--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A book is a living, breathing thing. It…" description: "\"“A book is a living, breathing thing. It spends the first chapters of its life curled up in the mind, symbiotic with its creator as it grows fat and ro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/emily-murdoch-22785_book_a-book-is-a-living-breathing-thing-it-sp_1801322.jpg" --- # A book is a living, breathing thing. It spends the first… ![“A book is a living, breathing thing. It spends the first chapters of its life curled up in the mind, symbiotic with its creator as it grows fat and round. And then the book is born.” quote by Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/emily-murdoch-22785_book_a-book-is-a-living-breathing-thing-it-sp_1801322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/emily-murdoch-22785_book_a-book-is-a-living-breathing-thing-it-sp_1801322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/emily-murdoch-22785_book_a-book-is-a-living-breathing-thing-it-sp_1801322.jpg) > ““A book is a living, breathing thing. It spends the first chapters of its life curled up in the mind, symbiotic with its creator as it grows fat and round. And then the book is born.”” [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book evolves from an idea in the author's mind to a tangible, living entity that matures and is released to readers. **In simple terms:** Books grow from mind to physical form. Key Takeaway Nurture ideas into finished works. Themes creativity growth literature Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing - editing - reading groups Key Concepts author‑reader symbiosis creative process Questions to Reflect On - What ideas need more nurturing? - How does feedback shape a work? A Different Perspective Not all books reach maturity; some remain drafts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-born-876214/) [Book Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-living-1282522/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creator Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator-grows-1804049/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Spends Chapters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spends-chapters-2033389/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“A creative America has walls for structure but no ceilings at all. The doors and windows always stay open. No member who wants in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashfaq-ishaq/a-creative-america-has-walls-for-structure-but-no-ceilings-at-all-the/) [Ashfaq Ishaq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashfaq-ishaq/) > [In fact, isn't it a joy - there is hardly a greater one - to find a new book, a living book, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/in-fact-isn-t-it-a-joy-there-is-hardly-a-greater-one-to-find-a-new/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [“This book was born as I was hungry. Let m eexplain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/this-book-was-born-as-i-was-hungry-let-m-eexplain/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Wesley Stace has always been the only genuinely gifted fiction writer who also happens to be a rock star, but Wonderkid is the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lipsyte/wesley-stace-has-always-been-the-only-genuinely-gifted-fiction-writer/) [Sam Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lipsyte/) > [I think my great book is Born to Sing: An Interpretation and World Survey of Bird Song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hartshorne/i-think-my-great-book-is-born-to-sing-an-interpretation-and-world/) [Charles Hartshorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hartshorne/) > [I have never written a book that was not born out of a question I needed to answer for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-have-never-written-a-book-that-was-not-born-out-of-a-question-i/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“This book was born as I was hungry. Let me explain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/this-book-was-born-as-i-was-hungry-let-me-explain/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“In his book, Born to Be Good, Keltner even says that if he had to choose his mate by asking a single question at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/in-his-book-born-to-be-good-keltner-even-says-that-if-he-had-to/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“In 1960, Joy wrote of her experiences raising Elsa in the bestselling book Born Free which was adapted into an Academy award-winning film. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-adamson/in-1960-joy-wrote-of-her-experiences-raising-elsa-in-the-bestselling/) [Joy Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-adamson/) > [Never to read another book that was born and baptized (with ink) at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/never-to-read-another-book-that-was-born-and-baptized-with-ink-at-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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 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/) ## More by Emily Murdoch > [“I don't tell him I couldn't have gorged if I'd tried, my stomach stuffed full of butterflies and grown-up worries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/i-don-t-tell-him-i-couldn-t-have-gorged-if-i-d-tried-my-stomach/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“The snow wears moonlight like perfume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/the-snow-wears-moonlight-like-perfume/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“My stomach squirms like worms (in a good way) just thinking about him. And I reckon when love's in short supply, you know it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/my-stomach-squirms-like-worms-in-a-good-way-just-thinking-about-him/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“We make attachments to what's familiar. We find the beauty, even in the lack. That's human. We make the best of what we're given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/we-make-attachments-to-what-s-familiar-we-find-the-beauty-even-in-the/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“My life's a tangle of past and present, like two separate puzzles with their pieces tumbled together. Nothing fits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/my-life-s-a-tangle-of-past-and-present-like-two-separate-puzzles-with/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“Wherever you are, I'll be there. Remember?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/wherever-you-are-i-ll-be-there-remember/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“Fake it through until you make it true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/fake-it-through-until-you-make-it-true/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“I answer her with my silence, understanding the full power of it for the first time. Words are weapons. Weapons are powerful. So are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/i-answer-her-with-my-silence-understanding-the-full-power-of-it-for/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“If you find me, take me home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/if-you-find-me-take-me-home/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“I hate her with the fury of gasoline set on fire. I burn for Jenessa, who deserves better than this, better than some screwed-up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/i-hate-her-with-the-fury-of-gasoline-set-on-fire-i-burn-for-jenessa/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“In a sea of trees turned into a sea of total strangers, familiar means everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/in-a-sea-of-trees-turned-into-a-sea-of-total-strangers-familiar-means/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“He had spoken in a whisper and she answered in one – though perhaps not how he had expected. “Do you not find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/he-had-spoken-in-a-whisper-and-she-answered-in-one-though-perhaps-not/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“But I like how free sounds all poetic-like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/but-i-like-how-free-sounds-all-poetic-like/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“Mama says no matter how poor folks are, whether you’re a have, a have-not, or break your mama’s back on the cracks in between,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/mama-says-no-matter-how-poor-folks-are-whether-you-re-a-have-a-have/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“Happiness is a song that plays you when you share it with the people who matter the most”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/happiness-is-a-song-that-plays-you-when-you-share-it-with-the-people/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) [Explore all 27 Emily Murdoch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) ## 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": "“A book is a living, breathing thing. 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