Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.
Alan BennettRead
...she felt about reading what some writers felt about writing: that it was impossible not to do it and that at this late stage of her life she had been chosen to read as others were chosen to write.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the deep connection between reading and writing, suggesting that some individuals are destined to engage with literature in profound ways.
Alan Bennett's quote conveys the idea that reading, much like writing, is an essential and inherent part of life for some people. It suggests that as we age and reflect on our experiences, the ability to read and appreciate literature becomes a chosen and vital pursuit, akin to the act of writing itself.
Themes
ReadingWritingLiteratureDestinyEducation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during an opening speech at a reading event.
More from Alan Bennett
All quotes →To begin with, it's true, she read with trepidation and some unease. The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her and she had no idea how to go on; there was no system to her reading, with one book leading to another, and often she had two or three on the go at the same time.
Alan BennettRead
A book is a device to ignite the imagination.
Alan BennettRead
Those who have known the famous are publicly debriefed of their memories, knowing as their own dusk falls that they will only be remembered for remembering someone else.
Alan BennettRead
To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish.
Alan BennettRead
The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours
Alan BennettRead
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