Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.

Francis Bacon
About This Quote

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. This quote is said by Anthony Trollope in his book The Small House at Allington. The book is the story of the small house that is being read by a young lady who is home sick from school. While she is reading the book, she pauses at certain points to try to figure out what the author means.

It’s not until later that she realizes that Trollope meant for her to take in all of this information and make her own conclusions. Many books are like this. They are meant to be enjoyed, but not necessarily understood completely.

Source: The Essays

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