--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would define a book as a work of magic…" description: "\"I would define a book as a work of magic whence escape, all kinds of images to trouble the souls and change the hearts of men\" — Anatole France" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg" --- # I would define a book as a work of magic whence escape… ![“I would define a book as a work of magic whence escape, all kinds of images to trouble the souls and change the hearts of men” quote by Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg) > “I would define a book as a work of magic whence escape, all kinds of images to trouble the souls and change the hearts of men” [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book is a magical portal that offers escape and images that challenge souls and transform hearts. **In simple terms:** Books are magical escapes that change us. Key Takeaway Read to let images reshape your heart. Themes imagination transformation escape Mood reflective hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - education - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts magic psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - What images in a book have altered your worldview? - How can reading become a tool for personal change? A Different Perspective Escapism can become avoidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [When you gaze into souls, it's something you should update periodically, because souls can change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-perle/when-you-gaze-into-souls-it-s-something-you-should-update/) [Richard Perle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-perle/) > [“Men achieve cheerfulness by moderation in pleasure and by proportion in their life excess and deficiency are apt to fluctuate and cause great changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/men-achieve-cheerfulness-by-moderation-in-pleasure-and-by-proportion/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [Of course an individual can make a huge difference but it is when those individuals come together with like-minded souls that they can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/of-course-an-individual-can-make-a-huge-difference-but-it-is-when/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Between books, I have to throw out everything I did before, because the tools I've used to write the previous book will not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/between-books-i-have-to-throw-out-everything-i-did-before-because-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Everyone should write a book, if only to see how much work goes into even the slight volume I send you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wallace/everyone-should-write-a-book-if-only-to-see-how-much-work-goes-into/) Susan Wallace > [Quality. That's the first word, the one word that comes to mind when I think of the books published by Abrams. In a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/quality-that-s-the-first-word-the-one-word-that-comes-to-mind-when-i/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [I became interested in making books, starting about 1965, when I did the Serial Project #1, deciding that I needed a small book to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/i-became-interested-in-making-books-starting-about-1965-when-i-did/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [This is the great luxury of not working: the moment you read a book that has nothing to do with work, you know you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/this-is-the-great-luxury-of-not-working-the-moment-you-read-a-book/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [There are some careers where hands-on experience means so much more than the book work of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/there-are-some-careers-where-hands-on-experience-means-so-much-more/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [I've come to see that these politicians that release books - no way are they actually writing those books. Not when they are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-ve-come-to-see-that-these-politicians-that-release-books-no-way-are/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [“A book is a work of art. (Again,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-book-is-a-work-of-art-again/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“This book, being about work, is, by its very nature, about violence - to the spirit as well as to the body. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/this-book-being-about-work-is-by-its-very-nature-about-violence-to/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [We are probably the only artists in the world who have a 2,000-page book on a work of art that doesn't exist. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-are-probably-the-only-artists-in-the-world-who-have-a-2-000-page/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) > [I think I'm a pretty open book. We're all a work in progress, and I'm not ashamed to say that I don't have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-bailon/i-think-i-m-a-pretty-open-book-we-re-all-a-work-in-progress-and-i-m/) [Adrienne Bailon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-bailon/) > [“Let me remind you again that when you put a book out there, you are a published author in a space where you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kytka-hilmar-jezek/let-me-remind-you-again-that-when-you-put-a-book-out-there-you-are-a/) [Kytka Hilmar-Jezek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kytka-hilmar-jezek/) ## More by Anatole France > [“No, let us not conquer the heavens. It is enough to have the power to do so. War engenders war, and victory defeat. God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/no-let-us-not-conquer-the-heavens-it-is-enough-to-have-the-power-to/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [We have drugs to make women speak, but none to keep them silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/we-have-drugs-to-make-women-speak-but-none-to-keep-them-silent/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [“...the adventure of the soul among the masterpieces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-adventure-of-the-soul-among-the-masterpieces/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [“If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/if-fifty-million-people-say-a-foolish-thing-it-is-still-a-foolish/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [The future is a convenient place for dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-future-is-a-convenient-place-for-dreams/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [The truth is that life is delicious, horrible, charming, frightful, sweet, bitter, and that is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-truth-is-that-life-is-delicious-horrible-charming-frightful-sweet/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [“And what, above all, I blame in you is that you have not married in compliance with the law and given children to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/and-what-above-all-i-blame-in-you-is-that-you-have-not-married-in/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [An old philosopher said to Monsieur Coignard, a Reverend Father: 'You are a pig!' To which Abad Coignard answered: 'You flatter me, sir. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/an-old-philosopher-said-to-monsieur-coignard-a-reverend-father-you/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is very easy to govern. It demands no social reform. It does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/a-people-living-under-the-perpetual-menace-of-war-and-invasion-is/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/until-one-has-loved-an-animal-a-part-of-one-s-soul-remains-unawakened/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [The faculty of doubting is rare among men. A few choice spirits carry the germs of it in them, but these do not develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-faculty-of-doubting-is-rare-among-men-a-few-choice-spirits-carry/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [When a thing has been said and well said, have no scruple; take it and copy it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/when-a-thing-has-been-said-and-well-said-have-no-scruple-take-it-and/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Without the utopians of other times, men would still live in caves, miserable and naked;...utopia is the principle of all progress, adn the essay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/without-the-utopians-of-other-times-men-would-still-live-in-caves/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) [Explore all 228 Anatole France quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) ## 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 would define a book as a work of magic whence escape, all kinds of images to trouble the souls and change the hearts of men", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anatole France" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic-whence-escape-all-kinds-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic-whence-escape-all-kinds-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/anatole-france-1443_book_i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic_727578.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would define a book as a work of magic whence escape, all kinds of images to trouble the souls and change…” — Anatole France", "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": "Anatole France", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would define a book as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic-whence-escape-all-kinds-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/i-would-define-a-book-as-a-work-of-magic-whence-escape-all-kinds-of/#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 } } ] } ```