There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book; books are well written or badly written. – Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891

The literary man must needs be a thinking one, and every day he lives he becomes wiser—if wiser, then better—if better, then happier. – Charles Lanman, “Thoughts on Literature,” 1840

The multitude of books is making us ignorant. – Voltaire

Let your bookcases and your shelves be your gardens and your pleasure-grounds. Pluck the fruit that grows therein, gather the roses, the spices, and the myrrh. – Judah Ibn Tibbon