--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I read these books, I no longer felt…" description: "\"When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was confined to a very tiny world. I no longer felt housebound and bedbound. Really, I told myself, I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/gavin-extence-17798_affair_when-i-read-these-books-i-no-longer-felt_1211003.jpg" --- # When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was… ![“When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was confined to a very tiny world. I no longer felt housebound and bedbound. Really, I told myself, I was just brainbound. And this was not such a sorry state of affairs. My brain, with a little help from other people's brains, could take me to some…” quote by Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/gavin-extence-17798_affair_when-i-read-these-books-i-no-longer-felt_1211003.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/gavin-extence-17798_affair_when-i-read-these-books-i-no-longer-felt_1211003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/gavin-extence-17798_affair_when-i-read-these-books-i-no-longer-felt_1211003.jpg) > “When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was confined to a very tiny world. I no longer felt housebound and bedbound. Really, I told myself, I was just brainbound. And this was not such a sorry state of affairs. My brain, with a little help from other people's brains, could take me to some pretty interesting places, and create all kinds of wonderful things. Despite its faults, my brain, I decided, was not the worst place in the world to be.” [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading expands mental horizons, turning confinement into exploration; the mind, aided by others' ideas, becomes a gateway to creativity and wonder. **In simple terms:** Books open the mind to new worlds. Key Takeaway Read to broaden mental horizons. Themes growth creativity learning exploration mindset Mood inspirational hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - writing - travel - personal development Key Concepts cognitive expansion literature imagination Questions to Reflect On - What book has reshaped your thinking? - How can you apply new ideas creatively? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not translate to action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Places in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/places-in-the-world/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-things/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [You resided in my heart that was weak even after my brain decided to let you out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-rampersaud/you-resided-in-my-heart-that-was-weak-even-after-my-brain-decided-to/) A Rampersaud > [“The decision maker in the brain has decided that the overt expression of unbridled rage would ruin the person’s life, and to prevent that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-sarno/the-decision-maker-in-the-brain-has-decided-that-the-overt-expression/) [John E. Sarno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-sarno/) > [“By the time you have reached adulthood, your brain has decided how the world works–how a table looks and feels, how liquids and authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-storr/by-the-time-you-have-reached-adulthood-your-brain-has-decided-how-the/) [Will Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-storr/) > [The more one listens to ordinary conversations the more apparent it becomes that the reasoning faculties of the brain take little part in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/the-more-one-listens-to-ordinary-conversations-the-more-apparent-it/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I don't need a brain.. I have a little thing called GOOGLE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farahjayne809/i-don-t-need-a-brain-i-have-a-little-thing-called-google/) Farahjayne809 > [Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little is worse than a man who never attempts to read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keorapetse-phelelo/any-man-who-reads-too-much-and-uses-his-own-brain-too-little-is-worse/) Keorapetse Phelelo > [It is the brain, the little gray cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within--not without." ~ Poirot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-the-brain-the-little-gray-cells-on-which-one-must-rely-one-must/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [My father was all brain and little heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/my-father-was-all-brain-and-little-heart/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The brain is a little saline pool that acts as a conductor, and it runs on electricity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-hooper/the-brain-is-a-little-saline-pool-that-acts-as-a-conductor-and-it/) Judith Hooper > [“We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge systems of long-dead strangers. We call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-earls/we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate-the-world-to-acquire-skills/) Mark Earls > [Corporations aren't people. They have no brains, no consciences, no capacity for intent or guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/corporations-aren-t-people-they-have-no-brains-no-consciences-no/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/it-is-astonishing-what-an-effort-it-seems-to-be-for-many-people-to/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Picking other people's brains is an art worth cultivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/picking-other-people-s-brains-is-an-art-worth-cultivating/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [That's just the way people's brains work. If you want to talk about something, you have to reduce it to a form that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dieterich/that-s-just-the-way-people-s-brains-work-if-you-want-to-talk-about/) [John Dieterich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dieterich/) > [“when people’s brains are in defensive mode, it becomes harder to see common sense. Small disagreements can end up holding back progress beyond reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-webb/when-people-s-brains-are-in-defensive-mode-it-becomes-harder-to-see/) [Caroline Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-webb/) ## More by Gavin Extence > [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“The first thing I learned that day was this: what you think you know about a person is only a fraction of the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-first-thing-i-learned-that-day-was-this-what-you-think-you-know/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Well, for each of us the brain creates a whole, unique universe. It contains everything we know. Everything we see or touch. Everything we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/well-for-each-of-us-the-brain-creates-a-whole-unique-universe-it/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Funerals aren't for the dead. They're for the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/funerals-aren-t-for-the-dead-they-re-for-the-living/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“They called our arrangement a 'Death Pact' - but, really, that's not a phrase that tells you anything important. It's just the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/they-called-our-arrangement-a-death-pact-but-really-that-s-not-a/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [I knew how many zeroes there were in a quintillion, but I thought that algebra lived in ponds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/i-knew-how-many-zeroes-there-were-in-a-quintillion-but-i-thought-that/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“It was a uniquely human problem, something no other animal had to put up with, this ability to suffer in multiple tenses – simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-was-a-uniquely-human-problem-something-no-other-animal-had-to-put/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“The more I thought about Jocelyn's theory, the less bizarre it seemed. Yes, there were things about it that were absolutely cuckoo - Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-more-i-thought-about-jocelyn-s-theory-the-less-bizarre-it-seemed/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“It's possible to find order in chaos, and it's equally possible to find chaos underlying apparent order. Order and chaos are slippery concepts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-s-possible-to-find-order-in-chaos-and-it-s-equally-possible-to/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Acknowledging reality for myself was one thing. Having to explain what as happening - and what was going to happen - to another person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/acknowledging-reality-for-myself-was-one-thing-having-to-explain-what/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“In life, there are no true beginnings or endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-life-there-are-no-true-beginnings-or-endings/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“... The Sirens of Titan …. … ‘That’s a funny name for a book,’ I said with a gulp. ‘Are those women going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-sirens-of-titan-that-s-a-funny-name-for-a-book-i-said-with-a-gulp/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Don't you think it's good to serve your country?' I asked. 'No, I don't,' Mr Peterson said. 'I think it's good to serve your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/don-t-you-think-it-s-good-to-serve-your-country-i-asked-no-i-don-t-mr/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“People talk about dark moods, black moods, all the time. But depression isn’t a dark mood. It’s an ash-grey mood, or possibly some type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/people-talk-about-dark-moods-black-moods-all-the-time-but-depression/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) [Explore all 36 Gavin Extence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was confined to a very tiny world. I no longer felt housebound and bedbound. Really, I told myself, I was just brainbound. And this was not such a sorry state of affairs. 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