--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They are the lost books,” he turned his…" description: "\"“They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his cane and raising it aloft, as if speaking more to the books than to me. “The destroyed book..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg" --- # They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his… ![“They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his cane and raising it aloft, as if speaking more to the books than to me. “The destroyed books, the burnt books, the missing, the stolen, the drowned, the forgotten. Those ruined by water, fire, mold, man’s malice or neglect or…” quote by Darius Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg) > ““They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his cane and raising it aloft, as if speaking more to the books than to me. “The destroyed books, the burnt books, the missing, the stolen, the drowned, the forgotten. Those ruined by water, fire, mold, man’s malice or neglect or, perchance…time itself. They’re all here, every last one, Darius. At least for a time.”” Darius Jones ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. All lost books, despite destruction, remain present in memory and narrative. **In simple terms:** Destroyed books still exist in story. Key Takeaway Preserve memory. Themes memory loss preservation Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - libraries - archives - digital preservation Key Concepts Cultural heritage historical erasure Questions to Reflect On - How can we safeguard fragile works? - What role does narrative play in preservation? A Different Perspective Physical loss can erase details despite remembrance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I am a really big Harry Potter fan and I've seen all the sets, I've lived Harry Potter and I don't think it's destroyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/i-am-a-really-big-harry-potter-fan-and-i-ve-seen-all-the-sets-i-ve/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [Didn't you finish your chemistry in school?" "You closed the school and burnt all the books." "Ah, so I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/didn-t-you-finish-your-chemistry-in-school-you-closed-the-school-and/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“I heard his library burned down and both books were destroyed -- and one of them hadn't even been colored in yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-heard-his-library-burned-down-and-both-books-were-destroyed-and-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently that it will take a legendary form even if all books are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/i-have-high-hopes-of-smashing-my-name-into-history-so-violently-that/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [“For us, books have turned into fast food, to be consumed in the gaps between one bout of relentless living and the next. Airports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/for-us-books-have-turned-into-fast-food-to-be-consumed-in-the-gaps/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/she-is-too-fond-of-books-and-it-has-turned-her-brain/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“No one will write books once they reach heaven, but there is an excellent library, containing all the books written up to date, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/no-one-will-write-books-once-they-reach-heaven-but-there-is-an/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [And now my old dog is dead, and another I had after him, and my parents are dead, and that first world, that old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/and-now-my-old-dog-is-dead-and-another-i-had-after-him-and-my-parents/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Books. I'd probably spend all my time alone and lost in books if I could. It's easier that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/books-i-d-probably-spend-all-my-time-alone-and-lost-in-books-if-i/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [Being lost in books has to be one of the best feelings it's like you can escape reality and live in your own fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-lost-in-books-has-to-be-one-of-the-best-feelings-it-s-like-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Paradise Lost' is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/paradise-lost-is-one-of-the-books-which-the-reader-admires-and-lays/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Why does Alexander the Great never tell us about the exact location of his tomb, Fermat about his Last Theorem, John Wilkes Booth about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/why-does-alexander-the-great-never-tell-us-about-the-exact-location/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Some say they get lost in books, but I find myself, again and again, in the pages of a good book. Humanly speaking, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-knost-2/some-say-they-get-lost-in-books-but-i-find-myself-again-and-again-in/) L.R.Knost > [“I try to find the books that I lost or forgot more than 30 years ago on another continent, with the hope and dedication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-try-to-find-the-books-that-i-lost-or-forgot-more-than-30-years-ago/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [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/) ## More by Darius Jones > [“He wondered what his face would say. What would others find there? He wondered when those still left on the other side, the young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/he-wondered-what-his-face-would-say-what-would-others-find-there-he/) Darius Jones > [“Of all the mysteries, Darius,” the old man began. “Perhaps the greatest is Mind. For all the ignorance in the world, the assaults against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/of-all-the-mysteries-darius-the-old-man-began-perhaps-the-greatest-is/) Darius Jones Explore all 3 Darius Jones quotes ## 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": "“They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his cane and raising it aloft, as if speaking more to the books than to me. “The destroyed books, the burnt books, the missing, the stolen, the drowned, the forgotten. Those ruined by water, fire, mold, man’s malice or neglect or, perchance…time itself. They’re all here, every last one, Darius. At least for a time.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Darius Jones" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-head-grasping-his-cane-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-head-grasping-his-cane-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/darius-jones-82034_book_they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-he_1793241.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They are the lost books,” he turned his head, grasping his cane and raising it aloft, as if speaking more to…” — Darius Jones", "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": "Darius Jones", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-jones/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They are the lost books,” he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-head-grasping-his-cane-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-jones/they-are-the-lost-books-he-turned-his-head-grasping-his-cane-and/#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 } } ] } ```