---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't remember when exactly I read my…"
description: "\"I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.\" — Edward Said"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg"
---

#  I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book…

![“I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.” quote by Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg)

> “I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.”

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reading comics can feel freeing, challenging norms and offering subversive perspectives.

**In simple terms:** Comics can feel liberating and subversive.

Key Takeaway

Seek media that challenges you.

Themes

freedom subversion media literacy

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

critical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- creative writing
- personal growth

Key Concepts

narrative cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What subversive ideas have you found in comics?
- How do they shape your worldview?

A Different Perspective

Comics may also reinforce stereotypes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Remember when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-when/)

## Related quotes

> [I never read too many comic books when I was growing up, but I think everyone loved Wolverine, you know what I'm saying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-stanford/i-never-read-too-many-comic-books-when-i-was-growing-up-but-i-think/)

[Aaron Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-stanford/)

> [I read comic books and stuff but I didn't know a lot about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-brolin/i-read-comic-books-and-stuff-but-i-didn-t-know-a-lot-about-it/)

[Josh Brolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-brolin/)

> [I've never read a comic book in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-holbrook/i-ve-never-read-a-comic-book-in-my-life/)

[Boyd Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-holbrook/)

> [I have to read comic books all first, because now when you get into graphic novels, they are definitely in deep graphic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-madsen/i-have-to-read-comic-books-all-first-because-now-when-you-get-into/)

[Virginia Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-madsen/)

> [I was a Marvel kid, and I would have to say that Spiderman is my all-time favorite character. As I got older, my tastes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-was-a-marvel-kid-and-i-would-have-to-say-that-spiderman-is-my-all/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [Kids don't even read comic books anymore. They've got more important things to do - like video games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/kids-don-t-even-read-comic-books-anymore-they-ve-got-more-important/)

[Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/)

> [I actually don't read comic books. I did when I was a kid - I used to read a lot of 'X-Men' comic books.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlyne-yi/i-actually-don-t-read-comic-books-i-did-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to/)

[Charlyne Yi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlyne-yi/)

> [When you read a comic book, there's a space between what's happening on the panel and what you have to literally see in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/when-you-read-a-comic-book-there-s-a-space-between-what-s-happening/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [But I read comic books. I read things like Richie Rich and Little Lulu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/but-i-read-comic-books-i-read-things-like-richie-rich-and-little-lulu/)

[Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/)

> [I'll be on the street and go up to people - 'Have you read a comic book before? Well, here's one.' You've got your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liefeld/i-ll-be-on-the-street-and-go-up-to-people-have-you-read-a-comic-book/)

[Rob Liefeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liefeld/)

> [The drawing and the crafting of the story are fun, but it's the overall meaning that matters to me. It might escape some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/the-drawing-and-the-crafting-of-the-story-are-fun-but-it-s-the/)

[Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/)

> [I haven't read the comic book. I didn't even know there was one until about halfway though. Helen Mirren and I were talking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-louise-parker/i-haven-t-read-the-comic-book-i-didn-t-even-know-there-was-one-until/)

[Mary-Louise Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-louise-parker/)

> [I played Dungeons &amp; Dragons and have read comic books since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lamarr/i-played-dungeons-dragons-and-have-read-comic-books-since-i-was-a-kid/)

[Phil LaMarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lamarr/)

> [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I don't really read magazines that much. I read comic books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-prinze-jr/i-don-t-really-read-magazines-that-much-i-read-comic-books/)

[Freddie Prinze, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-prinze-jr/)

## More by Edward Said

> [Beginning is not only a kind of action. It is also a frame of mind, a kind of work, an attitude, a consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/beginning-is-not-only-a-kind-of-action-it-is-also-a-frame-of-mind-a/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [It's very hard, for example, to justify the thirty-four-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It's very hard to justify 140 Israeli settlements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/it-s-very-hard-for-example-to-justify-the-thirty-four-year-occupation/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [ \[9/11\] was bloody-minded destruction for no other reason than to do it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/9-11-was-bloody-minded-destruction-for-no-other-reason-than-to-do-it/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Look at situations as contingent, not as inevitable, look at them as the result of a series of historical choices made by men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/look-at-situations-as-contingent-not-as-inevitable-look-at-them-as/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [I was one of the first people in the Palestinian world, in the late 1970s, to say that there is no military option, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-was-one-of-the-first-people-in-the-palestinian-world-in-the-late/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Take a young man from Gaza living in the most horrendous conditions - most of it imposed by Israel - who straps dynamite around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/take-a-young-man-from-gaza-living-in-the-most-horrendous-conditions/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [ \[One task of intellectuals is\] to break down the stereotypes and reductive categories that are . . . limiting to human thought and communication. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/one-task-of-intellectuals-is-to-break-down-the-stereotypes-and/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [I have never known what is Arabic or English, or which one was really mine beyond any doubt. What I do know, however, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-have-never-known-what-is-arabic-or-english-or-which-one-was-really/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [ The just response to this terrible event \[9/11\] should be to go immediately to the world community, the United Nations. The rule of international… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/the-just-response-to-this-terrible-event-9-11-should-be-to-go/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Since when does a militarily occupied people have the responsibility for a peace movement?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/since-when-does-a-militarily-occupied-people-have-the-responsibility/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Refuse to allow yourself to become a vegetable that simply absorbs information, pre-packaged, pre-ideologized , because no message.. is anything but an ideological package…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/refuse-to-allow-yourself-to-become-a-vegetable-that-simply-absorbs/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [No cause, no God, no abstract idea can justify the mass slaughter of innocents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/no-cause-no-god-no-abstract-idea-can-justify-the-mass-slaughter-of/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [What we must eliminate are systems of representation that carry with them the authority which has become repressive because it doesn't permit or make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/what-we-must-eliminate-are-systems-of-representation-that-carry-with/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Part of the main plan of imperialism... is that we will give you your history, we will write it for you, we will re-order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/part-of-the-main-plan-of-imperialism-is-that-we-will-give-you-your/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

[Explore all 97 Edward Said quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

## 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 don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Said"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my-first-comic-book-but-i-do/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my-first-comic-book-but-i-do/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/edward-said-6412_book_i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my_3092238.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and…” — Edward Said",
                "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 Said",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't remember when exactly I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my-first-comic-book-but-i-do/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-don-t-remember-when-exactly-i-read-my-first-comic-book-but-i-do/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
