--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For all the books in his possession, he…" description: "\"For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces of the people around him.\" — Emma Donoghue" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png" --- # For all the books in his possession, he still failed to… ![“For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces of the people around him.” quote by Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png) > “For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces of the people around him.” [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having many books is useless if one ignores the obvious stories told by people's faces and experiences. **In simple terms:** Read people, not just books. Key Takeaway Pay attention to real‑world cues. Themes observation empathy knowledge Mood reflective insightful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - social interactions - networking - conflict resolution Key Concepts human insight nonverbal communication experience Questions to Reflect On - What lessons have you learned from observing others? - How can you balance reading with real‑world engagement? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on texts can blind you to lived reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [“That you were able to walk away, gives me my answer as plain as day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/that-you-were-able-to-walk-away-gives-me-my-answer-as-plain-as-day/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [I've had many more thousands of books in my possession than my shelves at home would indicate. At one time, I tried to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/i-ve-had-many-more-thousands-of-books-in-my-possession-than-my/) [Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/) > [Works of imagination should be written in very plain language; the more purely imaginative they are the more necessary it is to be plain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/works-of-imagination-should-be-written-in-very-plain-language-the/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“The notion that commercial contracts should be written in plain English so as to be understood by people who would never be expected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-fox/the-notion-that-commercial-contracts-should-be-written-in-plain/) [Charles M. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-fox/) > [“Nobody’s story is written only by himself. In our story, we can always find the stories written by others!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/nobody-s-story-is-written-only-by-himself-in-our-story-we-can-always/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [There are always interesting, innovative, dynamic stories being written and being published. They're not always being prominently published, but they're being published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/there-are-always-interesting-innovative-dynamic-stories-being-written/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“Sleep: a time to tell yourself stories not yet written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-lechermeier/sleep-a-time-to-tell-yourself-stories-not-yet-written/) Philippe Lechermeier > [I've got a number of stories written so far in that mythos, more lined up to be written, and a narrative arc taking shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-ve-got-a-number-of-stories-written-so-far-in-that-mythos-more-lined/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Good stories are not written, they are rewritten”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/good-stories-are-not-written-they-are-rewritten/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Good stories are not written by people who live in a city of dirty strip malls, forced to listen to the machinated opinions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-antle/good-stories-are-not-written-by-people-who-live-in-a-city-of-dirty/) Spencer Antle > [“… I went back to the stories people wrote about Him. It was mostly crazy stories written by people who called themselves Matthew, Mark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/i-went-back-to-the-stories-people-wrote-about-him-it-was-mostly-crazy/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [In writing ... remember that the biggest stories are not written about wars, or about politics, or even murders. The biggest stories are written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/in-writing-remember-that-the-biggest-stories-are-not-written-about/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [“Some stories have to be written because no one would believe the absurdity of it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/some-stories-have-to-be-written-because-no-one-would-believe-the/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [You mean old books?" "Stories written before space travel but about space travel." "How could there have been stories about space travel before --"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-mean-old-books-stories-written-before-space-travel-but-about/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“You are not a mistake nor an accident. You are a universe wrapped in skin carrying stories yet to be written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rexson/you-are-not-a-mistake-nor-an-accident-you-are-a-universe-wrapped-in/) John Rexson ## More by Emma Donoghue > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [People don't always want to be with people. It gets tiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/people-don-t-always-want-to-be-with-people-it-gets-tiring/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [What writing ROOM taught me was that I know exactly how to be the perfect mother, but I'm not willing to do it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/what-writing-room-taught-me-was-that-i-know-exactly-how-to-be-the/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [With my first book, I was hired to write a draft of the script. I was so young and less confident. They put me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/with-my-first-book-i-was-hired-to-write-a-draft-of-the-script-i-was/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“Who knows what we all are before anything happens?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/who-knows-what-we-all-are-before-anything-happens/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [...real loneliness is having no one to miss. Think yourself lucky you've known something worth missing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/real-loneliness-is-having-no-one-to-miss-think-yourself-lucky-you-ve/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“It's you that matters though, just you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/it-s-you-that-matters-though-just-you/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [At the door, there was one of those moment when two people realize that they like each other more than they know each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/at-the-door-there-was-one-of-those-moment-when-two-people-realize/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“When I was as young as you are now I learned how to save my own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/when-i-was-as-young-as-you-are-now-i-learned-how-to-save-my-own-life/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“In Room me and Ma had time for everything. I guess the time gets spread very thin like butter all over the world, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/in-room-me-and-ma-had-time-for-everything-i-guess-the-time-gets/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [I am clumsy, a late and nervous driver, and despise all sports except a little gentle dancing or yoga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-am-clumsy-a-late-and-nervous-driver-and-despise-all-sports-except-a/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“I looked in my mirror and saw, not myself, but every place I'd never been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-looked-in-my-mirror-and-saw-not-myself-but-every-place-i-d-never/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [“I tell you frankly, Mrs. Damer, the more I see of different nations, the less sure I feel about the pre-eminence of my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-tell-you-frankly-mrs-damer-the-more-i-see-of-different-nations-the/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [Actually,the nightmarish thought occurred to me that with electronic delivery of books becoming a norm, soon writers may be expected to provide several versions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/actually-the-nightmarish-thought-occurred-to-me-that-with-electronic/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [Writing is nearly always a matter of finding whatever your brain needs to trick it into being creative, and in my case, a tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/writing-is-nearly-always-a-matter-of-finding-whatever-your-brain/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) [Explore all 232 Emma Donoghue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) ## 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": "For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces of the people around him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emma Donoghue" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-still-failed-to-read-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-still-failed-to-read-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c49/emma-donoghue-1499_book_for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-s_305201.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces…” — Emma Donoghue", "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": "Emma Donoghue", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For all the books in his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-still-failed-to-read-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/for-all-the-books-in-his-possession-he-still-failed-to-read-the/#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 } } ] } ```