“There is a sense in which every great book is always over the head of the reader: he can never fully comprehend it. That is why these books are great teachers; they demand the attention of the reader and keep his intelligence on the stretch.”

Great Books: The Foundation of a Liberal Education (1954)

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Robert Maynard Hutchins38

philosopher and university president 1899–1977

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“There is a sense in which every great book is always over the head of the reader: he can never fully comprehend it. That is why these books are great teachers; they demand the attention of the reader and keep his intelligence on the stretch.”

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Robert Maynard Hutchins38

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