Reading is an end in and of itself

[studying]

Dear teachers:

How to comprehend this sentence "Reading is an end in and of itself" ?

Thanks a lot.

[Monticello]

Dear teachers:

How to comprehend this sentence "Reading is an end in and of itself" ?

Thanks a lot.

Hi studying,

By "... an end ..." here is meant an aim, objective or purpose.

Depending on the reading material, one may read with different objectives in mind.

For example, one often reads to gain information, such as when one reads the morning news in order to find out what's going on in the world. One can also read for the purpose of furthering study of a particular subject, as when one reads a text or an essay. Ultimately, one could say that the purpose of both of these examples is to learn.

At the same time, reading may be done for its own pleasure (whether or not one is reading to acquire knowledge or to further study). When one considers the act of reading in this way, it is the pure enjoyment (of reading) that is the objective. Thus the meaning of your quote: "[r]eading is an end in and of itself."

[studying]

Hi, Monticello

Thank you very much for your kind and detailed explanation. I'm clearer now, but still a little confused.

Can I comprehend it in this way?

Reading is an end in and of itself=
a. Reading is an end in itself. and
b. Reading is an end of itself.

"Reading is an end in itself" related to paragraph three of your explanation, which means the aim of reading is to get information or to get certain knowlege.
"Reading is an end of itself" related to paragraph four of your explanation, which means we enjoy the process of reading.
Am I right?

What's the differece of in and of in the quoted sentence?

By the way why you write "[r]eading is an end in and of itself." ?

Thanks a lot!

[svartnik]

I have my two cents to throw in the hat too:

"Reading is an end in itself" means we read for the joy of doing it.

Reading is an end of itself. The purpose of reading is the act of reading itself.

To me the two ideas are very close in meaning.

[Monticello]

Can I comprehend it in this way?

Reading is an end in and of itself=
a. Reading is an end in itself. and
b. Reading is an end of itself.

Hi studying,

Yes. Your expansion of the sentence as above provides the exact meaning.

The phrase"in and of itself" is a common English idiom that generally means "without considering anything else" or "considering it alone." Find other links that explain this idiom here.

By the way why you write "[r]eading is an end in and of itself." ?

Your original quote had capitalized the word "Reading." In adapting it for my sentence, I slightly altered the original quote, changing the "R" from upper to lower case. Placing this in brackets -- "[r]eading ..." -- shows the reader the alteration from the original.

Thanks a lot!

My pleasure!

[studying]

Hi, Monticello

Thank you very much again!

So should the phrase "in and of itself" be understood as a whole pharase here or as in my way
a. Reading is an end in itself. and
b. Reading is an end of itself.
Because as a whole pharse or seperating seems to have different meaning to me.

So about the "[r]eading is an end in and of itself." , do you mean when using a quotation mark, the first letter of the first word should not be capitalized?

[studying]

anyone helps?