--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like the idea of a book being a…" description: "\"I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and participate in a conversation, or experience o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg" --- # I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which… ![“I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and participate in a conversation, or experience of grace.” quote by Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg) > “I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and participate in a conversation, or experience of grace.” [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books become shared spaces where readers bring ideas and engage in a collective dialogue. **In simple terms:** Reading is a shared, thoughtful conversation. Key Takeaway Treat reading as a two‑way exchange. Themes reading dialogue democracy participation Mood engaging thoughtful Type literary conversational When to use this quote - book clubs - online forums - academic seminars Key Concepts literary theory social interaction Questions to Reflect On - How can you contribute meaningfully to a book discussion? - What perspectives do you bring to a shared reading? A Different Perspective Not all readers participate actively; dialogue can be one‑sided. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [“In trying to explain this linkage, I was inspired by a traditional African tool that has three legs and a basin to sit on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/in-trying-to-explain-this-linkage-i-was-inspired-by-a-traditional/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [At the moment, I'm toying with a new idea for a book, but fully engaged with writing screenplays, so the book idea - which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/at-the-moment-i-m-toying-with-a-new-idea-for-a-book-but-fully-engaged/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [The idea is not enough. And the most annoying thing for me as a writer is that people will come up to me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-idea-is-not-enough-and-the-most-annoying-thing-for-me-as-a-writer/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I am just diving into life again. I just have nothing new to offer right now as an idea for a book. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-bajaj/i-am-just-diving-into-life-again-i-just-have-nothing-new-to-offer/) [Karan Bajaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-bajaj/) > [Getting an idea for a book is not the problem, but you need 300 ideas - an idea a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/getting-an-idea-for-a-book-is-not-the-problem-but-you-need-300-ideas/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Most authors have one idea per book. Shakespeare had two per sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-hutton/most-authors-have-one-idea-per-book-shakespeare-had-two-per-sentence/) [Lauren Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-hutton/) > [I can't even say I've begun yet, but I'm trying on the idea that there is a book in my future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-mattea/i-can-t-even-say-i-ve-begun-yet-but-i-m-trying-on-the-idea-that-there/) [Kathy Mattea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-mattea/) > [Because as any writer will tell you, an IDEA for a book is like falling in love, it's all wild emotion and headlong rush,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/because-as-any-writer-will-tell-you-an-idea-for-a-book-is-like/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [The idea for a book usually bubbles up from my sub-conscious when I am drifting off to sleep. Each one has started as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-bradby/the-idea-for-a-book-usually-bubbles-up-from-my-sub-conscious-when-i/) [Marie Bradby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-bradby/) > [You never know how - or when - the idea for a book will appear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/you-never-know-how-or-when-the-idea-for-a-book-will-appear/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [The ideas aren't that important. Really they aren't. Everyone's got an idea for a book, a movie, a story, a TV series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-ideas-aren-t-that-important-really-they-aren-t-everyone-s-got-an/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The idea of an e-book has been around since the late 1970s, when researchers at Xerox PARC got on the case. Their prototype used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-platt/the-idea-of-an-e-book-has-been-around-since-the-late-1970s-when/) [Charles Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-platt/) > [“Rissa Kerguelen by F. M. Busby. I read this now largely forgotten science fiction book at about the time I was starting my company,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/rissa-kerguelen-by-f-m-busby-i-read-this-now-largely-forgotten/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [Book ideas are like planes, lined up to approach the runway. Some never leave the gate, but others move quickly to the front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/book-ideas-are-like-planes-lined-up-to-approach-the-runway-some-never/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [I buy a lot of books I never read. But that's not really a waste, since all it takes is one idea from even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/i-buy-a-lot-of-books-i-never-read-but-that-s-not-really-a-waste-since/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) ## More by Aleksandar Hemon > [Even if you tried to extinguish your personality, what is left in the story will reflect it, perhaps by its negation. Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [To me there's no difference between a book of stories and a novel - they're just slightly different shapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/to-me-there-s-no-difference-between-a-book-of-stories-and-a-novel/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Lord, why did you leave me in these woods?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/lord-why-did-you-leave-me-in-these-woods/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I want to change something. I want to stop the germs from attacking my daughters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-want-to-change-something-i-want-to-stop-the-germs-from-attacking-my/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Cliché activates the comfortable mental laziness, we sort of revert to the domain of the already-familiar, what we have already imagined so that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/clich-activates-the-comfortable-mental-laziness-we-sort-of-revert-to/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [“The writer does not dare dream of giving the best of his individuality. No, he must never express his anger. The vacillating demands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/the-writer-does-not-dare-dream-of-giving-the-best-of-his/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [What fiction and art can do, particularly narrative art, is construct consciousness - in a sense, we have to do it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/what-fiction-and-art-can-do-particularly-narrative-art-is-construct/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I read everything I could find in English - Twain, Henry James, Hemingway, really everything. And then after a while I started writing shorter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-read-everything-i-could-find-in-english-twain-henry-james-hemingway/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [It was always clear to me that I would have to earn my readers, some I would have to find, some to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/it-was-always-clear-to-me-that-i-would-have-to-earn-my-readers-some-i/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I never thought of myself as an outsider. Because outside of what? You would have to give advantage to this space where you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-an-outsider-because-outside-of-what-you/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [There are studies that have shown that we make decisions, ethical and otherwise, based on the way we imagine ourselves as characters in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/there-are-studies-that-have-shown-that-we-make-decisions-ethical-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I long for, not a writer's retreat - I can write in any situation - but a reader's retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-long-for-not-a-writer-s-retreat-i-can-write-in-any-situation-but-a/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I much preferred winning to thinking and I didn't like losing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-much-preferred-winning-to-thinking-and-i-didn-t-like-losing-at-all/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Memory narrativises itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/memory-narrativises-itself/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) [Explore all 236 Aleksandar Hemon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and participate in a conversation, or experience of grace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleksandar Hemon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democratic-space-which-readers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democratic-space-which-readers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/aleksandar-hemon-1490_book_i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democr_1815874.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and…” — Aleksandar Hemon", "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": "Aleksandar Hemon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like the idea of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democratic-space-which-readers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-like-the-idea-of-a-book-being-a-democratic-space-which-readers/#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 } } ] } ```