Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.
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
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reading connects us to the shared experiences and emotions of others, making us feel less alone.
This quote by Alan Bennett highlights the profound joy of reading, which lies in discovering that others have articulated feelings and thoughts that we believed were unique to ourselves. It emphasizes the power of literature to create connections across time and space, allowing us to engage with the thoughts of people we've never met, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding.
Themes
ReadingConnectionLiteratureUnderstandingExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a book club meeting when discussing personal connections to literature.
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.
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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.
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To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish.
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...she felt about reading what some writers felt about writing: that it was impossible not to do it and that at this late stage of her life she had been chosen to read as others were chosen to write.
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