Woodrow Wilson once told a group of students at Princeton something
like "I'd rather spend 30 minutes with the author than read his book."
...or something like that.

Please find for me the correct quote.

Hello, alwayscurious-ga!

Thanks for the opportunity to research this question for you. I
believe the quote you are seeking is:

"I would never read a book if it were possible for me to talk half an
hour with the man who wrote it."

I had a good time finding this quote for you, as Woodrow Wilson
apparently made quite a few very pithy quotes in his time, and it was
enjoyable sifting through them for yours.

Please don't hesitate to request a clarification if need be, and
thanks for using Google Answers!

Best regards,

Cyclometh-ga

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Search Strategy:

[Google Groups]

Woodrow Wilson quote author group:alt.quotations

[Google]

Woodrow Wilson read book half hour wrote

Some web sites with additional quotes from Woodrow Wilson:

[Woodrow Wilson, the Visionary President]
http://216.132.160.230/KoTrain/Courses/WW/WW_In_His_Own_Words.htm

[Woodrow Wilson- The Visionary President]
http://home.att.net/~jrhsc/wilson.html

[All Things William: US Presidents]
http://www.allthingswilliam.com/presidents/wilson.html

[QuoteGeek]
http://www.quotegeek.com/page_themes.asp?action=viewtheme&theme=42

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Clarification of Answer by cyclometh-ga on 29 Mar 2004 22:18 PST

Thank you so much for both the kind comments and the tip- they're appreciated! :)

Regards,

Cyclometh-ga

Slam dunk. This is exactly what I needed--and the answer was provided
within minutes of my posting the question.