--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had…" description: "\"Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. After I read the diary, I had a fre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/alexandra-fuller-7586_book_until-i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-i-had-fo_478383.png" --- # Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a… ![“Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. After I read the diary, I had a fresh way of viewing the both literature and the world. From then on, I found I was impatient with books that were not honest or that were trivial and…” quote by Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/alexandra-fuller-7586_book_until-i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-i-had-fo_478383.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/alexandra-fuller-7586_book_until-i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-i-had-fo_478383.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/alexandra-fuller-7586_book_until-i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-i-had-fo_478383.png) > “Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. After I read the diary, I had a fresh way of viewing the both literature and the world. From then on, I found I was impatient with books that were not honest or that were trivial and frivolous.” [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) ## 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 personal account of suffering reshaped the author's view of literature, demanding honesty and depth over triviality. **In simple terms:** Reading honest stories changed how she judged books. Key Takeaway Seek truth and depth in reading. Themes honesty literature personal growth Mood reflective thoughtful inspired Type literary personal development When to use this quote - school assignments - book clubs - personal reflection - teaching literature Key Concepts authenticity empathy critical reading Questions to Reflect On - How does personal hardship affect literary taste? - What makes a book 'honest' to you? A Different Perspective Some may argue that escapism still has value for mental health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anne Frank's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-franks-224712/) [Anne Frank's Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-franks-diary-217569/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-honest-3313840/) [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/) [Diary Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary-books-4117992/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frank/) [Frank Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frank-diary-4117993/) [Frivolous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frivolous/) [Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh/) [Harsh reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh-reality/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Impatient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatient/) [Literal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literal/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Not honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-honest/) [Read Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-diary-834215/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [ \[I\] read Anne Frank's diary \[while imprisoned\] on Robben Island and derived much encouragement from it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-while-imprisoned-on-robben-island-and/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“A THOUSAND WORDS My stepfather Ralph Newman was a merry and remarkable man, a former minor league second baseman who broke his nose on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/a-thousand-words-my-stepfather-ralph-newman-was-a-merry-and/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [The feedback I get is that my books are honest. I don't sugar-coat anything. Life is really hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/the-feedback-i-get-is-that-my-books-are-honest-i-don-t-sugar-coat/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Speaking as a writer, I'm not interested in trends, I want to write books that are honest, with characters as true to the inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-patron/speaking-as-a-writer-i-m-not-interested-in-trends-i-want-to-write/) [Susan Patron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-patron/) > [I seek in the reading of books, only to please myself, by an honest diversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-seek-in-the-reading-of-books-only-to-please-myself-by-an-honest/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The book was turned to the page with Anne Frank's name, but what got me about it was the fact that right beneath her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-book-was-turned-to-the-page-with-anne-frank-s-name-but-what-got/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [When I first read Anne Frank's 'Diary of a Young Girl,' I saw for the first time that a girl could be a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/when-i-first-read-anne-frank-s-diary-of-a-young-girl-i-saw-for-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [“In modern wold, people read diary and say I am telling you truth that I read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kusha-agrawal/in-modern-wold-people-read-diary-and-say-i-am-telling-you-truth-that/) [Kusha Agrawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kusha-agrawal/) > [When I read my own diary, a lot of those feelings came flooding back, such as the idea that the first boy you fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/when-i-read-my-own-diary-a-lot-of-those-feelings-came-flooding-back/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [Please read my diary, look through my things and figure me out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/please-read-my-diary-look-through-my-things-and-figure-me-out/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I would rather have someone read my diary than look at my iPod playlists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-would-rather-have-someone-read-my-diary-than-look-at-my-ipod/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Like a lot of people, I read 'The Diary of Anne Frank' again and again and again when I was growing up - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-hesse/like-a-lot-of-people-i-read-the-diary-of-anne-frank-again-and-again/) [Monica Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-hesse/) > [ Certainly when you read someone's diary \[ superficial\] that's a word that jumps to mind. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/certainly-when-you-read-someone-s-diary-superficial-that-s-a-word/) [Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/) > [Writing is communication, not self-expression. Nobody in this world wants to read your diary except your mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/writing-is-communication-not-self-expression-nobody-in-this-world/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) > [Don't read my diary when I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/don-t-read-my-diary-when-i-m-gone/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) ## More by Alexandra Fuller > [“Toasted tobacco, no additives,' I said. 'Yum. Tastes like childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/toasted-tobacco-no-additives-i-said-yum-tastes-like-childhood/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I don't think we have all the words in a single vocabulary to explain what we are or why we are. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-don-t-think-we-have-all-the-words-in-a-single-vocabulary-to-explain/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [In the West, it was believed that attitude and ambition saved you. In Africa, we had learned that no one was immune to capricious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/in-the-west-it-was-believed-that-attitude-and-ambition-saved-you-in/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I listen mostly to classical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-listen-mostly-to-classical-music/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [What is important is the story. Because when we are all dust and teeth and kicked-up bits of skin - when we're dancing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/what-is-important-is-the-story-because-when-we-are-all-dust-and-teeth/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [One of the things about being raised British in Africa is that you get this double whammy of toughness. The continent in place itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/one-of-the-things-about-being-raised-british-in-africa-is-that-you/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [“How much strength must one people have? And for how long must they have it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/how-much-strength-must-one-people-have-and-for-how-long-must-they/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [In general, I almost always watch foreign films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/in-general-i-almost-always-watch-foreign-films/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I think that being raised the way I was, where everything was so uncompromising, where, you know, we're prepared to fight to the death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-think-that-being-raised-the-way-i-was-where-everything-was-so/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [This is not a full circle. It's life carrying on. It's the next breath we all take. It's the choice we make to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/this-is-not-a-full-circle-it-s-life-carrying-on-it-s-the-next-breath/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [“The schools wear the blank faces of war buildings, their windows blown blind by rocks or guns or mortars. Their plaster is an acne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/the-schools-wear-the-blank-faces-of-war-buildings-their-windows-blown/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I adore my family. I don't love their politics. I think they're wonderful parents. They were dreadful at parenting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-adore-my-family-i-don-t-love-their-politics-i-think-they-re/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [It seems very clear to me that we, in the West, cannot afford to continue assuming propriety over the world's resources in a careless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/it-seems-very-clear-to-me-that-we-in-the-west-cannot-afford-to/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-remember-an-incident-is-dictated-by/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [Retaining culture takes effort and persistence and discipline. It's a commitment, not a flag. You can't just pull it out and wave it about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/retaining-culture-takes-effort-and-persistence-and-discipline-it-s-a/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) [Explore all 89 Alexandra Fuller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) ## 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": "Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. 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