--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as I got into the library I…" description: "\"As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on all the old books, a smell that got real str..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg" --- # As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and… ![“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on all the old books, a smell that got real strong if you picked one of them up and stuck your nose real close to it when you turned the pages. Then there was the the smell of the cloth that…” quote by Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg) > “As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on all the old books, a smell that got real strong if you picked one of them up and stuck your nose real close to it when you turned the pages. Then there was the the smell of the cloth that covered the brand-new books, books that made a splitting sound when you opened them. Then I could sniff the the paper, that soft, powdery, drowsy smell that comes off the page in little puffs when you're reading something or looking at some pictures, kind of hypnotizing smell.” [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sensory details of a library evoke nostalgia and a deep love for books. **In simple terms:** The smell of books triggers strong memories. Key Takeaway Savor the sensory experience of reading. Themes nostalgia literature sensory perception Mood nostalgic calming Type descriptive inspirational When to use this quote - visiting libraries - reading sessions - book clubs - writing retreats Key Concepts psychology memory culture Questions to Reflect On - What sensory details make you cherish a place? - How does scent influence your reading focus? A Different Perspective Not everyone experiences the same sensory impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-smell-232202/) [Brand new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brand-new/) [Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brands/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Covered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covered/) [Deep breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-breath/) [Drowsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowsy/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Hypnotizing Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypnotizing-smell-4645979/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Leather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leather/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [New books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-books/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Old books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-books/) [Opened Sniff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opened-sniff-4645978/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Pages Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages-smell-857054/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Puff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puff/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Scent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scent/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Sniff Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sniff-paper-4645977/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Splitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splitting/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Stuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuck/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [My boarding school experience was the only thing I had strong enough feelings to write about for hundreds and hundreds of pages. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/my-boarding-school-experience-was-the-only-thing-i-had-strong-enough/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [My first copies of Treasure Island and Huckleberry Finn still have some blue-spruce needles scattered in the pages. They smell of Christmas still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/my-first-copies-of-treasure-island-and-huckleberry-finn-still-have/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [“There was nothing better than the feel of a book in your hand, listening to the crinkling sounds as you turned its pages and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-yrigollen/there-was-nothing-better-than-the-feel-of-a-book-in-your-hand/) [Astrid Yrigollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-yrigollen/) > [“e-books "smell like burned fuel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/e-books-smell-like-burned-fuel/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [My grandmother had a Ph.D in library science, so I grew up in a library, and I would appreciate those books and the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-grandmother-had-a-ph-d-in-library-science-so-i-grew-up-in-a/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [“...it was my father who had taught me to love books for themselves, the smell of the vellum and paper, the rare authority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-o-melveny/it-was-my-father-who-had-taught-me-to-love-books-for-themselves-the/) [Regina O'Melveny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-o-melveny/) > [“Old Books Smell Of: A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying muskiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chemists-of-the-university-college-london/old-books-smell-of-a-combination-of-grassy-notes-with-a-tang-of-acids/) [Chemists of the University College London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chemists-of-the-university-college-london/) > [“Banned books always smell suspicious”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mars/banned-books-always-smell-suspicious/) [Juan Marsé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mars/) > [“The smell of books is the smell of us all coming together to document, entertain, and explain things for ourselves now and forever. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-pasricha/the-smell-of-books-is-the-smell-of-us-all-coming-together-to-document/) [Neil Pasricha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-pasricha/) > [“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [When I open them, most of the books have the smell of an earlier time leaking out between the pages - a special odor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-open-them-most-of-the-books-have-the-smell-of-an-earlier-time/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Do you know that books smell like nutmeg or some spice from a foreign land? I loved to smell them when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-know-that-books-smell-like-nutmeg-or-some-spice-from-a-foreign/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I still love books. Nothing a computer can do can compare to a book. You can't really put a book on the Internet. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-still-love-books-nothing-a-computer-can-do-can-compare-to-a-book/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [So there you have it, a lifetime of first smelling the books, they all smell wonderful, reading the books, loving the books, and remembering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/so-there-you-have-it-a-lifetime-of-first-smelling-the-books-they-all/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Christopher Paul Curtis > [There comes a time when you're losing a fight that it just doesn't make sense to keep on fighting. It's not that you're being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/there-comes-a-time-when-you-re-losing-a-fight-that-it-just-doesn-t/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [No sir, I don't know why, but my eyes don't cry no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/no-sir-i-don-t-know-why-but-my-eyes-don-t-cry-no-more/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [“having someone who likes you so much that they think everything you say is the truth has got to be a liar’s paradise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/having-someone-who-likes-you-so-much-that-they-think-everything-you/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Writing has always been a sanctuary or a refuge for me, any time I'm stressed or anxious or worried I find that a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/writing-has-always-been-a-sanctuary-or-a-refuge-for-me-any-time-i-m/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [I'm the same age as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/i-m-the-same-age-as-my-tongue-and-a-little-bit-older-than-my-teeth/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Wow. Who would want a fish for a pet when they could have a turtle?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/wow-who-would-want-a-fish-for-a-pet-when-they-could-have-a-turtle/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Things aren't ever what they seem to be when you first look at them. What's important is that you keep your mind wide open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/things-aren-t-ever-what-they-seem-to-be-when-you-first-look-at-them/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [I do think it is important to look at the writing as a job though and to commit to it like you'd have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/i-do-think-it-is-important-to-look-at-the-writing-as-a-job-though-and/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Just like when there's a time that a smart person knows enough is enough, there's a time when you know you've got to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/just-like-when-there-s-a-time-that-a-smart-person-knows-enough-is/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [“You can tell you're reading a really good book when you forget all about everything else and know you'll die if you get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/you-can-tell-you-re-reading-a-really-good-book-when-you-forget-all/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Work at your craft, write daily, and follow your dreams because dreams do come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/work-at-your-craft-write-daily-and-follow-your-dreams-because-dreams/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [I try to make the writing as regular and regimented as possible. I usually get up at around 5 a.m. and read what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/i-try-to-make-the-writing-as-regular-and-regimented-as-possible-i/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [“Once Zoopy started woofing you never knew when he'd stop. Agent One screamed, “It's alive! I thought it was a car!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/once-zoopy-started-woofing-you-never-knew-when-he-d-stop-agent-one/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [Byron says he won't go there. He give Kenny and Joey a story about "Wool Pooh," the supposed evil twin of Winnie-the-Pooh. They believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/byron-says-he-won-t-go-there-he-give-kenny-and-joey-a-story-about/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) [Explore all 41 Christopher Paul Curtis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) ## 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": "As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on all the old books, a smell that got real strong if you picked one of them up and stuck your nose real close to it when you turned the pages. Then there was the the smell of the cloth that covered the brand-new books, books that made a splitting sound when you opened them. Then I could sniff the the paper, that soft, powdery, drowsy smell that comes off the page in little puffs when you're reading something or looking at some pictures, kind of hypnotizing smell.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Paul Curtis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/christopher-paul-curtis-16040_book_as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-clos_2170533.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on…” — Christopher Paul Curtis", "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": "Christopher Paul Curtis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As soon as I got into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-soon-as-i-got-into-the-library-i-closed-my-eyes-and-took-a-deep-2/#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 } } ] } ```