--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If books could have more, give more, be…" description: "\"If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg" --- # If books could have more, give more, be more, show more… ![“If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest that can’t be in books. The book needs you.” quote by Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg) > “If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest that can’t be in books. The book needs you.” [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Readers give books life through senses, emotions, and imagination, completing what text alone cannot. **In simple terms:** Readers complete books with senses and imagination. Key Takeaway Engage all senses when reading. Themes reading imagination participation Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Literature clubs - book discussions - creative writing workshops Key Concepts Sensory experience reader agency Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment affect your reading experience? - What senses do you imagine when reading? A Different Perspective Readers may lack time or willingness to engage deeply. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-needs-1038802/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-need-913141/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Need Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-readers-2009441/) [Need you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-you/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) [Readers Bring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-bring-2009442/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Writers need readers and readers need writers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-james/writers-need-readers-and-readers-need-writers/) [Caroline James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-james/) > [“We need readers,” muttered Daniel Chard. “More readers. Fewer writers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/we-need-readers-muttered-daniel-chard-more-readers-fewer-writers/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [Novels need readers of a certain kind, people who are patient and enjoy immersing themselves in another perspective for uninterrupted stretches of time. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/novels-need-readers-of-a-certain-kind-people-who-are-patient-and/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Books are just dead words on paper and it is the readers who bring the stories alive. Previously, writers wrote a book and sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/books-are-just-dead-words-on-paper-and-it-is-the-readers-who-bring/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [Readers bring their own experiences, their own range of - their own wisdom, their own knowledge, their own insights to poem and the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/readers-bring-their-own-experiences-their-own-range-of-their-own/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Every writer can tell you that a book is only truly alive when it finds passionate readers who bring it alive in their imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-alvarez/every-writer-can-tell-you-that-a-book-is-only-truly-alive-when-it/) [Julia Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-alvarez/) > [Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/reading-like-writing-is-a-creative-act-if-readers-only-bring-a-narrow/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [A reader is entitled to believe what he or she believes is consonant with the facts of the book. It is not unusual that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/a-reader-is-entitled-to-believe-what-he-or-she-believes-is-consonant/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Unless their use by readers bring them to life, books are indeed dead things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-clark-powell/unless-their-use-by-readers-bring-them-to-life-books-are-indeed-dead/) [Lawrence Clark Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-clark-powell/) > [ They go in \[to the library\] not because they need any certain volume but because they feel that there may be some book that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/they-go-in-to-the-library-not-because-they-need-any-certain-volume/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [“Books are to be call’d for, and supplied, on the assumption that the process of reading is nor a half-sleep, but, in highest sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/books-are-to-be-call-d-for-and-supplied-on-the-assumption-that-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [The only power source a book needs is you. If you have to leave for a few minutes you have not lost the story.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/the-only-power-source-a-book-needs-is-you-if-you-have-to-leave-for-a/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [A book needs to be read first, not judged. A song needs to be heard first, not mocked. A person needs to be understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/a-book-needs-to-be-read-first-not-judged-a-song-needs-to-be-heard/) [Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/) > [When you write a book, you are asking someone to make an investment in their time and money. A column can come and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/when-you-write-a-book-you-are-asking-someone-to-make-an-investment-in/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) > [My math book needs to commit suicied it has way to many problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-fonner/my-math-book-needs-to-commit-suicied-it-has-way-to-many-problems/) [Drew Fonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-fonner/) ## More by Gary Paulsen > [And the last thought he had that morning as he closed his eyes was: I hope the tornado hit the moose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/and-the-last-thought-he-had-that-morning-as-he-closed-his-eyes-was-i/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [The person who reads can bail, but the person who doesn't fails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/the-person-who-reads-can-bail-but-the-person-who-doesn-t-fails/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [...this beginning motion, this first time when a sail truly filled and the boat took life and knifed across the lake under perfect control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/this-beginning-motion-this-first-time-when-a-sail-truly-filled-and/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [We make a mistake in thinking we own pets - the animals open their lives up and make us a part of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/we-make-a-mistake-in-thinking-we-own-pets-the-animals-open-their/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [I can't rightly say where deciding to write about the American Revolution came from; I had bits and pieces of information about the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/i-can-t-rightly-say-where-deciding-to-write-about-the-american/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“How could he? The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/how-could-he-the/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [I tried to contain myself... but I escaped!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/i-tried-to-contain-myself-but-i-escaped/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“he’s not stupid, he’s just not observant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/he-s-not-stupid-he-s-just-not-observant/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“Brian looked back and for a moment felt afraid because the wolf was so... so right. He knew Brian, knew him and owned him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/brian-looked-back-and-for-a-moment-felt-afraid-because-the-wolf-was/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“Reading is not daily its a life style for all readers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/reading-is-not-daily-its-a-life-style-for-all-readers/) [gary paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [That's all it took to solve problems - just sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/that-s-all-it-took-to-solve-problems-just-sense/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“kep on trying”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/kep-on-trying/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [“There is always a solution. For everything. Always. Sometimes it isn't pretty and takes a little longer, but there is still a solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/there-is-always-a-solution-for-everything-always-sometimes-it-isn-t/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [I am happiest in the brush and by myself - whether that's the woods of northern Minnesota or the wilds of Alaska behind a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/i-am-happiest-in-the-brush-and-by-myself-whether-that-s-the-woods-of/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/he-did-not-know-how-long-it-took-but-later-he-looked-back-on-this/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) [Explore all 76 Gary Paulsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) ## 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": "If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest that can’t be in books. The book needs you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Paulsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-more-show-more-they-would-still/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-more-show-more-they-would-still/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/gary-paulsen-8809_book_if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-mo_1798379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them…” — Gary Paulsen", "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": "Gary Paulsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If books could have more, give...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-more-show-more-they-would-still/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-more-show-more-they-would-still/#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 } } ] } ```