--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What exactly is it you'd like to know?…" description: "\"“What exactly is it you'd like to know? [the book store manager asked]. He had an odd expression, like he was asking her a trick question. [Katherine] ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg" --- # What exactly is it you'd like to know? \[the book store… ![“What exactly is it you'd like to know? [the book store manager asked]. He had an odd expression, like he was asking her a trick question. [Katherine] thought a minute. What DID she want to know? Why had she taken the trouble to come out in the cold to learn about a woman she'd never heard of until…” quote by Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg) > ““What exactly is it you'd like to know? \[the book store manager asked\]. He had an odd expression, like he was asking her a trick question. \[Katherine\] thought a minute. What DID she want to know? Why had she taken the trouble to come out in the cold to learn about a woman she'd never heard of until yesterday? She had that feeling she got when she was doing her art and suddenly discovered the missing piece that ties everything together: a tingling in the back of her neck, a crazy buzzed-rush of a feeling that spread through her whole body. She didn't understand the role that Sara Harrison Shea, the ring Gary had given her, or the book he had hidden would play, but she knew that this was important, and that she had to give herself over to it and see where it might lead.”” [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A woman feels an urgent, mysterious pull toward an unknown story, driven by curiosity and intuition. **In simple terms:** Curiosity drives her to explore the unknown. Key Takeaway Trust your intuition and follow intriguing leads. Themes curiosity intuition discovery Mood intrigued reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - library research - artistic inspiration - unexpected encounters Key Concepts mystery storytelling personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What hidden stories call to you? - How do you balance curiosity with daily responsibilities? A Different Perspective The pull may be a distraction from practical concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artistic-endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic-endeavor/) [Artists-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-life/) [Book store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-store/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bookshops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshops/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Missing piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing-piece/) [Tingling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tingling/) ## Related quotes > [“The soul of an artist cannot be muted indefinitely. It must either be expressed or it will consume the host.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-de-marigny/the-soul-of-an-artist-cannot-be-muted-indefinitely-it-must-either-be/) [Gerard de Marigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-de-marigny/) > [“Nothing I do is natural, realistic, organic or accidental. I'm never spontaneous, I'm completely premeditated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-roque/nothing-i-do-is-natural-realistic-organic-or-accidental-i-m-never/) Nuno Roque > [“For me, books were not the containers of words so much as the words themselves, and the value of a given book was determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/for-me-books-were-not-the-containers-of-words-so-much-as-the-words/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/a-classic-is-the-term-given-to-any-book-which-comes-to-represent-the/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [About seven years later I was given a book about the periodic table of the elements. For the first time I saw the elegance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/about-seven-years-later-i-was-given-a-book-about-the-periodic-table/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [Most people do not pay attention to the publisher's imprint on a given book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/most-people-do-not-pay-attention-to-the-publisher-s-imprint-on-a/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [“If you were given a book with the story of your life, would you read the end?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonimus/if-you-were-given-a-book-with-the-story-of-your-life-would-you-read/) Anonimus > [“An artistic person taps into the destructive emotional energy of guilt and shame and the longing to love and be loveable and transforms these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/an-artistic-person-taps-into-the-destructive-emotional-energy-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“The philosophical study of beauty, art, and the splendor of nature nurtures a person’s fertile mind by exposing a person to the puzzling world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-philosophical-study-of-beauty-art-and-the-splendor-of-nature/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Every act of art is a good faith attempt to arrest time – the motion of life – and make contact with other human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/every-act-of-art-is-a-good-faith-attempt-to-arrest-time-the-motion-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“I chose and my world was shaken. So what. The choice might have been mistaken, but choosing was not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-chose-and-my-world-was-shaken-so-what-the-choice-might-have-been/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Men who create art feel a zillion times happier than men who create wealth. Art lives on but wealth diminishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/men-who-create-art-feel-a-zillion-times-happier-than-men-who-create/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Storytelling gives form to the metal dialogue of the mind and in doing so, reveals our self-fiction. Memory and imagination fills part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/storytelling-gives-form-to-the-metal-dialogue-of-the-mind-and-in/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“All writers are demonic dreamers. Writing is an act of sharing experiences and offering of an individualistic perspective of our private attitudes pertaining to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-writers-are-demonic-dreamers-writing-is-an-act-of-sharing/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-gouthe/to-get-profit-without-risk-experience-without-danger-and-reward/) A.P. Gouthe ## More by Jennifer McMahon > [“There are angels walking among us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/there-are-angels-walking-among-us/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“She was his great adventure; his love for her had taken him places he'd never dreamed of going.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-was-his-great-adventure-his-love-for-her-had-taken-him-places-he/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [If snow melts down to water, does it still remember being snow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/if-snow-melts-down-to-water-does-it-still-remember-being-snow/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“Think of me. Remember me. Love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/think-of-me-remember-me-love-me/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“We can't change things by wishing. Only by doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/we-can-t-change-things-by-wishing-only-by-doing/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“Phoebe realized how very wrong she’d been about this house, this family. It was far darker, more dangerous than the places she’d grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/phoebe-realized-how-very-wrong-she-d-been-about-this-house-this/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“Madness is always a wonderful excuse, don’t you think? For doing terrible things to other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/madness-is-always-a-wonderful-excuse-don-t-you-think-for-doing/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“Q: Bury deep, Pile on stones, Yet I will Dig up the bones. What am I? A: Memories — A FOLK RIDDLE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/q-bury-deep-pile-on-stones-yet-i-will-dig-up-the-bones-what-am-i-a/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“She closed her eyes. Said the four most comforting words she knew: "Once upon a time." An incantation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-closed-her-eyes-said-the-four-most-comforting-words-she-knew-once/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [What if things happened to you—special, magic things—because you’d been preparing for them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-if-things-happened-to-you-special-magic-things-because-you-d/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“Think of me,' she said because it seemed like something a girl in a fairy tale might say. Think of me. Remember me. