--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Books change us. Books save us. I know…" description: "\"Books change us. Books save us. I know this because it happened to me. Books saved me. So, I do believe through stories we can learn to change, we can ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/elif-safak-8931_because_books-change-us-books-save-us-i-know-thi_1543192.png" --- # Books change us. Books save us. I know this because it… ![“Books change us. Books save us. I know this because it happened to me. Books saved me. So, I do believe through stories we can learn to change, we can learn to empathize and be more connected with the universe and with humanity.” quote by Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/elif-safak-8931_because_books-change-us-books-save-us-i-know-thi_1543192.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/elif-safak-8931_because_books-change-us-books-save-us-i-know-thi_1543192.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/elif-safak-8931_because_books-change-us-books-save-us-i-know-thi_1543192.png) > “Books change us. Books save us. I know this because it happened to me. Books saved me. So, I do believe through stories we can learn to change, we can learn to empathize and be more connected with the universe and with humanity.” [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories transform readers, fostering empathy and connection, allowing personal and societal change. **In simple terms:** Books change us through empathy. Key Takeaway Read to grow and connect. Themes literature empathy personal growth Mood reflective inspirational Type literary motivational When to use this quote - book clubs - education curricula - personal reflection - community workshops Key Concepts narrative therapy social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - Which story changed your perspective? - How can we share empathy through reading? A Different Perspective Not all stories resonate equally; cultural context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I don't have change I'd have to give you nine more books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-don-t-have-change-i-d-have-to-give-you-nine-more-books/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [For a long time, I thought you could remain isolated and survive, and I didn't want to change that. But over the last three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-woodrell/for-a-long-time-i-thought-you-could-remain-isolated-and-survive-and-i/) [Daniel Woodrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-woodrell/) > [As a speaker, I can inspire people to change but as a writer I can guide people to change. That's why books are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-mcmanus/as-a-speaker-i-can-inspire-people-to-change-but-as-a-writer-i-can/) [Erwin McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-mcmanus/) > [I was always furious because you couldn't take out more than three books in one day. You would go home with your three books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/i-was-always-furious-because-you-couldn-t-take-out-more-than-three/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [What's so valuable about HBO is they tell stories. We learn from stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/what-s-so-valuable-about-hbo-is-they-tell-stories-we-learn-from/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We live in stories. What we are is stories. We do things because of what is called character, and our character is formed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kittredge/we-live-in-stories-what-we-are-is-stories-we-do-things-because-of/) [William Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kittredge/) > [“I wanted to know everything there was to know about him, wanted to hear every single one of his stories and learn all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-cotugno/i-wanted-to-know-everything-there-was-to-know-about-him-wanted-to/) [Katie Cotugno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-cotugno/) > [Talking to people and hearing their stories, you learn a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-butterfield/talking-to-people-and-hearing-their-stories-you-learn-a-lot/) [Asa Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-butterfield/) > [“We're all on our own, aren't we? That's what it boils down to. We come into this world on our own- in Hawaii, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/we-re-all-on-our-own-aren-t-we-that-s-what-it-boils-down-to-we-come/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Much as there are things about our own life stories that we can learn only from the systematic study of our dreams, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/much-as-there-are-things-about-our-own-life-stories-that-we-can-learn/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [In fantasy stories we learn to understand the differences of others, we learn compassion for those things we cannot fathom, we learn the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/in-fantasy-stories-we-learn-to-understand-the-differences-of-others/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) > [“We all tell stories--to ourselves and to each other. Some of learn to tell only the most interesting bits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-donnelly/we-all-tell-stories-to-ourselves-and-to-each-other-some-of-learn-to/) Shannon Donnelly > [When you're working in the industry, and you're working with people who are well known and are so regarded, you do just pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-butterfield/when-you-re-working-in-the-industry-and-you-re-working-with-people/) [Asa Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-butterfield/) > [“faces tell stories if you learn to read them!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mitcheltree/faces-tell-stories-if-you-learn-to-read-them/) Tom Mitcheltree > [Stories are how we learn best. We absorb numbers and facts and details, but we keep them all glued into our heads with stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brogan/stories-are-how-we-learn-best-we-absorb-numbers-and-facts-and-details/) [Chris Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brogan/) ## More by Elif Safak > [Turkey is a complex country. Most readers are women, of all generations, and they are passionate about books. However, the written culture is mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/turkey-is-a-complex-country-most-readers-are-women-of-all-generations/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [I spent my entire childhood observing people. I still do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-spent-my-entire-childhood-observing-people-i-still-do/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [With 'The Forty Rules of Love,' I wanted to write a love story. But I wanted a love story with a spiritual dimension. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/with-the-forty-rules-of-love-i-wanted-to-write-a-love-story-but-i/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Writing is a tribute to solitude. It is choosing introversion over extroversion, lonely hours/days/weeks/years over fun and sociability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/writing-is-a-tribute-to-solitude-it-is-choosing-introversion-over/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Submission does not mean being weak or passive. It leads to neither fatalism nor capitulation. Just the opposite. True power resides in submission. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/submission-does-not-mean-being-weak-or-passive-it-leads-to-neither/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [The lack of trust in supranational entities and cosmopolitan elite creates a fertile ground for tribalist belongings and reactionary politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/the-lack-of-trust-in-supranational-entities-and-cosmopolitan-elite/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [In a normal democracy, you protect the individual from the excessive power of the state. In Turkey, power elites try to protect the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/in-a-normal-democracy-you-protect-the-individual-from-the-excessive/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Obviously, Turkey is not a typical authoritarian regime, and obviously it's very important that there are free elections. But it's also obvious that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/obviously-turkey-is-not-a-typical-authoritarian-regime-and-obviously/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Feminists are now being vilified in politics, erdogan used to speak more embracingly, saying he was the leader of everyone, whether they voted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/feminists-are-now-being-vilified-in-politics-erdogan-used-to-speak/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [We're born into a certain family, nation, class. But if we have no connection whatsoever with the worlds beyond the one we take for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/we-re-born-into-a-certain-family-nation-class-but-if-we-have-no/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [I write my novels in English first; then they are translated into Turkish by professional translators. Then I take their translation and rewrite. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/i-write-my-novels-in-english-first-then-they-are-translated-into/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [For me, coming from the women's movement, politics is not just about parties and parliament. There is politics in our private space and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/for-me-coming-from-the-women-s-movement-politics-is-not-just-about/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [There are two different ways of writing a novel. The first I call the traditional father way, when the novelist slightly situates himself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/there-are-two-different-ways-of-writing-a-novel-the-first-i-call-the/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Sometimes I feel I have more faith in European ideals than some of my British or French friends. For them, it's a financial burden.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/sometimes-i-feel-i-have-more-faith-in-european-ideals-than-some-of-my/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) > [Almost half of the Turkish population believes it is not legitimate to criticize the government. Interestingly, this correlates with the number of supporters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/almost-half-of-the-turkish-population-believes-it-is-not-legitimate/) [Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) [Explore all 69 Elif Safak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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