--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bibliotropic,\" Hugh said. \"Like…" description: "\"Bibliotropic,\" Hugh said. \"Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop.\" — Jo Walton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg" --- # Bibliotropic," Hugh said. "Like sunflowers are… ![“Bibliotropic," Hugh said. "Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop.” quote by Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg) > “Bibliotropic," Hugh said. "Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop.” [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A metaphor comparing the natural tendency of sunflowers to seek sunlight with people's attraction to books. **In simple terms:** People are drawn to books like sunflowers to the sun. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge as a natural instinct. Themes nature learning metaphor Mood reflective inspirational Type metaphorical motivational When to use this quote - libraries - reading habits - personal growth Key Concepts heliotropism literary attraction Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to a book? - How can you cultivate a reading habit? A Different Perspective Not everyone feels this pull equally; some may avoid reading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bookshops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshops/) [Heliotropic Naturally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heliotropic-naturally-5694848/) [Like Sunflowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-sunflowers-1773899/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Sunflower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunflower/) [Sunflowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunflowers/) [Sunflowers Heliotropic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunflowers-heliotropic-5694847/) [Turn Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-sun-754504/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [“Like sunflowers, no matter where they are planted turn towards the sun, I too began turning in the direction that nourished me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalah-delia/like-sunflowers-no-matter-where-they-are-planted-turn-towards-the-sun/) [Lalah Delia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalah-delia/) > [For time and eternity there have been fathers like Nathan who simply can see no way to have a daughter but to own her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/for-time-and-eternity-there-have-been-fathers-like-nathan-who-simply/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/attention-shifted-to-him-like-sunflowers-turning-to-the-sun/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [we're all golden sunflowers inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/we-re-all-golden-sunflowers-inside/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [“There was the gaudy patch of sunflowers beside the west gate of the palace of the Prince of Ombria, that did nothing all day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-a-mckillip/there-was-the-gaudy-patch-of-sunflowers-beside-the-west-gate-of-the/) [Patricia A. McKillip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-a-mckillip/) > [The morning glories and the sunflowers turn naturally toward the light, but we have to be taught, it seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-morning-glories-and-the-sunflowers-turn-naturally-toward-the/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Sunflowers are like people to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-mitchell/sunflowers-are-like-people-to-me/) [Joan Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-mitchell/) > [“Even on the cloudiest days, a lone sunflower stands tall in the field near my village home, reminding us that true light comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/even-on-the-cloudiest-days-a-lone-sunflower-stands-tall-in-the-field/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [I'm now painting with all the elan of a Marseillais eating soup, which won't surprise you when I tell you I'm painting large sunflowers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-m-now-painting-with-all-the-elan-of-a-marseillais-eating-soup-which/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread bleak dusty imageless locomotive, we're all beautiful golden sunflowers inside, we're blessed by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/we-re-not-our-skin-of-grime-we-re-not-our-dread-bleak-dusty-imageless/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [In April, we cannot see sunflowers in France, so we might say the sunflowers do not exist. But the local farmers have already planted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/in-april-we-cannot-see-sunflowers-in-france-so-we-might-say-the/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The earth paints a portrait of the sun at dawn with sunflowers in bloom. Unhappy with the portrait, she erases it and paints it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-earth-paints-a-portrait-of-the-sun-at-dawn-with-sunflowers-in/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“I will admit you are the finest if not the loveliest rose in the garden. But you see, my dear, I was looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/i-will-admit-you-are-the-finest-if-not-the-loveliest-rose-in-the/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [The road to freedom is bordered with sunflowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/the-road-to-freedom-is-bordered-with-sunflowers/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [In your hands The dog, the donkey, surely they know They are alive. Who would argue otherwise? But now, after years of consideration, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/in-your-hands-the-dog-the-donkey-surely-they-know-they-are-alive-who/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## More by Jo Walton > [I care more about the people in books than the people I see every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/i-care-more-about-the-people-in-books-than-the-people-i-see-every-day/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [Class is entirely intangible, and the way it affects things isn't subject to scientific analysis, and it's not supposed to be real but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/class-is-entirely-intangible-and-the-way-it-affects-things-isn-t/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“I figured it out this afternoon, when they let me take a walk around the grounds, that these cows are stupid. Bovine. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/i-figured-it-out-this-afternoon-when-they-let-me-take-a-walk-around/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“You can almost always find chains of coincidence to disprove magic. That's because it doesn't happen the way it does in books. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/you-can-almost-always-find-chains-of-coincidence-to-disprove-magic/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [You can't do magic with books unless they're very special copies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/you-can-t-do-magic-with-books-unless-they-re-very-special-copies/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [Reading is awesome and flexible and fits around chores and earning money and building the future and whatever else I’m doing that day. