--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Something about the possession of a book…" description: "\"Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous anecdotes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg" --- # Something about the possession of a book - an object that… ![“Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous anecdotes and divine revelation - endows the reader with the power of creating a story, and the listener with a sense of being present at the moment of…” quote by Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg) > “Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous anecdotes and divine revelation - endows the reader with the power of creating a story, and the listener with a sense of being present at the moment of creation.” [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading a book gives the reader creative power and makes listeners feel present in the act of creation. **In simple terms:** Books empower creators and immerse listeners. Key Takeaway Use reading to inspire storytelling. Themes creativity storytelling presence Mood inspired reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - book clubs - educational settings - personal reflection Key Concepts imagination narrative power shared experience Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape your own stories? - What feels more immersive, reading or listening? A Different Perspective May not capture the full depth of oral tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-revelation/) [Fables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fables/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Times gone by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-gone-by/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The librarian's mission should be, not like up to now, a mere handling of the book as an object, but rather a know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-librarian-s-mission-should-be-not-like-up-to-now-a-mere-handling/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [McSweeney's as a publishing company is built on a business model that only works when we sell physical books. So we try to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/mcsweeney-s-as-a-publishing-company-is-built-on-a-business-model-that/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“There was something about the possession of a book that was important to me. Owning it gave me proprietary rights on the story. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-bell/there-was-something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-that-was-important/) Georgia Bell > [The possession of a book becomes a substitute for reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-possession-of-a-book-becomes-a-substitute-for-reading-it/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“There he is, bent over the page, with a monocle in his right eye, wholly devoted to the noble but rugged task of ferreting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/there-he-is-bent-over-the-page-with-a-monocle-in-his-right-eye-wholly/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [I love writing picture books because they are very child-centered and family-focused. The idea of creating a story within 2-5 typewritten pages is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerdine-nolen/i-love-writing-picture-books-because-they-are-very-child-centered-and/) [Jerdine Nolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerdine-nolen/) > [CREATING MY OWN STORY. =)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/creating-my-own-story/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) > [“We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a story out of the raw materials of our life. For some it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-mccormick/we-all-fictionalize-ourselves-in-the-process-of-creating-a-story-out/) Neil McCormick > [If you're creating a story, it's a lovely sort of secret thing going on in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/if-you-re-creating-a-story-it-s-a-lovely-sort-of-secret-thing-going/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [At first, I see pictures of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself. I guess you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-van-allsburg/at-first-i-see-pictures-of-a-story-in-my-mind-then-creating-the-story/) [Chris Van Allsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-van-allsburg/) > [For me the rehearsal period is the part I most enjoy. It's the creating of the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/for-me-the-rehearsal-period-is-the-part-i-most-enjoy-it-s-the/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [Voice isn't fixed or unmalleable, it adapts to the characters you are creating and the story being told. I suppose in some way that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/voice-isn-t-fixed-or-unmalleable-it-adapts-to-the-characters-you-are/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [One of my standard - and fairly true - responses to the question as to how story ideas come to me is that story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/one-of-my-standard-and-fairly-true-responses-to-the-question-as-to/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“The best thing about being a writer is the joy of creating a story that’s never been told before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae/the-best-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-the-joy-of-creating-a-story/) Rae > [It's all about creating a back story for the character and developing emotional responses that are true to life in relation to the character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corin-nemec/it-s-all-about-creating-a-back-story-for-the-character-and-developing/) [Corin Nemec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corin-nemec/) ## More by Alberto Manguel > [Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their occupation is reprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-time-experienced-the/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Libraries, whether my own or shared with a greater reading public, have always seemed to me pleasantly mad places, and for as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/libraries-whether-my-own-or-shared-with-a-greater-reading-public-have/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [At different times and in different places I have come to expect certain books to look a certain way, and, as in all fashions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/at-different-times-and-in-different-places-i-have-come-to-expect/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [I have no feelings of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-have-no-feelings-of-guilt-regarding-the-books-i-have-not-read-and/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“Then one day, from the window of a car (the destination of that journey is now forgotten), I saw a billboard by the side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/then-one-day-from-the-window-of-a-car-the-destination-of-that-journey/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [The shelves of books we haven't written, like those of books we haven't read, stretches out into the darkness of