Book Quote by Blake Morrison
““You can possess a book without really owning it, though. Beyond ownership in a commercial or legal sense, there’s ownership of an emotional or metaphysical kind - when a book speaks so powerfully to us that we feel it’s ours exclusively: that it exists just tor us. People we meet sometimes have this effect too; they look into our eyes, and speak in a hushed, intimate voice, and make us feel we’re uniquely important to them - before going on to do the same to someone else. In life, we call these people flirts. The best books are flirtatious, too, since they seem to be ours alone when in reality they’re anyone’s.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2015
Books can feel uniquely ours emotionally, but that sense of ownership is personal and fleeting, like flirts who seem exclusive yet are not.
In simple terms: We feel special connections to books and people, though they are not exclusive.
Key Takeaway
Cherish the feeling but stay open to shared experiences.
Themes
connection
subjectivity
transience
Mood
thoughtful
nostalgic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- reading
- meeting new people
- personal growth
Key Concepts
emotional ownership
literary intimacy
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes a book feel personal to you?
- How do you balance intimacy with openness?
A Different Perspective
Believing in exclusive ownership can cause disappointment.
