--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even when reading is impossible, the…" description: "\"Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired (by passionate devotion to them) produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png" --- # Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books… ![“Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired (by passionate devotion to them) produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can peradventure read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity ... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence…” quote by A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png) > “Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired (by passionate devotion to them) produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can peradventure read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity ... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance.” [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mere presence of books gives profound joy, even if unread, because they symbolize endless possibility and comfort. **In simple terms:** Books bring joy just by being there. Key Takeaway Value books for their promise, not just their content. Themes joy comfort potential Mood nostalgic contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal libraries - waiting rooms - gifted books - reading clubs Key Concepts bibliophilia infinity anticipation Questions to Reflect On - What does an unread book represent for you? - How does owning books shape your mindset? A Different Perspective Unreading may limit actual knowledge gain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Buying books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying-books/) [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Devotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devotion/) [Ecstasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecstasy/) [Infinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinity/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reassurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reassurance/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Who was it who said, "I hold the buying of more books than one can peradventure read, as nothing less than the soul's reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/who-was-it-who-said-i-hold-the-buying-of-more-books-than-one-can/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [So, whenever I'm writing, I'm writing in the presence of all the other books I've read and I think we all are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/so-whenever-i-m-writing-i-m-writing-in-the-presence-of-all-the-other/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [“Children learn to read by being in the presence of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/children-learn-to-read-by-being-in-the-presence-of-books/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/the-buying-of-more-books-than-one-can-read-is-nothing-less-than-the/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them; but as a rule the purchase of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/buying-books-would-be-a-good-thing-if-one-could-also-buy-the-time-to/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Jack shook his head. 'Books. What is it with women and books? My sisters were the same. They were always buying books for boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-osmond/jack-shook-his-head-books-what-is-it-with-women-and-books-my-sisters/) Hazel Osmond > [“What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!” “It ought to be good,” he replied, “it has been the work of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/what-a-delightful-library-you-have-at-pemberley-mr-darcy-it-ought-to/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“The more freely a librarian mingles with readers, and the greater the amount of assistance he renders them, the more intense does the conviction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-green/the-more-freely-a-librarian-mingles-with-readers-and-the-greater-the/) Samuel Green > [“buying books would be a good thing if we also could buy the time to read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/buying-books-would-be-a-good-thing-if-we-also-could-buy-the-time-to/) [arthur schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [With my adult books, for the first six weeks or so, it's about 60 percent ebooks in terms of sales. The kids' books, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/with-my-adult-books-for-the-first-six-weeks-or-so-it-s-about-60/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“She asked her parents to buy him the books she’d been read by her first teachers, Peter Rabbit and Frog and Toad. “What’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/she-asked-her-parents-to-buy-him-the-books-she-d-been-read-by-her/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [“Buying books in that 20 year period of my life in which the internet pervaded much of what I did, was quick and simple.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-boyle/buying-books-in-that-20-year-period-of-my-life-in-which-the-internet/) [Mark Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-boyle/) > [Buying clothes is as good as buying books, but the difference is that clothes make you beautiful form the outside and books make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/buying-clothes-is-as-good-as-buying-books-but-the-difference-is-that/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“A bookshop is a peaceful sanctuary of silent voices waiting to heard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/a-bookshop-is-a-peaceful-sanctuary-of-silent-voices-waiting-to-heard/) [Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/) ## More by A. Edward Newton > [If this world affords true happiness, it is to be found in a home where love and confidence increase with the years, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/if-this-world-affords-true-happiness-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-home/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/the-buying-of-more-books-than-one-can-read-is-nothing-less-than-the/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“Who was it who said, "I hold the buying of more books than one can peradventure read, as nothing less than the soul's reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/who-was-it-who-said-i-hold-the-buying-of-more-books-than-one-can/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [My depth of purse is not so great Nor yet my bibliophilic greed, That merely buying doth elate: The books I buy I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/my-depth-of-purse-is-not-so-great-nor-yet-my-bibliophilic-greed-that/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [Gilbert White discovered the formula for complete happiness, but he died before making the announcement, leaving it for me to do so. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/gilbert-white-discovered-the-formula-for-complete-happiness-but-he/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [As life tends to become more and more distracting, let us firmly hold on to books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/as-life-tends-to-become-more-and-more-distracting-let-us-firmly-hold/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“There may be little room for the display of this supreme qualification in the retail book business, but there is room for some. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/there-may-be-little-room-for-the-display-of-this-supreme/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [The selection of a book-plate is such a serious matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/the-selection-of-a-book-plate-is-such-a-serious-matter/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) [Explore all 10 A. Edward Newton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) Andrew Nikiforuk > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/) [Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/) > [Broadband Internet access shouldn't depend on who you are or where you're from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/broadband-internet-access-shouldn-t-depend-on-who-you-are-or-where/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) [Browse all 2,178 Access quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired (by passionate devotion to them) produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can peradventure read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity ... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. Edward Newton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Access" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9a/a-edward-newton-41466_access_even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-pres_1775445.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired (by passionate devotion to them) produces…” — A. Edward Newton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A. Edward Newton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even when reading is impossible, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/even-when-reading-is-impossible-the-presence-of-books-acquired-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```