--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before my son was even born, he already…" description: "\"Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.\" — Celeste Ng" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg" --- # Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of… ![“Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg) > “Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.” [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects a child's early immersion in reading, suggesting a nurturing environment that values literature. **In simple terms:** A child had many books before being born. Key Takeaway Foster early reading habits. Themes family education literature Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - parenting - school libraries - gifted education - home reading routines Key Concepts parental influence early literacy Questions to Reflect On - How does early exposure to books shape a child's development? - What can be done to provide books to under-resourced families? A Different Perspective Not all children have access to abundant books. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-shelves-6149042/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/) [Shelves Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves-books-2750268/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Son Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-born-1065561/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [“I wanted shelves for my books, and a finer chair for this desk. Of course there should be another library. What was a house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-wanted-shelves-for-my-books-and-a-finer-chair-for-this-desk-of/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I like shelves full of books in a library, but if all books become electronic, the task of big research libraries remains the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-like-shelves-full-of-books-in-a-library-but-if-all-books-become/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“There are three shelves with about forty books on each shelf. As I look through them, I am hoping for something that will take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/there-are-three-shelves-with-about-forty-books-on-each-shelf-as-i/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [I buy books, I have shelves of books. I love to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-buy-books-i-have-shelves-of-books-i-love-to-read/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I worked so much when my first son was born that I missed a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-worked-so-much-when-my-first-son-was-born-that-i-missed-a-lot/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [“We lost Coop in this very spot not even a year ago, and here we are now - Coop's son being born right where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/we-lost-coop-in-this-very-spot-not-even-a-year-ago-and-here-we-are/) [Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/) > [Since 'Y Tu Mama Tambien,' I started to spend a lot of time in the United States, and my son was born there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-luna/since-y-tu-mama-tambien-i-started-to-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-the/) [Diego Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-luna/) > [In 2012, I had a son born with very severe congenital heart defect that was life-threatening and required him to go through a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/in-2012-i-had-a-son-born-with-very-severe-congenital-heart-defect/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [I don't know why my son was born conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-manuel-barroso/i-don-t-know-why-my-son-was-born-conservative/) [Jose Manuel Barroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-manuel-barroso/) > [The months before my son was born, I used to yell from night to morn, 'Whatever it is, I'm against it! No matter what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/the-months-before-my-son-was-born-i-used-to-yell-from-night-to-morn/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [It goes without saying that the first few months after my son was born were the toughest of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silva/it-goes-without-saying-that-the-first-few-months-after-my-son-was/) [David Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silva/) > [When my son was born, I was still playing in a summer league in Rhode Island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/when-my-son-was-born-i-was-still-playing-in-a-summer-league-in-rhode/) [Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/) > [I think that before my son was born, I didn't have a strong sensation for future. I was living in this kind of never-ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-think-that-before-my-son-was-born-i-didn-t-have-a-strong-sensation/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [I was meant to be an actor, and I realised that only after my son was born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-rama-rao-jr/i-was-meant-to-be-an-actor-and-i-realised-that-only-after-my-son-was/) [N. T. Rama Rao, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-rama-rao-jr/) > [“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/but-when-the-set-time-had-fully-come-god-sent-his-son-born-of-a-woman/) [Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/) ## More by Celeste Ng > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. To forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/it-s-so-easy-as-a-writer-to-get-stuck-in-your-own-head-to-live-in-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“All up and down the street the houses looked like any others—but inside them were people who might be happy, or taking refuge, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/all-up-and-down-the-street-the-houses-looked-like-any-others-but/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [No reader wants to sit through the same scene four times in a row, unless they're radically different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-reader-wants-to-sit-through-the-same-scene-four-times-in-a-row/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/debut-novels-are-difficult-because-nobody-knows-you-they-just-don-t/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/we-have-to-figure-out-why-we-see-the-world-in-different-ways-and-then/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“I have measured my life with coffee spoons and do I dare to eat a peach?' 'DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-have-measured-my-life-with-coffee-spoons-and-do-i-dare-to-eat-a/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/most-of-the-time-everyone-deserves-more-than-one-chance-we-all-do/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern. ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/though-she-would-never-quite-articulate-it-this-way-resentment-began/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Spend too much time alone with your own words, and your writing grows anemic, in dire need of a transfusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/spend-too-much-time-alone-with-your-own-words-and-your-writing-grows/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Everyone sees race, Lex," said Moody. "The only difference is who pretends not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/everyone-sees-race-lex-said-moody-the-only-difference-is-who-pretends/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Writers, most of them, don't have a lot of resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/writers-most-of-them-don-t-have-a-lot-of-resources/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Short of the dishonest, the illegal, and the cruel, there's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/short-of-the-dishonest-the-illegal-and-the-cruel-there-s-only-one/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Explore all 212 Celeste Ng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## 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": "Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celeste Ng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-had-two-shelves-of-books/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-had-two-shelves-of-books/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/celeste-ng-1718_book_before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-h_1612231.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.” — Celeste Ng", "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": "Celeste Ng", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before my son was even born,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-had-two-shelves-of-books/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/before-my-son-was-even-born-he-already-had-two-shelves-of-books/#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 } } ] } ```