--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a…" description: "\"“Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am overwhelmed by all the things that I do not know. Then I am seized by a powerful desire to read a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg" --- # Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am… ![“Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am overwhelmed by all the things that I do not know. Then I am seized by a powerful desire to read all the books, one by one.” quote by Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg) > ““Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am overwhelmed by all the things that I do not know. Then I am seized by a powerful desire to read all the books, one by one.”” [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encountering unknown knowledge sparks a powerful urge to learn systematically, one book at a time. **In simple terms:** Seeing what you don’t know inspires a desire to read everything. Key Takeaway Start reading one book after another. Themes curiosity learning knowledge acquisition humility Mood curious motivated Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - library visits - personal study plans - academic research Key Concepts intellectual humility growth mindset information overload Questions to Reflect On - What single book will you start with? - How do you balance breadth and depth? A Different Perspective The sheer volume of unknowns can cause paralysis rather than motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bookstore Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookstore-library-5057049/) [Bookstores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookstores/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Library Overwhelmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-overwhelmed-5057048/) [Overwhelmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelmed/) [Overwhelmed Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelmed-things-3567365/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Read Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-books-250428/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I am overwhelmed with things I ought to have written about and never found the proper words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-am-overwhelmed-with-things-i-ought-to-have-written-about-and-never/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Without solitude, we are overwhelmed by all the things we hope to do and all of the things we hope to do and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/without-solitude-we-are-overwhelmed-by-all-the-things-we-hope-to-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [It got to a point where there were so many apps and stuff on my phone that I started getting overwhelmed because there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-dever/it-got-to-a-point-where-there-were-so-many-apps-and-stuff-on-my-phone/) [Kaitlyn Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-dever/) > [Many of us feel as though we are overloaded and overwhelmed by all the things that are happening, and we can't stop work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/many-of-us-feel-as-though-we-are-overloaded-and-overwhelmed-by-all/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Those who aspire to the status of cultured individuals visit bookstores with trepidation, overwhelmed by the immensity of all they have not read. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/those-who-aspire-to-the-status-of-cultured-individuals-visit/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [Finding intelligent life would encourage people and also of course the opportunity of learning a tremendous amount, but this is a danger. We might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/finding-intelligent-life-would-encourage-people-and-also-of-course/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [In turbulent times, in times of great change, people head for the two extremes: fundamentalism and personal, spiritual experience...With no membership lists or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naisbitt/in-turbulent-times-in-times-of-great-change-people-head-for-the-two/) [John Naisbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naisbitt/) > [Here, you can walk into a bookstore and pick up a Bible or Christian literature and learn. Over there, they are lucky if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/here-you-can-walk-into-a-bookstore-and-pick-up-a-bible-or-christian/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [...bookstores, libraries... they're the closest thing I have to a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/bookstores-libraries-they-re-the-closest-thing-i-have-to-a-church/) [Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/) > [At one time in my career, Barnes and Noble bookstores categorized my books as religious fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/at-one-time-in-my-career-barnes-and-noble-bookstores-categorized-my/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [My main interest was finding boyfriends. I'd park myself in the bookstore and read with one eye on everyone coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/my-main-interest-was-finding-boyfriends-i-d-park-myself-in-the/) [Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/) > [We should all miss bookstores. They let you discover things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-hefner/we-should-all-miss-bookstores-they-let-you-discover-things/) [Christie Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-hefner/) > [Evangelical Christians and I can sit down and talk one on one about how much we love Jesus, and yet I'm not carried in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/evangelical-christians-and-i-can-sit-down-and-talk-one-on-one-about/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/) [Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More by Arthur C. Clarke > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-don-t-believe-in-astrology-i-m-a-sagittarius-and-we-re-skeptical/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/astronomy-as-nothing-else-can-do-teaches-men-humility/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Nowhere in space will we rest our eyes upon the familiar shapes of trees and plants, or any of the animals that share our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/nowhere-in-space-will-we-rest-our-eyes-upon-the-familiar-shapes-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“The universe is full of energy, but much of it is at equilibrium. At equilibrium no energy can flow, and therefore it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-universe-is-full-of-energy-but-much-of-it-is-at-equilibrium-at/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Here the trees surrounded them with an invisible, anechoic blanket, so that every word seemed sucked into silence the moment it was uttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/here-the-trees-surrounded-them-with-an-invisible-anechoic-blanket-so/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/there-were-some-things-that-only-time-could-cure-evil-men-could-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“One thing seems certain. Our galaxy is now in the brief springtime of its life—a springtime made glorious by such brilliant blue-white stars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-thing-seems-certain-our-galaxy-is-now-in-the-brief-springtime-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Now I understand,” said the last man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-i-understand-said-the-last-man/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Explore all 415 Arthur C. Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## 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": "“Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am overwhelmed by all the things that I do not know. Then I am seized by a powerful desire to read all the books, one by one.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur C. Clarke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-library-i-am-overwhelmed-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-library-i-am-overwhelmed-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/arthur-c-clarke-640_book_sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-l_1425015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore or a library, I am overwhelmed by all the things that I do not know. Then…” — Arthur C. Clarke", "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": "Arthur C. Clarke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes when I’m in a bookstore...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-library-i-am-overwhelmed-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/sometimes-when-i-m-in-a-bookstore-or-a-library-i-am-overwhelmed-by/#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 } } ] } ```