Beyond love Quote by Anatole Broyard
““I realize that people still read books now and some people actually love them, but in 1946 in the Village our feelings about books--I’m talking about my friends and myself--went beyond love. It was as if we didn’t know where we ended and books began. Books were our weather, our environment, our clothing. We didn’t simply read books; we became them. We took them into ourselves and made them into our histories. While it would be easy to say that we escaped into books, it might be truer to say that books escaped into us. Books were to us what drugs were to young men in the sixties. They showed us what was possible. We had been living with whatever was close at hand, whatever was given, and books took us great distances. We had known only domestic emotions and they showed us what happens to emotions when they are homeless. Books gave us balance--the young are so unbalanced that anything can make them fall. Books steadied us; it was as if we carried a heavy bag of them in each hand and they kept us level. They gave us gravity.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 1975
Books become an extension of self, shaping identity and perception beyond mere reading.
In simple terms: Books become part of who we are.
Key Takeaway
Let books transform you, not just entertain you.
Themes
identity
literature
growth
escape
balance
Mood
reflective
nostalgic
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- adolescents seeking meaning
- writers developing voice
- educators fostering empathy
- readers coping with change
Key Concepts
self‑construction
psychological immersion
cultural transmission
Questions to Reflect On
- How have books reshaped your self‑image?
- Can literature replace lived experience?
A Different Perspective
Books may idealize reality, leading to escapism.
