--- 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/96d/jeanette-winterson-166_absurdity_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_1118035.png" --- # 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.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/jeanette-winterson-166_absurdity_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_1118035.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/jeanette-winterson-166_absurdity_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_1118035.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/jeanette-winterson-166_absurdity_book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occup_1118035.png) > “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.” [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 portrayed as an all‑consuming passion, not a casual hobby, demanding dedication. **In simple terms:** Book collecting is an all‑consuming passion. Key Takeaway Treat collecting as a serious vocation. Themes passion obsession collecting Mood enthusiastic reflective Type descriptive motivational When to use this quote - library curation - personal libraries - antique markets - academic research Key Concepts material culture psychology of collecting Questions to Reflect On - What drives your collecting habit? - How to balance passion with practicality? A Different Perspective Intense focus may lead to financial strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [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/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Fascination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination/) [Fascination Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination-absurdity-3011238/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobbies/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [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. Those who do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/book-collecting-is-an-obsession-a-disease-an-addiction-a-fascination/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/book-collecting-is-an-obsession-an-occupation-a-disease-an-addiction-2/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [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/) > [“Book collecting is a full-time occupation, and one wouldn't get far if one took time off for frivolities like reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-l-munby/book-collecting-is-a-full-time-occupation-and-one-wouldn-t-get-far-if/) [A.N.L. Munby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-l-munby/) > [After love, book collecting is the most exhilarating sport of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-love-book-collecting-is-the-most-exhilarating-sport-of-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Despite all the Internet has done to make prices transparent and bibliographic information universal, you can still find - at book sales and thrift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/despite-all-the-internet-has-done-to-make-prices-transparent-and/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [Digital texts are all well and good, but books on shelves are a presence in your life. As such, they become a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/digital-texts-are-all-well-and-good-but-books-on-shelves-are-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [...You can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-can-go-your-whole-life-collecting-days-and-none-will-outweigh-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I don't know who had the training of you," he continued doggedly, "but your morals are shocking. You spent a night in my bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-don-t-know-who-had-the-training-of-you-he-continued-doggedly-but/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [My real first job was delivering newspapers with I was 15. I would ride my bike around and chuck papers at people's houses. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/my-real-first-job-was-delivering-newspapers-with-i-was-15-i-would/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [I found so-called great art too pompous, too stiff. What at this time was called minor art was freer, more imaginative, more open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lipchitz/i-found-so-called-great-art-too-pompous-too-stiff-what-at-this-time/) [Jacques Lipchitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lipchitz/) > [If you're feeling fancy free, come wander through the world with me, and any place we chance to be, will be a rendezvous. Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/if-you-re-feeling-fancy-free-come-wander-through-the-world-with-me/) [Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/) > [Taking photos is a form of collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/taking-photos-is-a-form-of-collecting/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. 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