the universal library's farthest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-shelves-of-books-we-haven-t-written-like-those-of-books-we-haven/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“I have no feeling of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-have-no-feeling-of-guilt-regarding-the-books-i-have-not-read-and/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Old books that we have known but not possessed cross our path and invite themselves over. New books try to seduce us daily with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/old-books-that-we-have-known-but-not-possessed-cross-our-path-and/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Ordered by subject, by importance, ordered according to whether the book was penned by God or by one of God's creatures, ordered alphabetically or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/ordered-by-subject-by-importance-ordered-according-to-whether-the/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [The starting point is a question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-starting-point-is-a-question/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“Ljubav je imbecilna izvesnost pomoću koje naša fantazija stvara verodostojnu utvaru.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/ljubav-je-imbecilna-izvesnost-pomo-u-koje-na-a-fantazija-stvara/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [I know that something dies when i give up my books, and that my memory keeps going back to them with mournful nostalgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-know-that-something-dies-when-i-give-up-my-books-and-that-my-memory/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/maybe-this-is-why-we-read-and-why-in-moments-of-darkness-we-return-to/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [As centuries of dictators have known, an illiterate crowd is the easiest to rule; since the craft of reading cannot be untaught once it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/as-centuries-of-dictators-have-known-an-illiterate-crowd-is-the/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [A book brings its own history to the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/a-book-brings-its-own-history-to-the-reader/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) [Explore all 159 Alberto Manguel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) ## More Anecdotes quotes > [“There was a skill to organizing your life into neatly bundled anecdotes, and he lacked it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sakey/there-was-a-skill-to-organizing-your-life-into-neatly-bundled/) [Marcus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sakey/) > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [There comes a point where certain things are becoming my Achilles heel; you know when you start repeating yourself and saying the same anecdotes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elson/there-comes-a-point-where-certain-things-are-becoming-my-achilles/) [Karen Elson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elson/) > [Why should I ever get fed up talking about my father? He was a brilliant, colorful man who left us with thousands of memories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-huston/why-should-i-ever-get-fed-up-talking-about-my-father-he-was-a/) [Danny Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-huston/) > [If you would stick to the concrete, and put your discoveries in the form of entertaining anecdotes about your adventures with women, your conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-you-would-stick-to-the-concrete-and-put-your-discoveries-in-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Painters were also attorneys, happy storytellers of anecdote, psychologists, botanists, zoologists, archaeologists, engineers, but there were no creative painters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazimir-malevich/painters-were-also-attorneys-happy-storytellers-of-anecdote/) [Kazimir Malevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazimir-malevich/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Men grind and grind in the mill of a truism, and nothing comes out but what was put in. But the moment they desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/men-grind-and-grind-in-the-mill-of-a-truism-and-nothing-comes-out-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Anecdote: The extent of Michael Jackson's fame at its height, and his eagerness to exploit it is shown by an incident in 1984 when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/anecdote-the-extent-of-michael-jackson-s-fame-at-its-height-and-his/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I don't have a lot of thrilling anecdotes about my career or personal life. All the stuff that is interesting is private and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-don-t-have-a-lot-of-thrilling-anecdotes-about-my-career-or-personal/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [Life divides into amazing enjoyable times and appalling experiences that will make future amazing anecdotes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/life-divides-into-amazing-enjoyable-times-and-appalling-experiences/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I write and write and write, and then I edit it down to the parts that I think are amusing, or that help the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-write-and-write-and-write-and-then-i-edit-it-down-to-the-parts-that/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [If you notice phrases, ideas, and anecdotes that closely resemble those that appear elsewhere in my writing, it's not a matter of sloppy editing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/if-you-notice-phrases-ideas-and-anecdotes-that-closely-resemble-those/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [At the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, Sanford Meisner said, 'When you go into the professional world, at a stock theatre somewhere, backstage, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/at-the-neighborhood-playhouse-school-of-theatre-sanford-meisner-said/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [And if a man reads very hard, as the old anecdote reminds us, he will have little time for thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/and-if-a-man-reads-very-hard-as-the-old-anecdote-reminds-us-he-will/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) [Browse all 180 Anecdotes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous anecdotes and divine revelation - endows the reader with the power of creating a story, and the listener with a sense of being present at the moment of creation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alberto Manguel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anecdotes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/alberto-manguel-2467_anecdotes_something-about-the-possession-of-a-book_209828.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom…” — Alberto Manguel", "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": "Alberto Manguel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Something about the possession of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/#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 } } ] } ```