--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How do you explain to somebody who…" description: "\"How do you explain to somebody who doesn't understand that you don't build a library to read. A library is a resource. Something you go to, for referen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/howard-jacobson-1484_answers_how-do-you-explain-to-somebody-who-doesn_1837859.jpg" --- # How do you explain to somebody who doesn't understand that… ![“How do you explain to somebody who doesn't understand that you don't build a library to read. A library is a resource. Something you go to, for reference, as and when. But also something you simply look at, because it gives you succour, answers to some idea of who you are or, more to the point…” quote by Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/howard-jacobson-1484_answers_how-do-you-explain-to-somebody-who-doesn_1837859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/howard-jacobson-1484_answers_how-do-you-explain-to-somebody-who-doesn_1837859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/howard-jacobson-1484_answers_how-do-you-explain-to-somebody-who-doesn_1837859.jpg) > “How do you explain to somebody who doesn't understand that you don't build a library to read. A library is a resource. Something you go to, for reference, as and when. But also something you simply look at, because it gives you succour, answers to some idea of who you are or, more to the point, who you would like to be, who you will be once you own every book you need to own.” [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The library serves as a resource for reference, comfort, and identity formation, beyond just reading books. **In simple terms:** Libraries provide resources, comfort, and self‑discovery. Key Takeaway Use libraries for learning and personal growth. Themes education identity comfort Mood contemplative inspired Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research - self‑reflection - career planning - creative inspiration Key Concepts psychology information science Questions to Reflect On - How do you use libraries for personal insight? - What role should libraries play in modern society? A Different Perspective Access may be limited by digital shifts and funding cuts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Build Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-library-395958/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Library Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-read-659152/) [Library Resource](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-resource-2326681/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Read Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-library-2326680/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) [Who you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-you-are/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [You build a thousand castles, a thousand sanctuaries, you are nothing; you build a library, you are everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-build-a-thousand-castles-a-thousand-sanctuaries-you-are-nothing/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“To build up a library is to create a life. It's never just a random collection of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/to-build-up-a-library-is-to-create-a-life-it-s-never-just-a-random/) [Carlos María Domínguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/) > [I admit that I haven't read everything in my library, but I feel smarter just walking in it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/i-admit-that-i-haven-t-read-everything-in-my-library-but-i-feel/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“Books crawl down from the shelves; Read themselves through you; Read themselves at you. - Library of Force ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cale/books-crawl-down-from-the-shelves-read-themselves-through-you-read/) [John Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cale/) > [“She was the books she read in the library.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/she-was-the-books-she-read-in-the-library/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [The women one meets - what are they but books one has already read? You're a library of the unknown, the uncut. Upon my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-women-one-meets-what-are-they-but-books-one-has-already-read-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“All I wanted to do was go back inside to the library and read a book.I used to spend all my time reading books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-magendie/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-go-back-inside-to-the-library-and-read-a-book/) [Kathryn Magendie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-magendie/) > [“Having a nice library doesn’t make you smart. Don’t buy books and stack them up in your library; read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mensah-oteh/having-a-nice-library-doesn-t-make-you-smart-don-t-buy-books-and/) [Mensah Oteh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mensah-oteh/) > [It was an incredible resource. I'd sit with a big stack of bound New Yorkers in the library and read through, especially the 'Talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/it-was-an-incredible-resource-i-d-sit-with-a-big-stack-of-bound-new/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Every forest is a good library where you can find many books! Animals, trees, even rocks are the books of this mystic library! Read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-forest-is-a-good-library-where-you-can-find-many-books-animals/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“A book is read one page at a time. A shelf is read one book at a time. A library is read one shelf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/a-book-is-read-one-page-at-a-time-a-shelf-is-read-one-book-at-a-time/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [Every day, no matter how tired my father was, he'd put me in the car and drive me to Schaumburg Public Library, and he'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/every-day-no-matter-how-tired-my-father-was-he-d-put-me-in-the-car/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [Don't join the book burners... Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-be-afraid-to-go-in-your-library-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-must-say-i-find-television-very-educational-the-minute-somebody/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) ## More by Howard Jacobson > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [There's a simple arithmetical logic at work. Build more unaffordable and not always architecturally sympathetic apartments, watch the rents rise, the tarts leave, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/there-s-a-simple-arithmetical-logic-at-work-build-more-unaffordable/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with itself. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-novel-is-a-thing-of-irony-and-ambiguity-that-s-at-the-heart-of-j/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I was a 'reverence for life' man - 'see life steadily and see it whole' - in my days as a lecturer in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-was-a-reverence-for-life-man-see-life-steadily-and-see-it-whole-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-donald-trump-has-come-so-far-with-so-few-words-how-he-even/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [It is a nonsense to me when people come along and tell me not to be pessimistic; or that culture has always been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-a-nonsense-to-me-when-people-come-along-and-tell-me-not-to-be/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [For me a Writing Day was an occasion for self-reproach and panic, a time to lament the passing of the years, stare out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/for-me-a-writing-day-was-an-occasion-for-self-reproach-and-panic-a/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [That a nation's statuary will reflect beliefs and attitudes that are no longer current or congenial hardly needs arguing. In most instances, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/that-a-nation-s-statuary-will-reflect-beliefs-and-attitudes-that-are/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“Was he a bad man or just a foolish one? He didn't feel bad to himself. As a husband he believed himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/was-he-a-bad-man-or-just-a-foolish-one-he-didn-t-feel-bad-to-himself/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [To a philosopher like Nietzsche, the Jew is culpable not for rejecting Christianity but for inventing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/to-a-philosopher-like-nietzsche-the-jew-is-culpable-not-for-rejecting/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-stop-the-war-coalition-is-a-sort-of-home-to-jew-haters-because/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) [Explore all 235 Howard Jacobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How do you explain to somebody who doesn't understand that you don't build a library to read. 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