Bad books are like intoxicating drinks; they furnish neither nourishment, nor medicine. Both improperly excite; the one the mind; the other the body. The desire for each increases by being fed. Both ruin; one the intellect; the other the health, and together the morals; precipitating the victim into hopeless wretchedness here, and reserving him for eternal retribution hereafter.
— Edwards
Edwards
The point
Bad books, like intoxicants, harm the mind and morals while offering no real nourishment.
