--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a child I read books for…" description: "\"“When I was a child I read books for entertainment and information; I now think of books as lifeboats.”\" — Alice Walker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png" --- # When I was a child I read books for entertainment and… ![“When I was a child I read books for entertainment and information; I now think of books as lifeboats.” quote by Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png) > ““When I was a child I read books for entertainment and information; I now think of books as lifeboats.”” [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books serve as rescue vessels that sustain us emotionally and intellectually throughout life. **In simple terms:** Books are lifeboats that keep us afloat. Key Takeaway Seek books that rescue and inspire you. Themes literature resilience growth Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - career transition - mental health support Key Concepts psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What book has been your lifeboat? - How do you share that rescue with others? A Different Perspective Lifeboats may not replace real-world support systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [Yes, I don't read books for entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/yes-i-don-t-read-books-for-entertainment/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [Books of entertainment first led Adam Clarke to believe in a spiritual world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-curtis/books-of-entertainment-first-led-adam-clarke-to-believe-in-a/) [George William Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-curtis/) > [I think books find their way to you when you need them. Whenever I feel like I'm not going to live to read all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-think-books-find-their-way-to-you-when-you-need-them-whenever-i/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-teach-a-child-to-read-and-he-or-her-will-be-able-to-pass-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A child who can't read isn't going to get better because you told him he was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-whitmer/a-child-who-can-t-read-isn-t-going-to-get-better-because-you-told-him/) [Gretchen Whitmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-whitmer/) > [“What could be more important than inspiring a child to read her first book and giving her the gift of confidence?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-l-patrick/what-could-be-more-important-than-inspiring-a-child-to-read-her-first/) Kathy L. Patrick > [As a child I read all kinds of stuff, whether it was 'Asterix and Obelix' and 'Tin Tin' comic books, or 'Lord of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/as-a-child-i-read-all-kinds-of-stuff-whether-it-was-asterix-and/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Using assistive technology with your child prevents your child from missing out on content solely because he can’t yet read or write. If your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-k-cook/using-assistive-technology-with-your-child-prevents-your-child-from/) Sandra K. Cook > [“Teach a child to read and he/she will pass a literary test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/teach-a-child-to-read-and-he-she-will-pass-a-literary-test/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The fastest way to teach a child to read is to teach them to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mem-fox/the-fastest-way-to-teach-a-child-to-read-is-to-teach-them-to-write/) [Mem Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mem-fox/) > [“Every child should be read to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hansen/every-child-should-be-read-to/) Kim Hansen > [I think e-books are terrific in their own right. I love being able to get on a plane and basically carry around seven books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-think-e-books-are-terrific-in-their-own-right-i-love-being-able-to/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [I think there are so many books out there written on relationships and romance that women are the authors of. How can women know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/i-think-there-are-so-many-books-out-there-written-on-relationships/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [I love my job, and I love books. I read anything, including cereal boxes. I care deeply about what people think of my books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/i-love-my-job-and-i-love-books-i-read-anything-including-cereal-boxes/) [Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) ## More by Alice Walker > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Remember this-- say it & know it is true: Alice loves me Alice loves me and I am not blamed for this. ... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/remember-this-say-it-know-it-is-true-alice-loves-me-alice-loves-me/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Only the sky above us do we hold in common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/only-the-sky-above-us-do-we-hold-in-common/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Why aren't you happy in America, if everyone there drives motorcars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/why-aren-t-you-happy-in-america-if-everyone-there-drives-motorcars/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“She saw poetry where other writers merely saw failure to cope with English.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/she-saw-poetry-where-other-writers-merely-saw-failure-to-cope-with/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My mother had handed down respect for the possibilities...and the will to grasp them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-had-handed-down-respect-for-the-possibilities-and-the-will/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/helped-are-those-who-are-content-to-be-themselves-they-will-never/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“As others might prepare for an exam whose subject matter is unknown to them, so I must study, cram, for every conversation with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/as-others-might-prepare-for-an-exam-whose-subject-matter-is-unknown/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My mother was very strong. Once, she picked up a coconut and smashed it against my father's head. It taught me about women defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-was-very-strong-once-she-picked-up-a-coconut-and-smashed-it/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Many readers fail to realize this, but 'The Color Purple' is a theological text. It is about the reclamation of one's original God: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/many-readers-fail-to-realize-this-but-the-color-purple-is-a/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Humans - whatever billions we are - we don't have the control. We are considered expendable, basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/humans-whatever-billions-we-are-we-don-t-have-the-control-we-are/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/all-my-life-i-had-to-fight-i-had-to-fight-my-daddy-i-had-to-fight-my/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) [Explore all 654 Alice Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I was a child I read books for entertainment and information; I now think of books as lifeboats.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Walker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-entertainment-and-information-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-entertainment-and-information-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/alice-walker-347_books_when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-ente_2547210.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was a child I read books for entertainment and information; I now think of books as lifeboats.” — Alice Walker", "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": "Alice Walker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When I was a child I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-entertainment-and-information-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-for-entertainment-and-information-i/#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 } } ] } ```