Quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but

Summary

This quote suggests that the true value of a book lies not in the explicit ideas it presents, but rather in the thought-provoking concepts it inspires in the reader. Similarly, the beauty of music does not solely reside in the literal sounds produced, but rather in the emotional resonance it elicits within us. The quote emphasizes that the subtle and imaginative aspects of books and music are what truly capture our hearts and minds, surpassing the mere content or auditory experience.

Topics

By Oliver Wendell Holmes

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.

Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.

Nationalism Nation Nationality

Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them

Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.

Stephen Hawking

The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confu

The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms timidly, and struggles to the light amid the thorns.

George Santayana

When lying, be emphatic and indignant, thus behaving like yo

When lying, be emphatic and indignant, thus behaving like your children.

William Feather

Deception/lying

So vast is art, so narrow human wit.

So vast is art, so narrow human wit.

In art as in love, instinct is enough.

In art as in love, instinct is enough.

A little group of willful men reflecting no opinion but thei

A little group of willful men reflecting no opinion but their own have rendered the great Government of the United States helpless and contemptible.

All delay is helpful, but it does produce wisdom.

All delay is helpful, but it does produce wisdom.

Publilius Syrus

Procrastination

I think it's important to travel around in order to get a no

I think it's important to travel around in order to get a notion of what's going on, to find out what people are think about. I enjoy talking on campuses most because people are more informed and discussion is generally livelier.

Harrison Salisbury

The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being but to r

The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being but to remind him that he is already degraded.

Criticism is the windows and chandeliers of art: it illumina

Criticism is the windows and chandeliers of art: it illuminates the enveloping darkness in which art might otherwise rest only vaguely discernible, and perhaps altogether unseen.

George Jean Nathan

Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the viol

Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.

Gilbert K. Chesterton