'Tis the good reader that makes the good book; in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakenly meant for his ear.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A good reader actively engages with a text, finding personal connections and hidden meanings intended for them.
- In plain terms
- Readers make books good by finding personal meaning in them.
- What can you take from it?
- Active reading creates value in books.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a reading experience good?
- Do authors write for specific readers?
Another view
Over-emphasizing personal connection can ignore authorial intent or historical context.
More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days.
Permalink to quote #247 Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
Permalink to quote #249 We do not count a man's years until he has nothing else to count.
Permalink to quote #250
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