a book holds a house of gold/ɐ bˈʊk hˈoʊldz ɐ hˈaʊs ʌv ɡˈoʊld/sentence
used to emphasize the great worth of books, indicating that they contain a vast amount of valuable knowledge and insights that can significantly improve a person's life
"Books contain great knowledge."
"She believed that every library visit was an opportunity to discover treasures, because a book holds a house of gold."
a book is like a garden carried in the pocket/ɐ bˈʊk ɪz lˈaɪk ɐ ɡˈɑːɹdən kˈæɹɪd ɪnðə pˈɑːkɪt/sentence
used to suggest that books can transport readers to new places, introduce them to new ideas and perspectives, and provide a sense of wonder and delight
"Books offer new worlds."
"With a novel in hand, she could escape her mundane reality and explore new worlds, as a book is like a garden carried in the pocket."
a book, tight shut, is but a block of papers/ɐ bˈʊk tˈaɪt ʃˈʌt ɪz bˌʌt ɐ blˈɑːk ʌv pˈeɪpɚz/sentence
used to suggest that the true value of a book lies in the knowledge and ideas it contains, and that a book that is not read is essentially useless, no matter how impressive it may appear
"Unread books are useless."
"She reminded her students that a book, tight shut, is but a block of papers — it must be read to mean anything."
a donkey that carries a lot of books is not necessarily learned/ɐ dˈɑːŋki ðæt kˈæɹɪz ɐ lˈɑːt ʌv bˈʊks ɪz nˌɑːt nˌɛsɪsˈɛɹəli lˈɜːnd/sentence
used to suggest that just because someone possesses or carries a large number of books does not automatically make them knowledgeable or educated
"Possessing books isn't wisdom."
"He had a vast library but had read very little of it — a donkey that carries a lot of books is not necessarily learned."
a great book is a great evil/ɐ ɡɹˈeɪt bˈʊk ɪz ɐ ɡɹˈeɪt ˈiːvəl/sentence
used to imply that a great book, although valuable in terms of knowledge, can also have negative consequences when its ideas are misused or promote harmful ideologies
"Great books can be evil."
"The propaganda pamphlet, though eloquently written, spread dangerous ideas, demonstrating that a great book is a great evil."
a man is happy when he has books, but happier still when he does not need them/ɐ mˈæn ɪz hˈæpi wɛn hiː hɐz bˈʊks bˌʌt hˈæpɪɚ stˈɪl wɛn hiː dʌznˌɑːt nˈiːd ðˌɛm/sentence
used to imply that true happiness does not comes from owning books, but from internalizing and applying the lessons learned from books, allowing one to live without depending on them
"True wisdom is internal."
"He found contentment not in his vast library, but in living by the principles he had learned, for a man is happy when he has books, but happier still when he does not need them."
after three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless/ˈæftɚ θɹˈiː dˈeɪz wɪðˌaʊt ɹˈiːdɪŋ tˈɔːk bɪkˌʌmz flˈeɪvɚləs/sentence
used to suggest that a lack of reading leads to a decrease in one's ability to engage in interesting and meaningful conversations
"Read every day or your mind goes dull — after three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless."
"She noticed her thinking becoming sluggish after a week away from books — after three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless."
(beware|be wary) of a man of one book/bɪwˈɛɹ biː wˈɛɹi əvə mˈæn ʌv wˈʌn bˈʊk/sentence
used to suggests that one should be cautious of people who base their entire worldview or beliefs on a single source of information, as they may be closed-minded and resistant to new ideas or information
"Beware of one book."
"His rigid opinions and refusal to consider other viewpoints made him difficult to engage with; one should be wary of a man of one book."
choose an author as you choose a friend/tʃˈuːz ɐn ˈɔːθɚɹ æz juː tʃˈuːz ɐ fɹˈɛnd/sentence
used to advise being selective in reading choices as books and authors, like friends, can have a significant impact on one's life and personal growth
"Choose authors like friends."
"She carefully selected her reading material, believing that you should choose an author as you choose a friend for life."
every book must be chewed to get out its juice/ˈɛvɹi bˈʊk mˈʌst biː tʃjˈuːd tə ɡɛt ˈaʊt ɪts dʒˈuːs/sentence
used to suggest that in order to fully understand and benefit from a book, one must read it carefully and thoughtfully, and also take the time to reflect on its content
"Read books deeply."
"To truly grasp the complex theories presented, you must read slowly and reflect, because every book must be chewed to get out its juice."
reading books removes sorrow from the heart/ɹˈiːdɪŋ bˈʊks ɹɪmˈuːvz sˈɔːɹoʊ fɹʌmðə hˈɑːɹt/sentence
used to highlight the therapeutic and uplifting effect of reading on one's emotions
"Books are the best escape when life is hard — reading books removes sorrow from the heart."
