--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I walked around the library and the…" description: "\"“I walked around the library and the library smelled like every library I had ever been in and Dewey decimals were on all the spines, same tiny font, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg" --- # I walked around the library and the library smelled like… ![“I walked around the library and the library smelled like every library I had ever been in and Dewey decimals were on all the spines, same tiny font, tiny numbers, and I thought, for a moment, that there actually were things you could count on in the world until I realized that the most dependable…” quote by Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg) > ““I walked around the library and the library smelled like every library I had ever been in and Dewey decimals were on all the spines, same tiny font, tiny numbers, and I thought, for a moment, that there actually were things you could count on in the world until I realized that the most dependable things in the world are not of any significant use to any substantial problems.”” [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator discovers that the only seemingly reliable things—library organization—are ultimately useless for solving real problems. **In simple terms:** Reliability can be illusionary. Key Takeaway Seek deeper solutions beyond surface order. Themes reliability illusion problem solving Mood contemplative skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - personal decision making - critical analysis Key Concepts library systems dependability meaninglessness Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between comforting routines and truly useful tools? - When might a familiar system hinder progress? A Different Perspective Even the most consistent structures may lack practical value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [It was good to walk into a library again; it smelled like home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/it-was-good-to-walk-into-a-library-again-it-smelled-like-home/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [“I walked around the library looking for books. I pulled them off the shelves, one by one. But they were all tricks. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-walked-around-the-library-looking-for-books-i-pulled-them-off-the/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [We walked out of this library building downtown, just on our way to lunch, and I was walking a few steps behind Travolta, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jacobson/we-walked-out-of-this-library-building-downtown-just-on-our-way-to/) [Peter Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jacobson/) > [The first time I walked into a library, I got so excited I almost wet my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/the-first-time-i-walked-into-a-library-i-got-so-excited-i-almost-wet/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [“Luca chuckled. “You will learn to trust me, princess.” Ryan scoffed as he also brushed past Luca and walked into the library. “Like hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franca-storm/luca-chuckled-you-will-learn-to-trust-me-princess-ryan-scoffed-as-he/) [Franca Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franca-storm/) > [I had a mother who walked to the library with me, and you can't walk to a lot of libraries in San Antonio because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-had-a-mother-who-walked-to-the-library-with-me-and-you-can-t-walk/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [There is no frigate like a book and no harbor like a library, where those who love books but can't afford their own complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/there-is-no-frigate-like-a-book-and-no-harbor-like-a-library-where/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [“It smelled like a library – the initial whiff of something bitter, followed by the scent lingering in every book there – dusty, sweet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-krey/it-smelled-like-a-library-the-initial-whiff-of-something-bitter/) Kimberly Krey > [If I was a book, I would like to be a library book, so I would be taken home by all different sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-i-was-a-book-i-would-like-to-be-a-library-book-so-i-would-be-taken/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“I like that library books have secret lives. All those hands that have held them. All those eyes that have read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neela-vaswani/i-like-that-library-books-have-secret-lives-all-those-hands-that-have/) Neela Vaswani > [“loved coming here. It always felt so…safe. I was allowed to read any book I wanted. No one interrupted me, or if they did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/loved-coming-here-it-always-felt-so-safe-i-was-allowed-to-read-any/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [I steal things from people, characteristics, and I just stock them in my head like a library to use for characters in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mably/i-steal-things-from-people-characteristics-and-i-just-stock-them-in/) Luke Mably > [Joss's ears perked up. He loved libraries. Nowhere else in the world felt so safe and homey. Nowhere else smelled like books and dust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brewer/joss-s-ears-perked-up-he-loved-libraries-nowhere-else-in-the-world/) [Heather Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brewer/) > [“People are like books, and the world is like a library. Some believe that it is important to be known with the most possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varg-vikernes/people-are-like-books-and-the-world-is-like-a-library-some-believe/) [Varg Vikernes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varg-vikernes/) > [“Life is what it is, a gift that is given to us for a time—like a library book—that must eventually be returned. How should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/life-is-what-it-is-a-gift-that-is-given-to-us-for-a-time-like-a/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) ## More by Catherine Lacey > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“...no moment cares, and the ones you wish could stretch out like a hammock for you to lie in, well, those moments leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/no-moment-cares-and-the-ones-you-wish-could-stretch-out-like-a/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Every few minutes or so I would remember the look from the man who had wanted fifty cents, and I'd look at that framed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/every-few-minutes-or-so-i-would-remember-the-look-from-the-man-who/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“How someone wants to explain catastrophe isn't important--that's what I know now. When shit happens, it doesn't really matter what asshole is responsible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/how-someone-wants-to-explain-catastrophe-isn-t-important-that-s-what/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Eventually she got out of bed, took a long shower, gargling and spitting mouthfuls of water, then screaming, just a little and quietly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/eventually-she-got-out-of-bed-took-a-long-shower-gargling-and/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I couldn't decide how to feel about what he was saying, whether it was all nonsense or just more evidence that I would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-couldn-t-decide-how-to-feel-about-what-he-was-saying-whether-it-was/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“She missed his nothing. It had felt like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/she-missed-his-nothing-it-had-felt-like-something/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I wasn't sure if it was safe for me to be sharing time and space with other people, who all seemed so much gentler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-wasn-t-sure-if-it-was-safe-for-me-to-be-sharing-time-and-space-with/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Why were we never together anymore, just alone in each other's vicinity?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/why-were-we-never-together-anymore-just-alone-in-each-other-s-vicinity/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“And I began to believe that you could exchange your life, send it back for a different model, and I knew that wasn’t really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/and-i-began-to-believe-that-you-could-exchange-your-life-send-it-back/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I thought that if I could ever do a background check on myself, I knew exactly what I'd do with it. I wouldn't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-thought-that-if-i-could-ever-do-a-background-check-on-myself-i-knew/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“ We have reached a point as a culture, where the predominant view of romantic partnership is no longer about survival or wealth or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/we-have-reached-a-point-as-a-culture-where-the-predominant-view-of/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“There was at least one morning I was certain, though only for a few hours, that everything that could ever really happen to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/there-was-at-least-one-morning-i-was-certain-though-only-for-a-few/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I closed my eyes, tried to get as far away from myself as I could.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-closed-my-eyes-tried-to-get-as-far-away-from-myself-as-i-could/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) [Explore all 129 Catherine Lacey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) ## More Writer quotes > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [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/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [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/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) [Browse all 43,858 Writer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I walked around the library and the library smelled like every library I had ever been in and Dewey decimals were on all the spines, same tiny font, tiny numbers, and I thought, for a moment, that there actually were things you could count on in the world until I realized that the most dependable things in the world are not of any significant use to any substantial problems.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherine Lacey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-library-smelled-like-every/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Writer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-library-smelled-like-every/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/catherine-lacey-3511_quote_i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-libr_357434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I walked around the library and the library smelled like every library I had ever been in and Dewey decimals…” — Catherine Lacey", "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": "Catherine Lacey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I walked around the library and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-library-smelled-like-every/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-walked-around-the-library-and-the-library-smelled-like-every/#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 } } ] } ```