As readers, we remain in the nursery stage so long as we cannot distinguish between taste and judgment, so long, that is, as the only possible verdicts we can pass on a book are two: this I like; this I don't like. For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five: I can see this is good and I like it; I can see this is good but I don't like it; I can see this is good and, though at present I don't like it, I believe that with perseverance I shall come to like it; I can see that this is trash but I like it; I can see that this is trash and I don't like it. W.h. Auden
About This Quote

The only reason why most people read is to feel good about themselves. We read books to make ourselves feel better about who we are or who we want to be. If you do not like something it is because there is something wrong with you, not because the book was bad. When you do not like something it is because there is something wrong with someone else, not because you are stupid or ignorant.

Source: A Certain World: A Commonplace Book

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