His name was held in high repute from the time Yorinaga was in the cradle; he was extensively read in Japanese and Chinese literature and highly regarded as a scholar, 'The most advanced student in Japan endowed with the talents in Japanese and Chinese literature.'
頼長は幼時より令名高く、膨大な和漢の書を読み「日本一の大学生、和漢の才に富む」（にっぽんいちのだいがくしょう、わかんのざえにとむ）とその学識の高さを評された。