--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He acquired more and more books, books…" description: "\"“He acquired more and more books, books being an acknowledged extravagance he could seldom curb. (With one London bookseller he had placed a standing o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/david-mccullough-1091_books_he-acquired-more-and-more-books-books-be_407269.png" --- # He acquired more and more books, books being an… ![“He acquired more and more books, books being an acknowledged extravagance he could seldom curb. (With one London bookseller he had placed a standing order for “every book and pamphlet, of reputation, upon the subjects of law and government as soon as it comes out.”) “I want to see my wife and…” quote by David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/david-mccullough-1091_books_he-acquired-more-and-more-books-books-be_407269.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/david-mccullough-1091_books_he-acquired-more-and-more-books-books-be_407269.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd8/david-mccullough-1091_books_he-acquired-more-and-more-books-books-be_407269.png) > ““He acquired more and more books, books being an acknowledged extravagance he could seldom curb. (With one London bookseller he had placed a standing order for “every book and pamphlet, of reputation, upon the subjects of law and government as soon as it comes out.”) “I want to see my wife and children every day,” he would write while away on the court circuit. “I want to see my grass and blossoms and corn. . . . But above all, except the wife and children, I want to see my books.”” [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man obsessed with books prioritizes them over family, showing how intellectual pursuits can dominate personal life. **In simple terms:** Books become a central obsession, eclipsing family time. Key Takeaway Balance reading with relationships. Themes obsession family knowledge priorities Mood reflective melancholy Type biographical personal narrative When to use this quote - legal scholarship - personal relationships - collecting books - time management Key Concepts bibliophilia intellectualism work‑life balance Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize intellectual goals versus family? - What costs arise from over‑collecting? A Different Perspective Neglecting loved ones can cause lasting regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Acknowledged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-acknowledged-3638572/) [Bookseller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookseller-480444/) [Bookseller Placed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookseller-placed-3638571/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [London Bookseller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london-bookseller-3638570/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Want Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-books-901666/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“We want books that are written for those of us who doubt everything, who cry over the least little thing, who are startled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-coss/we-want-books-that-are-written-for-those-of-us-who-doubt-everything/) [Laurence Cossé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-coss/) > [I want Books and Babies and Beef stews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-want-books-and-babies-and-beef-stews/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I want my own books to have their own shelves," you said, and that's how I knew it would be okay to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-want-my-own-books-to-have-their-own-shelves-you-said-and-that-s-how/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The information I most want is in books not yet written by people not yet born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/the-information-i-most-want-is-in-books-not-yet-written-by-people-not/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [I always want my books to reach a positive point in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-always-want-my-books-to-reach-a-positive-point-in-the-end/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I want to put out a few books throughout my lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katelyn-ohashi/i-want-to-put-out-a-few-books-throughout-my-lifetime/) [Katelyn Ohashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katelyn-ohashi/) > [Let us secure not such books as people want, but books just above their wants, and they will reach up to take what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mitchell/let-us-secure-not-such-books-as-people-want-but-books-just-above/) [Maria Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mitchell/) > [“I want to see my wife and children every day, I want to see my grass and blossoms and corn ... But above all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-want-to-see-my-wife-and-children-every-day-i-want-to-see-my-grass/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [I have a very big apartment in Paris but you can't really move around there anymore; piles of books everywhere. 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But there are others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/book-lovers-are-thought-by-unbookish-people-to-be-gentle-and/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [What would be the good of rushing? You want these books to last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/what-would-be-the-good-of-rushing-you-want-these-books-to-last/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [I want all my books to provoke some kind of response in the reader, to make them think something or feel something or both,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/i-want-all-my-books-to-provoke-some-kind-of-response-in-the-reader-to/) [Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/) ## More by David McCullough > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Steamboats by this time were becoming a familiar presence on the rivers and coastal waters of America, but not until 1838 did steam-powered ships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/steamboats-by-this-time-were-becoming-a-familiar-presence-on-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I feel that history is in many ways the most important of all subjects because it is about everything and because it's about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-feel-that-history-is-in-many-ways-the-most-important-of-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. 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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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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