Classic, a book which people praise and don't read. (Mark Twain)
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A highly acclaimed book that is rarely actually read
Examples
Many consider 'War and Peace' a classic, a book which people praise and don't read
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Classic, a book which people praise and don't read. (Mark Twain)” mean?
A highly acclaimed book that is rarely actually read
Is “Classic, a book which people praise and don't read. (Mark Twain)” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.