Who really said it
Wikiquote assigns this wording to Joseph Brodsky, not Bradbury. A contemporary transcript has not been independently checked.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Disputed credit — copy with the correction
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them” — Credited to Joseph Brodsky in secondary references, not Ray Bradbury; primary transcript unconfirmed.
The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Ray Bradbury. Use the credit shown above instead.
Can you use it?
We couldn’t establish where this was first published, so there’s no rights status to give. Credit it as shown above — just don’t present it as public domain, and get permission for commercial or published reuse.
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In context
Evoking the world of Joseph Brodsky — Russian-American poet. Theme: "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Minimalist
Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.
Wikiquote correctionHow we verified this
The exact wording has not been tied to a dated original edition. No public-domain status is asserted; the excerpt is used briefly for attribution and criticism.
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Fact-check
The subject of book burning makes the Bradbury credit tempting.
The sourced correction instead names Brodsky. Wikiquote correction ↗
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Lists the saying as misattributed to Bradbury and credits Brodsky.
Attributes the sentence to Brodsky at a May 17, 1991 Library of Congress press conference; secondary citation only.
Biographical background and life dates.
Background on the popularly credited writer.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Brodsky attribution; primary transcript not independently examined. See the linked research; a primary edition of the displayed wording has not been independently confirmed.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/there-are-worse-crimes-than-burning-books-one-of-them-is/