# Source needed: "The world is a book..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527 "2010-03-06T14:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/1 "2010-03-06T14:17:41Z")
My Google-fu is weak this morning. There is a quote that as near as I can tell is universally attributed to St. Augustine. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” However, I am unable to find citation as to exactly where he wrote this (as I’d like to read it in context (I’m not finding it with Google Books and searching various writings of Augustine). So if anybody can point me to that (or whoever originally wrote it, if the attribution is incorrect, it wouldn’t be the first universally wrong well known quote by any means). As a bonus, if it could be pointed out in the original Latin as well that would be helpful as well. ---
**Author:** ![superluser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@superluser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superluser)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/2 "2010-03-06T14:35:39Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > My Google-fu is weak this morning. > > There is a quote that as near as I can tell is universally attributed to St. Augustine. > > “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” > > However, I am unable to find citation as to exactly where he wrote this (as I’d like to read it in context (I’m not finding it with Google Books and searching various writings of Augustine). > > So if anybody can point me to that (or whoever originally wrote it, if the attribution is incorrect, it wouldn’t be the first universally wrong well known quote by any means). As a bonus, if it could be pointed out in the original Latin as well that would be helpful as well. According to the Forbes book of Business Quotations, p.666 (seriously!) it comes from MK Frelinghuysen, whose principal claim to fame seems to be that quote. Not sure where he said it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/3 "2010-03-06T14:58:12Z")
Orbis terrarum liber est, et illi qui non commeant modo unam paginam legunt. " Not that the Pedant is actually competent in Latin. I have seen this attributed to St Augustine. When you googled, did you put quotes around the phrase you were looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/4 "2010-03-06T15:05:26Z")
Per Wikiquotes, it’s unsourced: [Augustine of Hippo - Wikiquote](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#City_of_God_.28early_400s.29) ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/5 "2010-03-06T15:13:36Z")
Try p 216 [here](http://www.archive.org/details/selectproverbsa00wadegoog) in Wade’s if your connection is better than the crappy one I have on this ship. > **[Select Proverbs of All Nations](https://books.google.com/books?oe=UTF-8&id=d_pHAAAAMAAJ&q=the%2Bworld%2Bis%2Ba%2Bbook#v=snippet&q=the%20world%20is%20a%20book&f=false)** ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/6 "2010-03-06T17:15:37Z")
Thanks, the Wade source simply attributes it to Augustine without any further sourcing. Yes, I used quotes. I’m not having any difficulty finding people who attribute it to Augustine, just finding any indication of where he wrote it (if he actually did). Superluser, thanks as well. On with the search, the earliest attribution to Augustine I find in Google Books is 1906 so at least it isn’t a recent (to us, it is pretty recent compared to Augustine) thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/7 "2010-03-06T18:06:48Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Thanks, the Wade source simply attributes it to Augustine without any further sourcing… > On with the search, the earliest attribution to Augustine I find in Google Books is 1906 so at least it isn’t a recent (to us, it is pretty recent compared to Augustine) thing. For some reason, I was thinking the Wade publish date is 1824, but alas my internet connection is lousy for any serious searching. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-needed-the-world-is-a-book/531527/8 "2010-03-07T01:00:53Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > For some reason, I was thinking the Wade publish date is 1824, but alas my internet connection is lousy for any serious searching. Indeed it is. So, at least it goes back to 1824 with someone attributing it to Augustine. And, to extend it back a bit further, to 1799, using Google Books== > [@](#): > > St. Augustine, when he speaks of the great advantages of travelling, says, that the world is a great book, and none study this book so much as the traveller. They that never stir from their home read only one page of this book.