take a ride around that corner. You don’t know at all what you’re going to find there. That can be thrilling when you read a book, especially when you’re a kid and you’re reading stories.

If you are going to write, say, fantasy – stop reading fantasy. You’ve already read too much. Read other things; read westerns, read history, read anything that seems interesting, because if you only read fantasy and then you start to write fantasy, all you’re going to do is recycle the same old stuff and move it around a bit.

The book that convinced me I wanted to be a writer was ‚Crime and Punishment‘. I put the thing down after reading it in a fever over two or three days… I said, ‚If this is what a book can be, then that is what I want to do.‘

‚Mystic River‘ just smelled interesting to me. So I read it and liked it right away. Even the dialogue in it was great.

I am a part of everything that I have read.

I have trouble reading modern Hebrew. In the 1950s, I could read anything. I don’t know how much experience you’ve had with contemporary Hebrew. It’s quite difficult.

‚Classic.‘ A book which people praise and don’t read.

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

The problem with writing a book in verse is, to be successful, it has to sound like you knocked it off on a rainy Friday afternoon. It has to sound easy. When you can do it, it helps tremendously because it’s a thing that forces kids to read on. You have this unconsummated feeling if you stop.

I read to my kid, but I can’t stand reading.

I read all the time, and I’m often struck by something I’m reading.

To buy books would be a good thing if we also could buy the time to read them.

A great value of antiquity lies in the fact that its writings are the only ones that modern men still read with exactness.

I don’t think I’ve ever read poetry, ever. I’m not really book-smart.

I would always want printed books.

Just be a cool grandpa who’s creative, and hang out and tell stories and read a book in the library.

To describe my scarce leisure time in today’s terms, I always default to reading.

A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good.

The best book, like the best speech, will do it all – make us laugh, think, cry and cheer – preferably in that order.

As far as I’m concerned, I’m a writer who’s writing books, and therefore, I don’t want to die. You’d miss the end of the book wouldn’t you? You can’t die with an unfinished book.

It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.

When you want to do your homework, fill out your tax return, or see all the choices for a trip you want to take, you need a full-size screen.

I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.

I’ve been reading tabloids since I was nine. I love a good story.

I got interested in reading very early, because a story was read to me, by Hans Christian Andersen, which was ‚The Little Mermaid,‘ and I don’t know if you remember ‚The Little Mermaid,‘ but it’s dreadfully sad. The little mermaid falls in love with this prince, but she cannot marry him because she is a mermaid.

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.

Books like friends, should be few and well-chosen.

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.

Stay active. Read the Word. Worship with other believers. Continue to give. Keep learning and growing. Your faith will be unleashed!

For people who are readers, reading is important to them.

Books! I dunno if I ever told you this, but books are the greatest gift one person can give another.

I was a very keen reader of science fiction.

I read a lot of obscure books and it is nice to open a book.

Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted… but to weigh and consider.

I liked to write from the time I was about 12 or 13. I loved to read. And since I only spoke to my brother, I would write down my thoughts. And I think I wrote some of the worst poetry west of the Rockies. But by the time I was in my 20s, I found myself writing little essays and more poetry – writing at writing.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.

This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.

It’s not possible to advise a young writer because every young writer is so different. You might say, ‚Read,‘ but a writer can read too much and be paralyzed. Or, ‚Don’t read, don’t think, just write,‘ and the result could be a mountain of drivel.

Everywhere I go, the kids call me ‚the book lady.‘ The older I get, the more appreciative I seem to be of the ‚book lady‘ title. It makes me feel more like a legitimate person, not just a singer or an entertainer. But it makes me feel like I’ve done something good with my life and with my success.

The mere brute pleasure of reading the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing.

A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us.

A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.

I have written a book. This will come as quite a shock to some. They didn’t think I could read, much less write.

Become slower in your journey through life. Practice yoga and meditation if you suffer from ‚hurry sickness.‘ Become more introspective by visiting quiet places such as churches, museums, mountains and lakes. Give yourself permission to read at least one novel a month for pleasure.

I’ve always been surrounded by many great people and professors, but my family, especially my mom who was a teacher, was the person who encouraged me to study and pushed me to continue. When we’re young, we don’t understand why our parents bug us so much with school and doing homework, but it’s a blessing to have that support at home.

If literature isn’t everything, it’s not worth a single hour of someone’s trouble.