--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember being shocked when I…" description: "\"I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot wat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/iain-banks-3752_book_i-remember-being-shocked-when-i-discover_1372691.png" --- # I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my… ![“I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.” quote by Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/iain-banks-3752_book_i-remember-being-shocked-when-i-discover_1372691.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/iain-banks-3752_book_i-remember-being-shocked-when-i-discover_1372691.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/iain-banks-3752_book_i-remember-being-shocked-when-i-discover_1372691.png) > “I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.” [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing school friends lacking basic books felt as essential as missing oxygen or hot water, highlighting stark inequality. **In simple terms:** Lack of books is a basic need. Key Takeaway Advocate for educational resources. Themes education inequality basic needs Mood concerned empathetic Type social reflective When to use this quote - schools - libraries - community programs Key Concepts literacy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure equal access? - What role do communities play? A Different Perspective Resources may be limited by funding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Oxygen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxygen/) [Pals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pals/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [I promise my students that if they take the time to figure out their life purpose, they'll look back on it as the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/i-promise-my-students-that-if-they-take-the-time-to-figure-out-their/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [In theory, I work an eight-hour day and a five-day week which means I can socialise with my pals who mostly have normal jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/in-theory-i-work-an-eight-hour-day-and-a-five-day-week-which-means-i/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I hated teenagers in comics because they were always sidekicks. 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Watch the film 'Funny Girl' at least five times, eat at least 45 chocolate bars, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/here-is-my-prescription-to-heal-all-wounds-watch-the-film-funny-girl/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [When you got your pals, You got all you need...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-you-got-your-pals-you-got-all-you-need/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Them lady poets must not marry, pal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berryman/them-lady-poets-must-not-marry-pal/) [John Berryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berryman/) > [Anybody can sympathise with all the sufferings of the pal, nevertheless it involves an extremely great mother nature to sympathise by using a friend's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-sympathise-with-all-the-sufferings-of-the-pal/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [When my pals in high school were starting to drink, it always looked unappealing to me. 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If you have a good set of pals around about you can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-kiernan/when-you-get-to-a-certain-age-you-don-t-get-lost-if-you-have-a-good/) Ford Kiernan > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What do men want? They want a lot of pals, and they wish that people wouldn't get so mad at them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-do-men-want-they-want-a-lot-of-pals-and-they-wish-that-people/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Iain Banks > [I'm not a great believer in awards-of course the fact that I've never won one has nothing to do with it at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-awards-of-course-the-fact-that-i-ve-never/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Looking at me, you'd never guess I'd killed three people. It isn't fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/looking-at-me-you-d-never-guess-i-d-killed-three-people-it-isn-t-fair/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [One should never mistake pattern for meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/one-should-never-mistake-pattern-for-meaning/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I'm a devoted husband. That must strike you as totally deviant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-a-devoted-husband-that-must-strike-you-as-totally-deviant/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“The flames had passed over those flattened blades and consumed their heather neighbours on either side while they themselves had remained, made proof against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/the-flames-had-passed-over-those-flattened-blades-and-consumed-their/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [All you ever were was a little bit of the universe, thinking to itself. Very specific; this bit, here, right now. 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