---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man loses contact with reality if he is…"
description: "\"A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books.\" — Francois Mitterrand"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg"
---

#  A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded…

![“A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books.” quote by Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg)

> “A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books.”

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

## About This Quote

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

Books anchor us in ideas and perspectives, preventing detachment from reality.

**In simple terms:** Reading keeps you grounded.

Key Takeaway

Read regularly to stay connected.

Themes

knowledge literature reality

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

inspirational educational

When to use this quote

- education
- loneliness
- intellectual growth

Key Concepts

philosophy cognitive grounding

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance reading with real-world interaction?
- Do books replace or complement reality?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on books can isolate from lived experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [The star shines for everyone in the world, but in reality, it itself is surrounded in darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tablo/the-star-shines-for-everyone-in-the-world-but-in-reality-it-itself-is/)

[Tablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tablo/)

> [Am I always in contact with Reality, or do I only pray when things have gone wrong, when there is a disturbance in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/am-i-always-in-contact-with-reality-or-do-i-only-pray-when-things/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Contact with reality is not an all-or-nothing condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/contact-with-reality-is-not-an-all-or-nothing-condition/)

[Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/)

> [I went to work at the library. I know that sounds crazy but I didn't know where else to go. Besides, at the library…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/i-went-to-work-at-the-library-i-know-that-sounds-crazy-but-i-didn-t/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [“I stood in the library admiring the huge book collection. There was something inherently calming about being surrounded by books, even their smell and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saffron-mello-castro/i-stood-in-the-library-admiring-the-huge-book-collection-there-was/)

Saffron Mello Castro

> [I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-cannot-sleep-unless-i-am-surrounded-by-books/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [“Love, for me, is something I find in books. You're never alone if you are surrounded by books”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-divry/love-for-me-is-something-i-find-in-books-you-re-never-alone-if-you/)

[Sophie Divry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-divry/)

> [It felt good to be surrounded by books, by all this solid knowledge, by these objects that could be ripped page by page but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/it-felt-good-to-be-surrounded-by-books-by-all-this-solid-knowledge-by/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [She surrounded herself with books at work and at home. Her living space was a testament to her first and abiding love with shelves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-surrounded-herself-with-books-at-work-and-at-home-her-living/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [My goal is to be surrounded by books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martellus-bennett/my-goal-is-to-be-surrounded-by-books/)

[Martellus Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martellus-bennett/)

> [I like to be surrounded by books. My wife Evelyn has a Ph.D. in comparative literature, so we have a lot of her Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chipperfield/i-like-to-be-surrounded-by-books-my-wife-evelyn-has-a-ph-d-in/)

[David Chipperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chipperfield/)

> [But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/)

[Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/)

> [“I've squeezed as many bookcases in this tiny space as possible. Being surrounded by books and magazines makes me feel calm. It makes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-surmelis/i-ve-squeezed-as-many-bookcases-in-this-tiny-space-as-possible-being/)

Angelo Surmelis

> [A man loses his illusions first, his teeth second, and his follies last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/a-man-loses-his-illusions-first-his-teeth-second-and-his-follies-last/)

[Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/)

> [A man who loses his privacy loses everything. And a man who gives it up of his own free will is a monster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-man-who-loses-his-privacy-loses-everything-and-a-man-who-gives-it/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

## More by Francois Mitterrand

> [France could have all the socialism its capitalistic economy could support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/france-could-have-all-the-socialism-its-capitalistic-economy-could/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [France is delighted at this new opportunity to show the world ... that when one has the will one can succeed in joining peoples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/france-is-delighted-at-this-new-opportunity-to-show-the-world-that/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [France is delighted at this new opportunity to show the world that when one has the will one canI have worked with several dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/france-is-delighted-at-this-new-opportunity-to-show-the-world-that-2/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [For me Greece is Maria Farantouri. This is how I imagined Goddess Hera to be: strong, pure and vigilant. I have never encountered any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/for-me-greece-is-maria-farantouri-this-is-how-i-imagined-goddess-hera/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [Nationalism is war. - in arguing to strengthen the federal powers of the European Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/nationalism-is-war-in-arguing-to-strengthen-the-federal-powers-of-the/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [“How can you govern a country with two hundred thirty-eight varieties of cheese?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/how-can-you-govern-a-country-with-two-hundred-thirty-eight-varieties/)

[François Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [All that passes under our eyes proves that we do not live in a peaceful and harmonious world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/all-that-passes-under-our-eyes-proves-that-we-do-not-live-in-a/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [Communism is born out of misery, and if the West does not show more understanding, those people will take up arms and turn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/communism-is-born-out-of-misery-and-if-the-west-does-not-show-more/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [I started my political life in the Resistance. It was there that I had my first responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/i-started-my-political-life-in-the-resistance-it-was-there-that-i-had/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [The problem is that the East is producing missiles and the West is producing pacifists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/the-problem-is-that-the-east-is-producing-missiles-and-the-west-is/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [Behind each great man, there's a Richard Delisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/behind-each-great-man-there-s-a-richard-delisle/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [In one of his last appearances, Mitterrand, the agnostic president, was asked what the real God might say to him if he went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/in-one-of-his-last-appearances-mitterrand-the-agnostic-president-was/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

> [To every reversal of people's soveregnity, to every disappearance of the Republic corresponds a frank or disguised restitution in force of the regal justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/to-every-reversal-of-people-s-soveregnity-to-every-disappearance-of/)

[Francois Mitterrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

[Explore all 14 Francois Mitterrand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/)

## 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 man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francois Mitterrand"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-is-not-surrounded-by-his-books/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-is-not-surrounded-by-his-books/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3b/francois-mitterrand-34012_book_a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-i_1514919.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A man loses contact with reality if he is not surrounded by his books.” — Francois Mitterrand",
                "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": "Francois Mitterrand",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mitterrand/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A man loses contact with reality...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-is-not-surrounded-by-his-books/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mitterrand/a-man-loses-contact-with-reality-if-he-is-not-surrounded-by-his-books/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
