QuoteProject
I have two rules for a great book: make me think and make me smile.
Adam Grant
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

A great book should provoke thought and bring joy to the reader.

This quote by Adam Grant emphasizes the dual impact that literature can have on its audience. A truly great book not only challenges the readers intellectually, sparking deep thinking and contemplation, but also brings happiness and pleasure, ensuring an enjoyable reading experience. The blend of these two elements is what makes a book memorable and impactful.

Themes

BooksThinkingSmilingReadingEducation

In practice

Example use cases

During a book club, when discussing favorite reads.

More from Adam Grant

No one wants to hear everything that's in your head. They just want you to live up to what comes out of your mouth.
Adam GrantRead
In the eyes of many people, giving doesn't count unless it's completely selfless. In reality, though, giving isn't sustainable when it's completely selfless.
Adam GrantRead
When you procrastinate, you're more likely to let your mind wander. That gives you a better chance of stumbling onto the unusual and spotting unexpected patterns.
Adam GrantRead
We have many identities, and we can't be authentic to them all. The best we can do is be sincere in our efforts to earn the values we claim.
Adam GrantRead
We all have thoughts and feelings that we believe are fundamental to our lives but that are better left unspoken.
Adam GrantRead
You want people who choose to follow because they genuinely believe in ideas, not because they're afraid to be punished if they don't. For startups, there's so much pivoting that's required that if you have a bunch of sheep, you're in bad shape.
Adam GrantRead

Similar quotes

If you sit kids down, hour after hour, doing low-grade clerical work, don't be surprised if they start to fidget. Children are not, for the most part, suffering from a psychological condition, they're suffering from childhood.
Ken RobinsonRead
A society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.
Khaled HosseiniRead
I say get an education. Become an electrician, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer, anything but a fighter. In this trade, it's the managers that make the money and last the longest.
Muhammad AliRead
All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.
JuvenalRead
A book is a loaded gun in the house next door...Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?
Ray BradburyRead
Growing up, books were my lifeline, and I owe a debt to those writers that can never be repaid. They saved my sanity and gave me a world I could escape to. If I can pay that forward to another person, that's all I ask.
Sherrilyn KenyonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.