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/reading-is-awesome-and-flexible-and-fits-around-chores-and-earning/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [You know, class is like magic. There's nothing there you can point to, it evaporates if you try to analyse it, but it's real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/you-know-class-is-like-magic-there-s-nothing-there-you-can-point-to/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“The thing with dying, well, with death really, is that there's a difference between being someone who knows they can really die at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/the-thing-with-dying-well-with-death-really-is-that-there-s-a/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [It's amazing how large the things are that it's possible to overlook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/it-s-amazing-how-large-the-things-are-that-it-s-possible-to-overlook/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“My ideal relationship with a book is that I will read it for the first time entirely unspoiled. I won’t know anything whatsoever about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/my-ideal-relationship-with-a-book-is-that-i-will-read-it-for-the/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“Anyway, while most people can't see fairies anyway because they don't believe in them, seeing them isn't a bad thing. Some of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/anyway-while-most-people-can-t-see-fairies-anyway-because-they-don-t/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“Aujourd’hui, rien. That’s what Louis XVI wrote in his diary on the day of the storming of the Bastille.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/aujourd-hui-rien-that-s-what-louis-xvi-wrote-in-his-diary-on-the-day/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [If the purpose of literature is to illuminate human nature, the purpose of fantastic literature is to do that from a wider perspective. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/if-the-purpose-of-literature-is-to-illuminate-human-nature-the/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“There are two kinds of people in the world, those who re-read and those who don’t. No, don’t be silly, there are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-re-read-and/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [There may be stranger reasons for being alive. There are books There’s interlibrary loan. There are books you can fall into and pull up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/there-may-be-stranger-reasons-for-being-alive-there-are-books-there-s/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) [Explore all 88 Jo Walton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) ## More Bookshops quotes > [“A bookshop is a peaceful sanctuary of silent voices waiting to heard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/a-bookshop-is-a-peaceful-sanctuary-of-silent-voices-waiting-to-heard/) [Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/) > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Quite often I can be in a bookshop, standing beneath a great big picture of myself and paying for a book with a credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/quite-often-i-can-be-in-a-bookshop-standing-beneath-a-great-big/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Well, this is a story about books." About books?" About accursed books, about a man who wrote them, about a character who broke out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/well-this-is-a-story-about-books-about-books-about-accursed-books/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-good-bookshop-is-just-a-genteel-black-hole-that-knows-how-to-read/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [My husband claims I have an unhealthy obsession with secondhand bookshops. That I spend too much time daydreaming altogether. But either you intrinsically understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-tessaro/my-husband-claims-i-have-an-unhealthy-obsession-with-secondhand/) [Kathleen Tessaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-tessaro/) > [So often, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me, and reminded me that there are good things in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/so-often-a-visit-to-a-bookshop-has-cheered-me-and-reminded-me-that/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I am very happy in second-hand bookshops; would a gardener not be happy in a garden?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-am-very-happy-in-second-hand-bookshops-would-a-gardener-not-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [In a town like London there are always plenty of not quite certifiable lunatics walking the streets, and they tend to gravitate towards bookshops,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-town-like-london-there-are-always-plenty-of-not-quite/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I travel a lot, so when I arrive in a city, I like to go to good local bookshops and make a selection based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-travel-a-lot-so-when-i-arrive-in-a-city-i-like-to-go-to-good-local/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I was brought up in a home where I saw my parents read and I was taken to bookshops and libraries, so I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-was-brought-up-in-a-home-where-i-saw-my-parents-read-and-i-was/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [“It's the same with books, you see mounds of them in bookshops and you want to read them all, or at least to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-s-neuman/it-s-the-same-with-books-you-see-mounds-of-them-in-bookshops-and-you/) [Andrés Neuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-s-neuman/) > [When my first novel was published, I went in great excitement round bookshops in central London to see if they had stocked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/when-my-first-novel-was-published-i-went-in-great-excitement-round/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [The tradition I was born into was essentially nomadic, a herdsmen tradition, following animals across the earth. The bookshops are a form of ranching;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-tradition-i-was-born-into-was-essentially-nomadic-a-herdsmen/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops, I went at once to Hastings & Sons Bookshop upon receiving your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/because-there-is-nothing-i-would-rather-do-than-rummage-through/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) [Browse all 116 Bookshops quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshops/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bibliotropic,\" Hugh said. \"Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jo Walton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-are-heliotropic-they-naturally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bookshops" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-are-heliotropic-they-naturally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/jo-walton-7623_bookshops_bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-a_725922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bibliotropic,\" Hugh said. \"Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We…” — Jo Walton", "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": "Jo Walton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bibliotropic,\" Hugh said. \"Like sunflowers are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-are-heliotropic-they-naturally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/bibliotropic-hugh-said-like-sunflowers-are-heliotropic-they-naturally/#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 } } ] } ```