--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you take a book with you on a…" description: "\"If you take a book with you on a journey,\" Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, \"an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your mem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg" --- # If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said… ![“If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, "an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first…” quote by Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg) > “If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, "an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it... yes, books are like flypaper—memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.” [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books act as memory anchors, preserving experiences and emotions linked to the moment of reading. **In simple terms:** Books hold memories. Key Takeaway Use reading to capture moments. Themes memory literature nostalgia sensory detail Mood nostalgic sentimental Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - travel - reading - creative writing - education Key Concepts episodic memory embodied cognition Questions to Reflect On - How do you revisit cherished memories? - What senses do you associate with reading? A Different Perspective Memory retention may fade without active recall. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Ice cream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-cream/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Odd things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odd-things/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/an-odd-thing-happens-the-book-begins-collecting-your-memories-and/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Books are like flypaper, memories cling to the printed pages better than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/books-are-like-flypaper-memories-cling-to-the-printed-pages-better/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“If you take a book with you on a journey,’ Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, ‘an odd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the-2/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“yes, books are like flypapers. Memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/yes-books-are-like-flypapers-memories-cling-to-the-printed-page/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Sometimes the memories we cling hardest to are the ones that hurt us the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/sometimes-the-memories-we-cling-hardest-to-are-the-ones-that-hurt-us/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [“And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that utopias are not for mortals. And that people are like flies, that the stories they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/and-then-my-grandfather-explained-in-his-language-that-utopias-are/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“I'm like flypaper for the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-m-like-flypaper-for-the-soul/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“The very best people are like that. They don’t entangle you like flypaper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/the-very-best-people-are-like-that-they-don-t-entangle-you-like/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“The stars are brilliant at this time of night and I wander these streets like a ritual I don’t dare to break for darling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/the-stars-are-brilliant-at-this-time-of-night-and-i-wander-these/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [People ask me when I start one of these projects, what is your theme? I havent the faintest idea. Thats why youre writing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/people-ask-me-when-i-start-one-of-these-projects-what-is-your-theme-i/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“I'd rather invest my time collecting memories and friends and love and all the things money can't buy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-d-rather-invest-my-time-collecting-memories-and-friends-and-love/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [Childhood, a stage of Life in Which u have nothing to do, only busy in collecting memories for your reaming life:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashif-zaman/childhood-a-stage-of-life-in-which-u-have-nothing-to-do-only-busy-in/) [Kashif Zaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kashif-zaman/) > [For me, every book is a journey - questioning a really difficult topic that most people don't want to talk about, much less write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/for-me-every-book-is-a-journey-questioning-a-really-difficult-topic/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“As for Maia, she was to go back to school. “She will be safe there for a few years till she is ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/as-for-maia-she-was-to-go-back-to-school-she-will-be-safe-there-for-a/) [Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/) > [I think the best thing that I collect is memories. I love traveling; I love remembering stuff, my family, my daughter, my wife. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-camil/i-think-the-best-thing-that-i-collect-is-memories-i-love-traveling-i/) [Jaime Camil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-camil/) ## More by Cornelia Funke > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“A story is a labyrinth, it looks as if there were several ways to go, but only one is right, and there's a nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/a-story-is-a-labyrinth-it-looks-as-if-there-were-several-ways-to-go/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Don't let it worry you, not being able to speak,'Dustfinger had often told her. 'People tend not to listen anyway, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/don-t-let-it-worry-you-not-being-able-to-speak-dustfinger-had-often/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“And he will have a great aunt called Elinor who tells him there's a world not like this one. A world with neither fairies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/and-he-will-have-a-great-aunt-called-elinor-who-tells-him-there-s-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Yes, Mo would come. Meggie could think of nothing else as Fenoglio led her away with him, his arm around her as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/yes-mo-would-come-meggie-could-think-of-nothing-else-as-fenoglio-led/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [When it came to hiding, even Gwin had nothing to teach Dustfinger. A strange sense of curiosity had always driven him to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-it-came-to-hiding-even-gwin-had-nothing-to-teach-dustfinger-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-fear-kills-everything-mo-had-once-told-her-your-mind-your/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Perhaps there's another, much larger story behind the printed one, a story that changes just as our own world does. And the letters on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/perhaps-there-s-another-much-larger-story-behind-the-printed-one-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Mo could paint pictures in the empty air with his voice alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/mo-could-paint-pictures-in-the-empty-air-with-his-voice-alone/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I remember the feeling. Whenever my father got so absorbed in a book that we might have been in visible I felt like taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-remember-the-feeling-whenever-my-father-got-so-absorbed-in-a-book/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I wish you luck,' she said, kissing him on the cheek. He still had the most beautiful eyes of any boy she'd ever seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-wish-you-luck-she-said-kissing-him-on-the-cheek-he-still-had-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because by now Elinor had understood this, too: A longing for books was nothing compared with what you could feel for human beings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-by-now-elinor-had-understood-this-too-a-longing-for-books-was/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal. The ticking of a clock. The groan of a floorboard as he slipped out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/the-night-breathed-through-the-apartment-like-a-dark-animal-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) [Explore all 286 Cornelia Funke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## 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! 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It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it... yes, books are like flypaper—memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornelia Funke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/cornelia-funke-908_book_if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey_1189678.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you take a book with you on a journey,\" Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, \"an odd thing…” — Cornelia Funke", "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": "Cornelia Funke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you take a book with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the/#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 } } ] } ```