--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cool thing about having a book is…" description: "\"The cool thing about having a book is that it takes on its own life. Once it's in the world, you can't follow it. You'd have to have a pretty fantastic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/cate-marvin-21032_book_the-cool-thing-about-having-a-book-is-th_2174408.jpg" --- # The cool thing about having a book is that it takes on its… ![“The cool thing about having a book is that it takes on its own life. Once it's in the world, you can't follow it. You'd have to have a pretty fantastic surveillance system to track its migration.” quote by Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/cate-marvin-21032_book_the-cool-thing-about-having-a-book-is-th_2174408.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/cate-marvin-21032_book_the-cool-thing-about-having-a-book-is-th_2174408.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/cate-marvin-21032_book_the-cool-thing-about-having-a-book-is-th_2174408.jpg) > “The cool thing about having a book is that it takes on its own life. Once it's in the world, you can't follow it. You'd have to have a pretty fantastic surveillance system to track its migration.” [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) ## 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 gains independent existence after publication, moving beyond the author's control. **In simple terms:** Books live their own lives after release. Key Takeaway Accept that stories evolve beyond you. Themes creativity control literature Mood reflective curious Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - library catalog - reading groups - literary analysis Key Concepts authorship emergent narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does a book change after readers engage with it? - Can you influence a story's life after publishing? A Different Perspective You cannot fully predict a book's impact or interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cool things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cool-things/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Typically, a book takes me about a year to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bell/typically-a-book-takes-me-about-a-year-to-write/) [Ted Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bell/) > [“That one special book that takes you on a trip you never expected to go on...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-the-stacks-bookstore/that-one-special-book-that-takes-you-on-a-trip-you-never-expected-to/) Love The Stacks Bookstore > [I like to pretend that each book is my first one and last one, because it takes a tremendous amount of energy to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brett/i-like-to-pretend-that-each-book-is-my-first-one-and-last-one-because/) [Jan Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brett/) > [“Reading a book takes you on a journey without leaving the current place you are in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lashonna-dyson/reading-a-book-takes-you-on-a-journey-without-leaving-the-current/) LaShonna Dyson > [“the book takes rank with those books which are bits of life rather than products of art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-henry-dana-jr/the-book-takes-rank-with-those-books-which-are-bits-of-life-rather/) [Richard Henry Dana Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-henry-dana-jr/) > [You could say that any book that takes a position is not fair, unless you keep saying, 'On the one hand, on the other...'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/you-could-say-that-any-book-that-takes-a-position-is-not-fair-unless/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [“This book takes the opposing stand that in order to go deeply inside ourselves, we must journey within our physical bodies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-kaminoff/this-book-takes-the-opposing-stand-that-in-order-to-go-deeply-inside/) [Leslie Kaminoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-kaminoff/) > [I am writing a book and that takes third place of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-entwistle/i-am-writing-a-book-and-that-takes-third-place-of-importance/) [John Entwistle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-entwistle/) > [Certainly one of the surprising truths of having a book published is realizing that your book is as open to interpretation as an abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/certainly-one-of-the-surprising-truths-of-having-a-book-published-is/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/having-your-book-turned-into-a-movie-is-like-seeing-your-oxen-turned/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [It is like having a book out from the library. It is like constantly having a book out from the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/it-is-like-having-a-book-out-from-the-library-it-is-like-constantly/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Having your book edited is like watching your cat being operated on. It's uncomfortable and someone is probably going to get hurt. Most likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/having-your-book-edited-is-like-watching-your-cat-being-operated-on/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Having found the book which has a message for us, let us not be guilty of the folly of saying we have read it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/having-found-the-book-which-has-a-message-for-us-let-us-not-be-guilty/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Having a book published whenever is a huge honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/having-a-book-published-whenever-is-a-huge-honor/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [Having a book is actually like a great master - helping to build a universe and unify work - especially in my pictures where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-aldridge/having-a-book-is-actually-like-a-great-master-helping-to-build-a/) [Miles Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-aldridge/) ## More by Cate Marvin > [The fiction writer has a lot of balls to juggle. Setting, pacing, dialogue, and so on. And let's not forget: plot. That was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/the-fiction-writer-has-a-lot-of-balls-to-juggle-setting-pacing/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [One cannot have "success" in poetry. If I wanted to be successful, I'd have become a lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/one-cannot-have-success-in-poetry-if-i-wanted-to-be-successful-i-d/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [One of the reasons poetry is such an amazing genre to work with is because it constantly reinvents itself and re-negotiates its terms with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/one-of-the-reasons-poetry-is-such-an-amazing-genre-to-work-with-is/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I have no precise idea of who makes up my readership. I'm surprised when I discover people have read my poems at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-have-no-precise-idea-of-who-makes-up-my-readership-i-m-surprised/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [Confessional poetry is, to my mind, more slippery than poems that are sloppily autobiographical; I find the confessional mode much more akin to dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/confessional-poetry-is-to-my-mind-more-slippery-than-poems-that-are/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I do believe that one's writing life needs to be kept separate from Po-Biz. Personally, I deal with this by not attending too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-do-believe-that-one-s-writing-life-needs-to-be-kept-separate-from/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I place a lot of emphasis on process and revision because I believe that all of my students can become better writers through hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-place-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-process-and-revision-because-i-believe/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [“I think with my blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-think-with-my-blood/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I consider poetry my vocation, not my "career." My career is as a university professor; that's what pays the bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-consider-poetry-my-vocation-not-my-career-my-career-is-as-a/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I like it when poems are challenging, when they concern matters important and personal to the author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-like-it-when-poems-are-challenging-when-they-concern-matters/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I find the elitism and blatant provincialism of many (Manhattan-based) New Yorkers unattractive. Just as place can be an identity crutch that helps a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-find-the-elitism-and-blatant-provincialism-of-many-manhattan-based/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I am like a table that eats its own legs off because it’s fallen in love with the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-am-like-a-table-that-eats-its-own-legs-off-because-it-s-fallen-in/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [Some poems take two to three years to finish. Rarely, a poem will arrive whole. It's nice when that happens. However, process has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/some-poems-take-two-to-three-years-to-finish-rarely-a-poem-will/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I encourage my students to be honest in their assessment of both the published work we read and the work of their classmates. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-encourage-my-students-to-be-honest-in-their-assessment-of-both-the/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [To think of writing poetry as a "career" is not only ridiculous, it's dangerous. To the imagination. To the way one thinks of art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/to-think-of-writing-poetry-as-a-career-is-not-only-ridiculous-it-s/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) [Explore all 30 Cate Marvin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) ## 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": "The cool thing about having a book is that it takes on its own life. 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