--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Collect books, even if you don't plan on…" description: "\"Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Filmmaker John Waters has said, \"Nothing is more important than an unread library.\"\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/austin-kleon-1835_book_collect-books-even-if-you-don-t-plan-on_1818884.png" --- # Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them… ![“Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Filmmaker John Waters has said, "Nothing is more important than an unread library."” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/austin-kleon-1835_book_collect-books-even-if-you-don-t-plan-on_1818884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/austin-kleon-1835_book_collect-books-even-if-you-don-t-plan-on_1818884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/austin-kleon-1835_book_collect-books-even-if-you-don-t-plan-on_1818884.png) > “Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Filmmaker John Waters has said, "Nothing is more important than an unread library."” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collecting books without immediate reading nurtures curiosity and future inspiration. **In simple terms:** Keep books for later inspiration. Key Takeaway Gather books, revisit later. Themes creativity reading collecting Mood inspired playful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - home library - research projects - travel reading - gift giving Key Concepts Curiosity long‑term learning Questions to Reflect On - What book will you read next? - How does a personal library shape your ideas? A Different Perspective Accumulating without reading may lead to clutter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Nothing is more important than an unread library.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/collect-books-even-if-you-don-t-plan-on-reading-them-right-away-2/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [“Always be reading. Go to the library. There’s magic in being surrounded by books. Get lost in the stacks. Read bibliographies. It’s not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/always-be-reading-go-to-the-library-there-s-magic-in-being-surrounded/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Nothing is more important than an unread library.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/nothing-is-more-important-than-an-unread-library/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Nothing is more impotent than an unread library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/nothing-is-more-impotent-than-an-unread-library/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Corliss wondered what happens to a book that sits unread on a library shelf for thirty years. Can a book rightfully be called a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/corliss-wondered-what-happens-to-a-book-that-sits-unread-on-a-library/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Corliss wondered what happens to a book that sits unread on a library shelf for thirty years. Can a book rightfully be called a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/corliss-wondered-what-happens-to-a-book-that-sits-unread-on-a-library-2/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“People who collect books, and categorize them by Roy G. Biv instead of alphabetically, are displaying the fact that their books aren't meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/people-who-collect-books-and-categorize-them-by-roy-g-biv-instead-of/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I know not how it is, but during a voyage I collect books as a ship does barnacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/i-know-not-how-it-is-but-during-a-voyage-i-collect-books-as-a-ship/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [I don't collect books just because other people collect them, and I'm not going to have books in my collection if I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-prince/i-don-t-collect-books-just-because-other-people-collect-them-and-i-m/) [Richard Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-prince/) > [Professors of literature collect books the way a ship collects barnacles, without seeming effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/professors-of-literature-collect-books-the-way-a-ship-collects/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that preserve their collector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/we-collect-books-in-the-belief-that-we-are-preserving-them-when-in/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [I don't really collect books. I tend to lose interest in them the minute I've read them, so most of the books I've read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-don-t-really-collect-books-i-tend-to-lose-interest-in-them-the/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I collect books, primarily first-edition 20th-century fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larroquette/i-collect-books-primarily-first-edition-20th-century-fiction/) [John Larroquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-larroquette/) > [As a rule people don't collect books; they let books collect themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/as-a-rule-people-don-t-collect-books-they-let-books-collect-themselves/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [“I have no feeling of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-have-no-feeling-of-guilt-regarding-the-books-i-have-not-read-and/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don’t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/social-media-sites-are-the-perfect-place-to-share-daily-updates-don-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## 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": "Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. 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