--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you open a book it's like going to…" description: "\"When you open a book it's like going to the theater first you see the curtain then it is pulled aside and the show begins.\" — Cornelia Funke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png" --- # When you open a book it's like going to the theater first… ![“When you open a book it's like going to the theater first you see the curtain then it is pulled aside and the show begins.” quote by Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png) > “When you open a book it's like going to the theater first you see the curtain then it is pulled aside and the show begins.” [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. Reading is likened to theater, where anticipation builds before the story unfolds. **In simple terms:** Books are like theater. Key Takeaway Enjoy the build‑up. Themes literature anticipation storytelling Mood creative enthusiastic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - book clubs - writing workshops Key Concepts narrative structure engagement Questions to Reflect On - What does the “curtain” represent for you? - How does anticipation affect your reading? A Different Perspective Some may find the metaphor over‑dramatic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Curtain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtain/) [Curtain Pulled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtain-pulled-4048511/) [Curtains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtains/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Going Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-theater-509624/) [Open book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-book/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theater Curtain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater-curtain-930769/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Every book should begin with attractive endpapers,' he had once told Meggie. 'Preferably in a dark color: dark red or dark blue depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/every-book-should-begin-with-attractive-endpapers-he-had-once-told/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Maybe night falls because it's heavy, a thick curtain pulled up over the eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/maybe-night-falls-because-it-s-heavy-a-thick-curtain-pulled-up-over/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Every book should begin with attractive endpapers. Preferably in a dark colour: dark red or dark blue, depending on the binding. When you open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/every-book-should-begin-with-attractive-endpapers-preferably-in-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [A noble person stands up as though a theater curtain rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-noble-person-stands-up-as-though-a-theater-curtain-rises/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [We are surrounded by curtains. We only perceive the world behind a curtain of semblance. At the same time, an object needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/we-are-surrounded-by-curtains-we-only-perceive-the-world-behind-a/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [There is a curtain, thin as gossamer, clear as glass, strong as iron, that hangs forever between the world of magic and the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-a-curtain-thin-as-gossamer-clear-as-glass-strong-as-iron/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [We will draw the curtain and show you the picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-will-draw-the-curtain-and-show-you-the-picture/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't think it's a director's job to peek behind the curtain too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-thomas-anderson/i-don-t-think-it-s-a-director-s-job-to-peek-behind-the-curtain-too/) [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-thomas-anderson/) > [You know, entertainment is just a curtain at the end of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-o-day/you-know-entertainment-is-just-a-curtain-at-the-end-of-the-day/) [Aubrey O'Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-o-day/) > [And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/and-now-the-end-is-near-and-so-i-face-the-final-curtain/) [Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/) > [The light can be a curtain as well as the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-light-can-be-a-curtain-as-well-as-the-darkness/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I have a small room to write in. One wall is completely covered in books. And I face the window with the curtain closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-have-a-small-room-to-write-in-one-wall-is-completely-covered-in/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [What are you doing?" Nothing. Breaking and entering. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/what-are-you-doing-nothing-breaking-and-entering-pay-no-attention-to/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“Curtains always hide something, either the good or the bad! Their job is to hide! If you see a curtain covering up an evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/curtains-always-hide-something-either-the-good-or-the-bad-their-job/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [That's what you do when the curtain is falling--you give the line that the audience wants to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/that-s-what-you-do-when-the-curtain-is-falling-you-give-the-line-that/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) ## 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! 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": "When you open a book it's like going to the theater first you see the curtain then it is pulled aside and the show begins.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornelia Funke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to-the-theater-first-you-see-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to-the-theater-first-you-see-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cornelia-funke-908_book_when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to_2243840.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you open a book it's like going to the theater first you see the curtain then it is pulled aside and…” — 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": "When you open a book it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to-the-theater-first-you-see-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-you-open-a-book-it-s-like-going-to-the-theater-first-you-see-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 } } ] } ```