--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I attempted briefly to consecrate myself…" description: "\"I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public library, believing every crack in my soul could be chinked with a book.\" — Barbara Kingsolver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/barbara-kingsolver-200_believe_i-attempted-briefly-to-consecrate-myself_1943676.png" --- # I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public… ![“I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public library, believing every crack in my soul could be chinked with a book.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/barbara-kingsolver-200_believe_i-attempted-briefly-to-consecrate-myself_1943676.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/barbara-kingsolver-200_believe_i-attempted-briefly-to-consecrate-myself_1943676.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/barbara-kingsolver-200_believe_i-attempted-briefly-to-consecrate-myself_1943676.png) > “I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public library, believing every crack in my soul could be chinked with a book.” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking knowledge through books is a way to heal inner wounds, but true transformation requires more than reading. **In simple terms:** Books can help heal the soul, but action is needed. Key Takeaway Read and apply wisdom to heal. Themes healing knowledge personal growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - mental health - spiritual development - educational pursuits Key Concepts literary therapy self‑reflection intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn reading into concrete personal growth? - What inner cracks need more than intellectual fixes? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not address deeper issues without practical change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Public library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-library/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“If you say self-improvement is a priority, but you spend more time with your Xbox than at the library, I’m believing the Xbox.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/if-you-say-self-improvement-is-a-priority-but-you-spend-more-time/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) > [“I received the fundamentals of my education in school, but that was not enough. My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-received-the-fundamentals-of-my-education-in-school-but-that-was/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Then it happened. One night as the rain beat on the slanted kitchen roof a great spirit slipped forever into my life. I held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/then-it-happened-one-night-as-the-rain-beat-on-the-slanted-kitchen/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-this-nation-is-to-be-wise-as-well-as-strong-if-we-are-to-achieve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...Mr. Wodehouse is a prose stylist of such startling talent that Frankie nearly skipped around with glee when she first read some of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/mr-wodehouse-is-a-prose-stylist-of-such-startling-talent-that-frankie/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [As it is she will probably turn out to be one of these acid-faced virgins that sit behind little desks in public libraries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/as-it-is-she-will-probably-turn-out-to-be-one-of-these-acid-faced/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture, and our concern for the future,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-think-the-health-of-our-civilization-the-depth-of-our-awareness/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-place-affords-a-more-striking-conviction-of-the-vanity-of-human/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Fact is Our Lord knew all about the power of money: He gave capitalism a tiny niche in His scheme of things, He gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/fact-is-our-lord-knew-all-about-the-power-of-money-he-gave-capitalism/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [I loved doing problems in school. I'd take them home and make up new ones of my own. But the best problem I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wiles/i-loved-doing-problems-in-school-i-d-take-them-home-and-make-up-new/) [Andrew Wiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wiles/) > [I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-abbott/i-spent-three-years-researching-american-rose-research-that-included/) [Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-abbott/) > [Boys like him didn't die; they got bronzed and installed outside public libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/boys-like-him-didn-t-die-they-got-bronzed-and-installed-outside/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/when-you-are-growing-up-there-are-two-institutional-places-that/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Don't forget to support your public library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/don-t-forget-to-support-your-public-library/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. 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Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. 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He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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