Smith was an avid reader.

He was given a scholarship in 1740 to pursue postgraduate studies at Balliol College in Oxford. He complained that the instruction at Oxford was not at all intellectually interesting. The extent to which Smith's growth took place in solitude was one of the key factors contributing to his dissatisfaction with his time at Oxford. But he did make good use of the library, reading voraciously and picking up a number of new subjects on his own. This encouraged Smith to develop the valuable habit of doing a lot of reading, which he did all his life.

Smith also acquired a broad knowledge in several fields and amassed a personal collection of over 1500 books on various topics. His exceptional command of grammar across several languages was supported by this. He had a remarkable mastery of the English language as a result and was well renowned for his meticulous attention to grammar in all languages, including Greek. On the other hand, Smith was also knowledgeable in the field of philology. This is one of the interesting facts about Adam Smith.