Variant: There are too many books I haven't read, too many places I haven't seen, too many memories I haven't kept long enough
“Things which seem in poor taste: too many personal effects cluttering up the place where one is sitting; too many brushes in an ink-box; too many Buddhas in a family temple; too many stones and plants in a garden; too many children in a house; too many words on meeting someone; too many meritorious deeds recorded in a petition. Things which are not offensive, no matter how numerous: books in a book cart, rubbish in a rubbish heap.”
72
Essays in Idleness (1967 Columbia University Press, Trns: Donald Keene)
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Yoshida Kenkō 31
japanese writer 1283–1350Related quotes
“One Book is enough, but a thousand books is not too many!”
Source: Elegies, Lines 421-423, as translated by Dorothea Wender.
“A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition”
Coming Out Speech (2014)
Context: There are too many kids out there suffering from bullying, rejection, or simply being mistreated because of who they are. Too many dropouts. Too much abuse. Too many homeless. Too many suicides. You can change that and you are changing it. But you never needed me to tell you that. That’s why this was a little bit weird. The only thing I can really say is what I’ve been building up to for the past five minutes. Thank you. Thank for inspiring me. Thank you for giving me hope, and please keep changing the world for people like me. Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you.
“Leaving behind books is even more beautiful — there are far too many children.”
“I had too many bad comments from the judges. Too many, too late, at this point in time”
Rebecca Lynne Tan, "Swan song for Syesha", The Straits Times (Singapore), May 17, 2008.
On how she knew she was heading home from American Idol season 7
Women Saints of East and West
Between Tears And Laughter (1943), p. 71. Variant: "When there are too many policemen, there can be no liberty. When there are too many soldiers, there can be no peace. When there are too many lawyers, there can be no justice.", as quoted in The World's Funniest Laws (2005) by James Alexander, ISBN 1905102100, p. 6.