--- title: "1 Books Held Quotes By James Stephens" description: "1 Books Held quotes by James Stephens. Plus more from James Stephens and more Books Held sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/james-stephens-11194_books_he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-libr_3158066.jpg" --- > [“He saw a square room furnished as a library. The entire section of the walls which he could spy was covered from floor to ceiling with books. There were volumes of every size, every shape, every colour. There were long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-library-the-entire-section-of-the/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/james-stephens-11194_books_he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-libr_3158066.jpg) ## More by James Stephens > [“Even the wind had ceased, and there seemed to be nothing in the world but the darkness and himself. In that gigantic blackness, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/even-the-wind-had-ceased-and-there-seemed-to-be-nothing-in-the-world/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A Leprecaun without a pot of gold is like a rose without perfume, a bird without a wing, or an inside without an outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-leprecaun-without-a-pot-of-gold-is-like-a-rose-without-perfume-a/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/originality-does-not-consist-in-saying-what-no-one-has-ever-said/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [The duty of a lyrical poet is not to express or explain, it is to intensify life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/the-duty-of-a-lyrical-poet-is-not-to-express-or-explain-it-is-to/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A man and a woman may become quite intimate in a quarter of an hour. Almost certainly will they endeavour to explain themselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-man-and-a-woman-may-become-quite-intimate-in-a-quarter-of-an-hour/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“The toxin generates the anti-toxin. The end lies concealed in the beginning. All bodies grow around a skeleton. Life is a petticoat about death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/the-toxin-generates-the-anti-toxin-the-end-lies-concealed-in-the/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-sword-a-spade-and-a-thought-should-never-be-allowed-to-rust/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“But outside of the North of Ireland there is no religious question, and in the North it is fundamentally more political than religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/but-outside-of-the-north-of-ireland-there-is-no-religious-question/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [I hear a sudden cry of pain! There is a rabbit in a snare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/i-hear-a-sudden-cry-of-pain-there-is-a-rabbit-in-a-snare/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Tell me your past, my beloved, for a man is his past, and is to be known by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/tell-me-your-past-my-beloved-for-a-man-is-his-past-and-is-to-be-known/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/finality-is-death-perfection-is-finality-nothing-is-perfect-there-are/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Life runs to death as its goal, and we should go towards that next stage of experience either carelessly as to what must be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/life-runs-to-death-as-its-goal-and-we-should-go-towards-that-next/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Women and birds are able to see without turning their heads, and that is indeed a necessary provision for they are both surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/women-and-birds-are-able-to-see-without-turning-their-heads-and-that/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Men come of age at sixty, women at fifteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/men-come-of-age-at-sixty-women-at-fifteen/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“Curiosity will conquer fear more than bravery will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/curiosity-will-conquer-fear-more-than-bravery-will/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-held/james-stephens/#itemlist", "name": "1 Books Held Quotes By James Stephens", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He saw a square room furnished as a library. The entire section of the walls which he could spy was covered from floor to ceiling with books. There were volumes of every size, every shape, every colour. There were long, narrow books that held themselves like grenadiers at stiff attention. There were short, fat books that stood solidly like aldermen who were going to make speeches and were ashamed but not frightened. There were mediocre books bearing themselves with the carelessness of folk who are never looked at and have consequently no shyness. There were solemn books that seemed to be feeling for their spectacles; and there were tattered, important books that had got dirty because they took snuff, and were tattered because they had been crossed in love and had never married afterwards. There were prim, ancient tomes that were certainly ashamed of their heroines and utterly unable to obtain a divorce from the hussies; and there were lean, rakish volumes that leaned carelessly, or perhaps it was with studied elegance, against their neighbours, murmuring in affected tones, \"All heroines are charming to us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Stephens" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-library-the-entire-section-of-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/james-stephens-11194_books_he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-libr_3158066.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/james-stephens-11194_books_he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-libr_3158066.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/james-stephens-11194_books_he-saw-a-square-room-furnished-as-a-libr_3158066.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He saw a square room furnished as a library. 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