“Thank God for books as an alternative to conversation.”

“Let all your thinks be thanks.”

“There are good books which are only for adults.There are no good books which are only for children.”

“Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.”

“Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, wit and malice as I can contrive. One cannot review a bad book without showing off.”

“A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.”

“Without art, we should have no notion of the sacred; without science, we should always worship false gods.”