Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.
Alan BennettRead
The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not. All readers were equal, herself included. Literature, she thought, is a commonwealth; letters a republic.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Literature creates an equal space for all readers, regardless of their background or status.
In this quote, Alan Bennett captures the essence of literature as an inclusive and impartial realm where all readers are treated equally. The idea of books being indifferent signifies that they do not judge or favor any reader, allowing everyone to engage with them on their own terms. This democratization of knowledge and stories contributes to literature being described as a commonwealth, reinforcing the notion that reading is a shared human experience that transcends individual differences.
Themes
LiteratureReadingEqualityEducationBooks
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to emphasize the importance of reading in a school presentation.
More from Alan Bennett
All quotes →To begin with, it's true, she read with trepidation and some unease. The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her and she had no idea how to go on; there was no system to her reading, with one book leading to another, and often she had two or three on the go at the same time.
Alan BennettRead
A book is a device to ignite the imagination.
Alan BennettRead
Those who have known the famous are publicly debriefed of their memories, knowing as their own dusk falls that they will only be remembered for remembering someone else.
Alan BennettRead
To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish.
Alan BennettRead
The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours
Alan BennettRead
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There are two ways of dealing with nonsense in this world. One way is to put nonsense in the right place; as when people put nonsense into nursery rhymes. The other is to put nonsense in the wrong place; as when they put it into educational addresses, psychological criticisms, and complaints against nursery rhymes or other normal amusements of mankind.
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If you spend an extra hour each day of study in your chosen field you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less.
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We men of study, whose heads are in our books, have need to be straightly looked after! We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.
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