"She turned to reading during her recovery and found that reading books removes sorrow from the heart."
there’s no (greater|) thief like a bad book/ðɛɹz nˈoʊ ɡɹˈeɪɾɚ θˈiːf lˈaɪk ɐ bˈæd bˈʊk/sentence
used to suggest that a bad book has the potential to take away a person's values, morals, and time, and could potentially harm or damage them
"Bad books are thieves."
"Wasting hours on a poorly written novel that offers no value is a significant loss, as there's no greater thief like a bad book."
(unread|shelved) books make hollow minds/ʌnɹˈɛd ʃˈɛlvd bˈʊks mˌeɪk hˈɑːloʊ mˈaɪndz/sentence
used to suggest that neglecting to read and acquire knowledge can lead to a lack of substance and depth in a person's mind
"Unread books make hollow minds."
"Unread books make hollow minds, so it is important to read widely and develop your thinking."
when you read a book for the first time, you get to know a friend, read it for a second time and you (will|shall|) meet an old friend/wˌɛn juː ɹˈiːd ɐ bˈʊk fɚðə fˈɜːst tˈaɪm juː ɡɛt tə nˈoʊ ɐ fɹˈɛnd ɹˈiːd ɪt fɚɹə sˈɛkənd tˈaɪm ænd juː wɪl ʃˌæl mˈiːt ɐn ˈoʊld fɹˈɛnd/sentence
used to suggest that re-reading a book can reveal new insights and perspectives, and deepen one's understanding of the story and characters
"Rereading is like meeting friends."
"The familiar characters and plot felt even richer on the second reading, as when you read a book for the first time, you get to know a friend, read it for a second time and you meet an old friend."
books and friends should be few but good/bˈʊks ænd fɹˈɛndz ʃˌʊd biː fjˈuː bˌʌt ɡˈʊd/sentence
used to imply that having a small number of high-quality books and trustworthy friends is more valuable than having many casual or unreliable ones
"Quality over quantity."
"She preferred a few close companions and cherished volumes over a large, superficial circle, believing books and friends should be few but good."
a book is a good friend (when|as) it lays bare the errors of the past/ɐ bˈʊk ɪz ɐ ɡˈʊd fɹˈɛnd wɛn æz ɪt lˈeɪz bˈɛɹ ðɪ ˈɛɹɚz ʌvðə pˈæst/sentence
used to imply that books can be valuable companions when they reveal lessons learned from the past, allowing readers to gain knowledge and avoid making the same mistakes
"Books teach past lessons."
"History books are invaluable for learning from previous mistakes, proving that a book is a good friend as it lays bare the errors of the past."
teachers die, but (it's|) books (that|) live on/tˈiːtʃɚz dˈaɪ bˌʌt ɪts bˈʊks ðæt lˈaɪv ˈɑːn/sentence
used to imply that the knowledge and wisdom contained in books can have a lasting impact, even after the author or teacher has passed away
"Books last forever."
"Though the professor is gone, his groundbreaking research continues to influence students worldwide, showing that teachers die, but books live on."
if (your|one's) books are not read, (your|one's) descendants will be ignorant/ɪf jʊɹ ɔːɹ wˈʌnz bˈʊks ɑːɹ nˌɑːt ɹˈɛd jʊɹ ɔːɹ wˈʌnz dɪsˈɛndənts wɪl biː ˈɪɡnɚɹənt/sentence
used to highlights the importance of passing down knowledge through reading and education to prevent future generations from being deprived of valuable information
"Share knowledge with children."
"We must ensure our children engage with these important texts, otherwise, if one's books are not read, one's descendants will be ignorant."
a drop of ink may make a million think/ɐ dɹˈɑːp ʌv ˈɪŋk mˈeɪ mˌeɪk ɐ mˈɪliən θˈɪŋk/sentence
used to imply that a single piece of writing no matter how small, has the potential to inspire or influence a large number of people to think, reflect, or take action
"Writing can influence many."
"That single, powerful editorial sparked widespread debate and reflection, showing that a drop of ink may make a million think."
it is better to be without a book than to believe a book entirely/ɪt ɪz bˈɛɾɚ təbi wɪðˌaʊt ɐ bˈʊk ðɐn tə bɪlˈiːv ɐ bˈʊk ɛntˈaɪɚli/sentence
used to imply that it is important to approach information critically and thoughtfully, rather than accepting everything in a book without questioning its accuracy
"Don't believe books entirely."
"Blindly accepting every statement in a textbook can be misleading; it is better to be without a book than to believe a book entirely."
used to imply that individuals with different backgrounds, professions, interests, or experiences will have different areas of knowledge or expertise, and so, will talk about different things
"Scholars talk books."
"During the party, the engineers discussed circuits while the chefs debated recipes, illustrating that scholars talk books, butchers talk pigs."
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