--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, public libraries are most admirable…" description: "\"Now, public libraries are most admirable institutions, but they have one irritating custom. They want their books back.\" — Cecil B. DeMille" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/cecil-b-demille-23018_admirable_now-public-libraries-are-most-admirable_3094883.jpg" --- # Now, public libraries are most admirable institutions, but… ![“Now, public libraries are most admirable institutions, but they have one irritating custom. They want their books back.” quote by Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/cecil-b-demille-23018_admirable_now-public-libraries-are-most-admirable_3094883.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/cecil-b-demille-23018_admirable_now-public-libraries-are-most-admirable_3094883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/cecil-b-demille-23018_admirable_now-public-libraries-are-most-admirable_3094883.jpg) > “Now, public libraries are most admirable institutions, but they have one irritating custom. They want their books back.” [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Libraries are vital cultural hubs, yet their policy of recalling books can frustrate patrons seeking uninterrupted access. **In simple terms:** Libraries are great but returning books annoys users. Key Takeaway Advocate for longer loan periods or digital alternatives. Themes education access community policy frustration Mood reflective critical Type observational policy When to use this quote - research - library staff - policy makers - readers Key Concepts library management public good user experience Questions to Reflect On - How could libraries balance preservation with user convenience? - What alternatives could reduce the need for returns? A Different Perspective Extended loans may increase loss or damage risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admirable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admirable/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Irritating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-irritating-5338110/) [Irritating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritating/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Libraries Admirable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries-admirable-5338111/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Public Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-libraries-488549/) [Public library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-library/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-books-901666/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [What is also strange to me is that public libraries have always been in the forefront of opposing censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/what-is-also-strange-to-me-is-that-public-libraries-have-always-been/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [If you get down about the state of American culture, just remember there are still more public libraries in this country than there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/if-you-get-down-about-the-state-of-american-culture-just-remember/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [We English majors...need to promote public libraries as a tool in the war against terror. How many readers of Edith Wharton have engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/we-english-majors-need-to-promote-public-libraries-as-a-tool-in-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Children have to have access to books, and a lot of children can't go to a store and buy a book. We need not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/children-have-to-have-access-to-books-and-a-lot-of-children-can-t-go/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The reflections and histories of men and women throughout the world are contained in books… America's greatness is not only recorded in books, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-cooke/the-reflections-and-histories-of-men-and-women-throughout-the-world/) [Terence Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-cooke/) > [I think the public library system is one of the most amazing American institutions. Free for everybody. 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They're also looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-hayden/health-information-is-just-about-the-number-one-thing-that-people-go/) [Carla Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-hayden/) > [I ransack public libraries, and find them full of sunk treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-ransack-public-libraries-and-find-them-full-of-sunk-treasure/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [In my world there would be as many public libraries as there are Starbucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-my-world-there-would-be-as-many-public-libraries-as-there-are/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I ransack public libraries & find them full of sunk treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-ransack-public-libraries-find-them-full-of-sunk-treasure/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/public-libraries-have-been-a-mainstay-of-my-life-they-represent-an/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-america-i-love-still-exists-at-the-front-desks-of-our-public/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Public libraries are our great teachers and storytellers, and are a vital adjunct to our schools. In this day of standardized and homogenized education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/public-libraries-are-our-great-teachers-and-storytellers-and-are-a/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [Access to public libraries also affects how much children read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-krashen/access-to-public-libraries-also-affects-how-much-children-read/) [Stephen D. Krashen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-d-krashen/) ## More by Cecil B. DeMille > [Our modern world defined God as a ‘religious complex’ and laughed at the Ten Commandments as OLD FASHIONED. Then, through the laughter came the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/our-modern-world-defined-god-as-a-religious-complex-and-laughed-at/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [“God gave us free agency, and then gave us the commandments to keep us free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/god-gave-us-free-agency-and-then-gave-us-the-commandments-to-keep-us/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [Man has made 32 million laws since THE COMMANDMENTS were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/man-has-made-32-million-laws-since-the-commandments-were-handed-down/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [Man has made 32 million laws since the Commandments were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai... but he has never improved on God's law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/man-has-made-32-million-laws-since-the-commandments-were-handed-down-2/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [The Ten Commandments are the charter and guide of human liberty, for there can be no liberty without the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/the-ten-commandments-are-the-charter-and-guide-of-human-liberty-for/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [A dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/a-dozen-press-agents-working-overtime-can-do-terrible-things-to-the/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [After more than sixty years of almost daily reading of the Bible, I never fail to find it always new and marvelously in tune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/after-more-than-sixty-years-of-almost-daily-reading-of-the-bible-i/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [“We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/we-cannot-break-the-ten-commandments-we-can-only-break-ourselves/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/the-person-who-makes-a-success-of-living-is-the-one-who-sees-his-goal/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [The greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/the-greatest-art-in-the-world-is-the-art-of-storytelling/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/creativity-is-a-drug-i-cannot-live-without/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [The Bible has been a bestseller for centuries. Why should I let two thousand years of publicity go to waste?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/the-bible-has-been-a-bestseller-for-centuries-why-should-i-let-two/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [“Only twice in my nearly fifty years of friendship with David Belasco did he ever disappoint me; and I am glad that experience came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/only-twice-in-my-nearly-fifty-years-of-friendship-with-david-belasco/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [I win my awards at the box office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/i-win-my-awards-at-the-box-office/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [The public is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/the-public-is-always-right/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) [Explore all 26 Cecil B. DeMille quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) ## More Admirable quotes > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Education is very admirable but let us not forget that anything worth knowing cannot be taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/education-is-very-admirable-but-let-us-not-forget-that-anything-worth/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Happiness is a rare plant that seldom takes root on earth-few ever enjoyed it, except for a brief period; the search after it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/happiness-is-a-rare-plant-that-seldom-takes-root-on-earth-few-ever/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Worthy is the one who remembers to thank the Lord for all His blessings; but admirable is the one who still thank God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/worthy-is-the-one-who-remembers-to-thank-the-lord-for-all-his/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [It is admirable to consider how many millions of people come into, and go out of the world, ignorant of themselves and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/it-is-admirable-to-consider-how-many-millions-of-people-come-into-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [What is pure Bill? 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