I was making my living from a joke about my appearance that I didn't understand, and in a way still don't, because when I look in a mirror it doesn't seem funny to me.
Wallace ShawnRead
But because we've all been readers, we know what the experience is like, and we hope that what certain writers have given to us, we will give to someone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We aspire to share the impact of literature with others, as we ourselves have been profoundly influenced by it.
In this quote, Wallace Shawn reflects on the transformative power of reading and the desire of readers to pass on the gift of literature. When we immerse ourselves in the writings of others, we not only gain knowledge and insight but also experience a deep connection, which compels us to share that enrichment with others, hoping to evoke similar feelings and thoughts in them.
Themes
ReadingLiteratureInfluenceSharingExperience
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher might use this quote to inspire students to appreciate the books they read.
More from Wallace Shawn
All quotes →I do things, and other people laugh at them. I rarely know what the joke is supposed to be or why they're laughing.
Wallace ShawnRead
We are not what we seem. We are more than what we seem. The actor knows that. And because the actor knows that hidden inside himself there's a wizard and a king, he also knows that when he's playing himself in his daily life, he's playing a part, he's performing, just as he's performing when he plays a part on stage.
Wallace ShawnRead
Similar quotes
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
In a television interview, I said that diversity in our children's books should include the adventures of disabled children, travellers and gipsies, LGBT teens, different cultures, classes, colours, religions. It shouldn't be a token gesture, nor do such stories need to be 'issue-based'.
Malorie BlackmanRead
Every time I've flown an aircraft, or visited a steelworks, or watched a panel-beater at work, I've learned something new that can be applied to buildings.
Norman FosterRead
We still raise girls to look to other people for assurance they are attractive and smart, while boys are raised to determine their own value. Many girls are still made to feel it's not feminine to be good at science or math.
Eileen PollackRead
I studied psychology in school, and the best psychology is in literature. It's so much easier to understand a character than a theory. You can recognize yourself—or other people—in a different way.
Natalie PortmanRead
My early and invincible love of reading I would not exchange for all the riches of India.
Edward GibbonRead