I consider as lovers of books not those who keep their books hidden in their store-chests and never handle them, but those who, by nightly as well as daily use thumb them, batter them, wear them out, who fill out all the margins with annotations of many kinds, and who prefer the marks of a fault they have erased to a neat copy full of faults.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Erasmus defines true book lovers as those who use and mark books, not hide them.
- In plain terms
- Readers use books heavily; hoarders do not.
- What can you take from it?
- Reading means engaging with the text deeply.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a real reader?
- How do you treat your books?
Another view
Some rare books must be preserved untouched.
More from Desiderius Erasmus
I am a lover of liberty. I cannot and will not serve parties.
Permalink to quote #11 It is the friendship of books that has made me perfectly happy.
Permalink to quote #13 I am a citizen of the world, known to all and to all a stranger.
Permalink to quote #10
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