--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Book collecting is an obsession, an…" description: "\"Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/jeanette-winterson-166_bank-account_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_2969121.jpg" --- # Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease… ![“Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must do it. Those who do not do it, think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting, a sister of the trophy cabinet, bastard of a sound bank account and a…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/jeanette-winterson-166_bank-account_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_2969121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/jeanette-winterson-166_bank-account_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_2969121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/jeanette-winterson-166_bank-account_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_2969121.jpg) > “Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must do it. Those who do not do it, think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting, a sister of the trophy cabinet, bastard of a sound bank account and a weak mind.” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collecting books is an all‑consuming passion, not a casual hobby, demanding commitment and identity. **In simple terms:** Book collecting is an obsessive, identity‑defining pursuit. Key Takeaway Embrace passion responsibly. Themes obsession identity collecting culture value Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - library curation - personal archives - gift giving - literary scholarship - budgeting Key Concepts passion materialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives the need to own books? - How to balance passion with practicality? A Different Perspective Can become financially unsustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) [Book Collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-collecting-1527718/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting/) [Collecting Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting-obsession-3011237/) [Collecting Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting-sister-4562362/) [Stamp collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamp-collecting/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Book collecting is an obsession, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. 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Munby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-l-munby/) > [Book collecting is a largely solitary, mostly male, and completely absorbing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/book-collecting-is-a-largely-solitary-mostly-male-and-completely/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. 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