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/think-of-me-she-said-because-it-seemed-like-something-a-girl-in-a/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“the dead can blame”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/the-dead-can-blame/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [The world was full of dangers now that she was pregnant: mercury in tuna, hot tubs, beer, secondhand smoke, over-the-counter medicine. Not to mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/the-world-was-full-of-dangers-now-that-she-was-pregnant-mercury-in/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [Ain't no point worrying about what's been or what's gonna be. You just gotta do your best right now. And trust everyone else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/ain-t-no-point-worrying-about-what-s-been-or-what-s-gonna-be-you-just/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) > [“She places the orders for cases of frozen meat, huge cans of wax beans. She makes sure they stay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-places-the-orders-for-cases-of-frozen-meat-huge-cans-of-wax-beans/) [Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) [Explore all 39 Jennifer McMahon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/) ## More Artistic-endeavor quotes > [“All writers are demonic dreamers. Writing is an act of sharing experiences and offering of an individualistic perspective of our private attitudes pertaining to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-writers-are-demonic-dreamers-writing-is-an-act-of-sharing/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Storytelling gives form to the metal dialogue of the mind and in doing so, reveals our self-fiction. Memory and imagination fills part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/storytelling-gives-form-to-the-metal-dialogue-of-the-mind-and-in/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Men who create art feel a zillion times happier than men who create wealth. Art lives on but wealth diminishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/men-who-create-art-feel-a-zillion-times-happier-than-men-who-create/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“An artistic person taps into the destructive emotional energy of guilt and shame and the longing to love and be loveable and transforms these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/an-artistic-person-taps-into-the-destructive-emotional-energy-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-gouthe/to-get-profit-without-risk-experience-without-danger-and-reward/) A.P. Gouthe > [“The philosophical study of beauty, art, and the splendor of nature nurtures a person’s fertile mind by exposing a person to the puzzling world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-philosophical-study-of-beauty-art-and-the-splendor-of-nature/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Every act of art is a good faith attempt to arrest time – the motion of life – and make contact with other human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/every-act-of-art-is-a-good-faith-attempt-to-arrest-time-the-motion-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“I chose and my world was shaken. So what. The choice might have been mistaken, but choosing was not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-chose-and-my-world-was-shaken-so-what-the-choice-might-have-been/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We do not use writing exclusively to attain perspective upon our self-referential human existence. We dedicate our essayistic existence to witnessing the variegated acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/we-do-not-use-writing-exclusively-to-attain-perspective-upon-our-self/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Art is long. Life is short, but it deserves our attentive devotion. Embrace life. No person has a monopoly on wisdom. Despite the plethora…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/art-is-long-life-is-short-but-it-deserves-our-attentive-devotion/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Nothing I do is natural, realistic, organic or accidental. I'm never spontaneous, I'm completely premeditated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-roque/nothing-i-do-is-natural-realistic-organic-or-accidental-i-m-never/) Nuno Roque > [“All forms of art must contribute to the discursive dialogue regarding the composition of the malleable human condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-forms-of-art-must-contribute-to-the-discursive-dialogue-regarding/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“An author’s operating charter is to unearth embedded symbols that reflect complementary and inconsistent relationships of our collective assemblage, combine harmonizing and contradictory conceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/an-author-s-operating-charter-is-to-unearth-embedded-symbols-that/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Witnessing the panoply of beauty in all of nature takes us out of our shell of self-absorption and makes us realize that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/witnessing-the-panoply-of-beauty-in-all-of-nature-takes-us-out-of-our/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“The soul of an artist cannot be muted indefinitely. It must either be expressed or it will consume the host.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-de-marigny/the-soul-of-an-artist-cannot-be-muted-indefinitely-it-must-either-be/) [Gerard de Marigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-de-marigny/) [Browse all 17 Artistic-endeavor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic-endeavor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What exactly is it you'd like to know? [the book store manager asked]. He had an odd expression, like he was asking her a trick question. [Katherine] thought a minute. What DID she want to know? Why had she taken the trouble to come out in the cold to learn about a woman she'd never heard of until yesterday? She had that feeling she got when she was doing her art and suddenly discovered the missing piece that ties everything together: a tingling in the back of her neck, a crazy buzzed-rush of a feeling that spread through her whole body. She didn't understand the role that Sara Harrison Shea, the ring Gary had given her, or the book he had hidden would play, but she knew that this was important, and that she had to give herself over to it and see where it might lead.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer McMahon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-the-book-store-manager-asked-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artistic-endeavor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-the-book-store-manager-asked-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_artistic-endeavor_what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-th_2709892.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What exactly is it you'd like to know? [the book store manager asked]. He had an odd expression, like he was…” — Jennifer McMahon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jennifer McMahon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What exactly is it you'd like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-the-book-store-manager-asked-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-exactly-is-it-you-d-like-to-know-the-book-store-manager-asked-he/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```