---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You became a reader because you saw and…"
description: "\"You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you admired enjoying the experience, someone led you to the world of books even before you could ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg"
---

#  You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you…

![“You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you admired enjoying the experience, someone led you to the world of books even before you could read, let you taste the magic of stories, took you to the library, and allowed you to stay up later at night to read in bed.” quote by Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg)

> “You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you admired enjoying the experience, someone led you to the world of books even before you could read, let you taste the magic of stories, took you to the library, and allowed you to stay up later at night to read in bed.”

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reading habits form when admired role models model enjoyment, sparking curiosity and lifelong engagement with stories.

**In simple terms:** Role models inspire reading.

Key Takeaway

Seek mentors who love books.

Themes

inspiration learning family habits

Mood

nostalgic warm motivational

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- education
- library visits
- nighttime reading

Key Concepts

Social learning motivation literacy

Questions to Reflect On

- Who in your life first showed you the joy of reading?
- How can you become that inspiring reader for others?

A Different Perspective

If role models are absent, children may lack exposure to reading.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-read/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Let's buy books so as not to read them; let's go to concerts without caring to hear the music or see who's there; let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/let-s-buy-books-so-as-not-to-read-them-let-s-go-to-concerts-without/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“I could tell you were a reader when I first saw you. You have that dreamy look in your eye, like you're wishing yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hagen/i-could-tell-you-were-a-reader-when-i-first-saw-you-you-have-that/)

[Bethany Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hagen/)

> [I was lucky enough to have a mother who took me to the library - the public library - twice a week, Wednesdays and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-was-lucky-enough-to-have-a-mother-who-took-me-to-the-library-the/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [And my father always took me to the library. We were both book addicts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/and-my-father-always-took-me-to-the-library-we-were-both-book-addicts/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [My mother was almost entirely responsible for my cultural education. She took me to the library once a week, and by the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-berkoff/my-mother-was-almost-entirely-responsible-for-my-cultural-education/)

[Steven Berkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-berkoff/)

> [“I took to the...Library as to a lover...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-took-to-the-library-as-to-a-lover/)

[Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/)

> [I always tell people that I became a writer not because I went to school but because my mother took me to the library.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-always-tell-people-that-i-became-a-writer-not-because-i-went-to/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [“Let's adopt all the poses and gestures of something we aren't and don't wish to be, and don't even wish to be taken for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/let-s-adopt-all-the-poses-and-gestures-of-something-we-aren-t-and-don/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [To read is to let someone else work for you - the most delicate form of exploitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/to-read-is-to-let-someone-else-work-for-you-the-most-delicate-form-of/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

> [“Teenagers want to read - if we let them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-kittle/teenagers-want-to-read-if-we-let-them/)

[Penny Kittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-kittle/)

> [“Don't let life be what you read; Let it be what you write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-santiago/don-t-let-life-be-what-you-read-let-it-be-what-you-write/)

Samantha Santiago

> [ \[If a book were\] very innocent, and one which might be confided to the reason of any man; not likely to be much read… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-a-book-were-very-innocent-and-one-which-might-be-confided-to-the/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Want to read me, let me write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/want-to-read-me-let-me-write/)

[P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/)

> [Words weren't dull, words were things that could make your mind hum. If you read them and let yourself feel the magic, you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/words-weren-t-dull-words-were-things-that-could-make-your-mind-hum-if/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Stranger, pause and look; From the dust of ages Lift this little book, Turn the tattered pages, Read me, do not let me die!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/stranger-pause-and-look-from-the-dust-of-ages-lift-this-little-book/)

[Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/)

## More by Jim Trelease

> [The more you read, the better you get, the more better you get, the more you like it; and the more you like it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/the-more-you-read-the-better-you-get-the-more-better-you-get-the-more/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Skill sheets, workbooks, basal reader, flash cards are not enough. To convey meaning you need someone sharing the meaning and flavor of real stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/skill-sheets-workbooks-basal-reader-flash-cards-are-not-enough-to/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [“Sector 7 by David Wiesner (Clarion, 1997)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/sector-7-by-david-wiesner-clarion-1997/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Story is the vehicle we use to make sense of our lives in a world that often defies logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/story-is-the-vehicle-we-use-to-make-sense-of-our-lives-in-a-world/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Imagine what our culture would be like if Americans sold ideas, words, and books with the same creativity we use to sell designer jeans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/imagine-what-our-culture-would-be-like-if-americans-sold-ideas-words/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Reading aloud is the best advertisement because it works. It allows a child to sample the delights of reading and conditions him to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/reading-aloud-is-the-best-advertisement-because-it-works-it-allows-a/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [We have instant pudding, instant photos, instant coffee—but there are no instant adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/we-have-instant-pudding-instant-photos-instant-coffee-but-there-are/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [“This is not a book about teaching a child how to read; it's about teaching a child to want to read. There's an education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/this-is-not-a-book-about-teaching-a-child-how-to-read-it-s-about/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Each day millions of children arrive in American classrooms in search of more than reading and math skills. They are looking for a light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/each-day-millions-of-children-arrive-in-american-classrooms-in-search/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Common sense should tell us that reading is the ultimate weapon--destroying ignorance, poverty and despair before they can destroyus. A nation that doesn't read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/common-sense-should-tell-us-that-reading-is-the-ultimate-weapon/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Neither books nor people have Velcro Sides -- there must be a bonding agent -- someone who attaches child to book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/neither-books-nor-people-have-velcro-sides-there-must-be-a-bonding/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Amid the push to excellence, with its measurement and accountability, it is easy to lose sight of a key ingredient in reading a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/amid-the-push-to-excellence-with-its-measurement-and-accountability/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Students who read the most also read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest. Conversely, those who dont read much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/students-who-read-the-most-also-read-the-best-achieve-the-most-and/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [“What happened to the classics?" you may ask. "Don't you believe in reading great literature to children?" Nothing happened to the classics-but something happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/what-happened-to-the-classics-you-may-ask-don-t-you-believe-in/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [Readers don't grow in trees. But they are grown-in places where they are fertilized with lots of print, and above all, read to daily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/readers-don-t-grow-in-trees-but-they-are-grown-in-places-where-they/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

[Explore all 27 Jim Trelease quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

## More Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you admired enjoying the experience, someone led you to the world of books even before you could read, let you taste the magic of stories, took you to the library, and allowed you to stay up later at night to read in bed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jim Trelease"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and-heard-someone-you-admired/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and-heard-someone-you-admired/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/jim-trelease-22415_bed_you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and_516599.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You became a reader because you saw and heard someone you admired enjoying the experience, someone led you…” — Jim Trelease",
                "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": "Jim Trelease",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You became a reader because you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and-heard-someone-you-admired/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/you-became-a-reader-because-you-saw-and-heard-someone-you-admired/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
