--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cannot sufficiently celebrate the…" description: "\"I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that reigns in the public libraries of the twentieth century as compared with the intolerable mana..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png" --- # I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that… ![“I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that reigns in the public libraries of the twentieth century as compared with the intolerable management of those of the nineteenth century, in which the books were jealously railed away from the people, and obtainable only at an expenditure of…” quote by Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png) > “I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that reigns in the public libraries of the twentieth century as compared with the intolerable management of those of the nineteenth century, in which the books were jealously railed away from the people, and obtainable only at an expenditure of time and red tape calculated to discourage any ordinary taste for literature.” [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Celebrates modern public libraries' open access versus 19th‑century restrictive, costly systems. **In simple terms:** Modern libraries are free and open; older ones were hard to access. Key Takeaway Advocate for free, accessible public knowledge. Themes freedom education public institutions Mood hopeful inspirational Type educational social commentary When to use this quote - community education programs - urban planning - library funding - literacy initiatives Key Concepts library policy information equity democratization of knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does free access to libraries impact societal literacy? - What barriers still limit library use today? A Different Perspective May overlook digital divide and funding challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Jealously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-jealously-5230065/) [Celebrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrate/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Discouraging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraging/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Glorious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glorious/) [Glorious Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glorious-liberty-284694/) [Jealously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealously/) [Jealously Railed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealously-railed-5230066/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Liberty Reigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-reigns-5230067/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Nineteenth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineteenth-century/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Public library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-library/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Red tape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-tape/) [Reign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign/) [Tape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tape/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Shall we not rejoice then and revel in the glorious liberty of extract, and quote to the thousandth line? Shall we not have pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/shall-we-not-rejoice-then-and-revel-in-the-glorious-liberty-of/) [Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/) > [“ROM8.21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rom8-21-because-the-creature-itself-also-shall-be-delivered-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. Read its preamble, consider it purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gateway? or is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-constitution-is-a-glorious-liberty-document-read-its-preamble/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the constitution is a Glorious Liberty Document!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/interpreted-as-it-ought-to-be-interpreted-the-constitution-is-a/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“...lovers, even those who are married, always exist autonomously of one another, no matter how close they are or how long they've known each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-pettersson/lovers-even-those-who-are-married-always-exist-autonomously-of-one/) [Vicki Pettersson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-pettersson/) > [Everything is a gift of the universe -even joy, anger, jealously, frustration, or separateness. Everything is perfect either for our growth or our enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/everything-is-a-gift-of-the-universe-even-joy-anger-jealously/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [Jealously was an unjust and stifling thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/jealously-was-an-unjust-and-stifling-thing/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [If you dont know me then dont judge me, nobody said you had to love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/if-you-dont-know-me-then-dont-judge-me-nobody-said-you-had-to-love-me/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [It is probable that all heavy matter possesses - latent and bound up with the structure of the atom - a similar quantity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-soddy/it-is-probable-that-all-heavy-matter-possesses-latent-and-bound-up/) [Frederick Soddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-soddy/) > [I call that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and powers, which calls no man master, which does not content itself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/i-call-that-mind-free-which-jealously-guards-its-intellectual-rights/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [The world is aware how jealously the Jewish community guards the Holocaust, both as a memory and a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-klinghoffer/the-world-is-aware-how-jealously-the-jewish-community-guards-the/) [David Klinghoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-klinghoffer/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Poor animals, how jealously they guard their bodies, for to us is merely an evening’s meal, but to them is life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-casey-brennan/poor-animals-how-jealously-they-guard-their-bodies-for-to-us-is/) [T. Casey Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-casey-brennan/) > [...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/individualistic-material-progress-and-the-desire-to-gain-prestige-by/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [A TRUE RELATIONSHIP has tears fights trust faith pain arguments patience jealously and most importantly LOVE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/a-true-relationship-has-tears-fights-trust-faith-pain-arguments/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) ## More by Edward Bellamy > [Hold the period of youth sacred to education, and the period of maturity, when the physical forces begin to flag, equally sacred to ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/hold-the-period-of-youth-sacred-to-education-and-the-period-of/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Human history, like all great movements, was cyclical, and returned to the point of beginning. The idea of indefinite progress in a right line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/human-history-like-all-great-movements-was-cyclical-and-returned-to/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [When you come to analyze the love of money which was the general impulse to effort in your day, you find that the dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/when-you-come-to-analyze-the-love-of-money-which-was-the-general/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [No republic can long exist unless a substantial equality in the wealth of citizens prevails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/no-republic-can-long-exist-unless-a-substantial-equality-in-the/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [The primal principle of democracy is the worth and dignity of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/the-primal-principle-of-democracy-is-the-worth-and-dignity-of-the/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Why, when the world gets to understand about it I expect that two men or two women, or a man and a woman, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/why-when-the-world-gets-to-understand-about-it-i-expect-that-two-men/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Equal wealth and equal opportunities of culture have simply made us all members of one class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/equal-wealth-and-equal-opportunities-of-culture-have-simply-made-us/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [The most dangerous lovers women have are men of Cordis's feminine temperament. Such men, by the delicacy and sensitiveness of their own organizations, read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/the-most-dangerous-lovers-women-have-are-men-of-cordis-s-feminine/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [An American credit card...is just as good in Europe as American gold used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/an-american-credit-card-is-just-as-good-in-europe-as-american-gold/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [“There is no such thing in a civilized society as self-support. In a state of society so barbarous as not even to know family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/there-is-no-such-thing-in-a-civilized-society-as-self-support-in-a/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Looking Backward was written in the belief that the Golden Age lies before us and not behind us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/looking-backward-was-written-in-the-belief-that-the-golden-age-lies/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [People nowadays interchange gifts and favors out of friendship, but buying and selling is considered absolutely inconsistent with the mutual benevolence which should prevail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/people-nowadays-interchange-gifts-and-favors-out-of-friendship-but/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [The nation guarantees the nurture, education, and comfortable maintenance of every citizen from the cradle to the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/the-nation-guarantees-the-nurture-education-and-comfortable/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Buying and selling is essentially antisocial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/buying-and-selling-is-essentially-antisocial/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [Badly off as the men...were in your day, they were more fortunate than their mothers and wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/badly-off-as-the-men-were-in-your-day-they-were-more-fortunate-than/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) [Explore all 29 Edward Bellamy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) ## 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": "I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that reigns in the public libraries of the twentieth century as compared with the intolerable management of those of the nineteenth century, in which the books were jealously railed away from the people, and obtainable only at an expenditure of time and red tape calculated to discourage any ordinary taste for literature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Bellamy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glorious-liberty-that-reigns-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glorious-liberty-that-reigns-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/edward-bellamy-21275_book_i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glor_1453005.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious liberty that reigns in the public libraries of the twentieth…” — Edward Bellamy", "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": "Edward Bellamy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I cannot sufficiently celebrate the glorious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glorious-liberty-that-reigns-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/i-cannot-sufficiently-celebrate-the-glorious-liberty-that-reigns-in/#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 } } ] } ```