I have just gone over my comet computations again, and it is humiliating to perceive how very little more I know than I did seven years ago when I first did this kind of work.
Maria MitchellRead
To read a book, to think it over, and to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Engaging deeply with a book through reading, reflection, and note-taking is essential for meaningful learning.
Maria Mitchell emphasizes the importance of thoughtful engagement with literature. She suggests that merely reading isn't enough; one should reflect on what is read and take notes, as this process enriches understanding and validates the book's worth. A book that fails to provoke thoughtful analysis doesn't merit publication, as meaningful content should inspire deeper considerations from its readers.
Themes
ReadingBooksEducationThoughtNotes
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion about the importance of engaging with literature.
More from Maria Mitchell
All quotes βThe best that can be said of my life so far is that it has been industrious, and the best that can be said of me is that I have not pretended to what I was not.
Maria MitchellRead
There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.
Maria MitchellRead
Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.
Maria MitchellRead
I am just learning to notice the different colors of the stars, and already begin to have a new enjoyment.
Maria MitchellRead
We travel to learn; and I have never been in any country where they did not do something better than we do it, think some thoughts better than we think, catch some inspiration from heights above our own.
Maria MitchellRead
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To use books rightly, is to go to them for help; to appeal to them when our own knowledge and power fail; to be led by them into wider sight and purer conception than our own, and to receive from them the united sentence of the judges and councils of all time, against our solitary and unstable opinions.
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Early intervention programs enrich adverse family environments. The largest effects of the early intervention programs are on noncognitive traits. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean perseverance, motivation, self-esteem, and hard work.
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A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
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