--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just read everything I could get my…" description: "\"I just read everything I could get my hands on. I taught myself to read or my mother taught me. Who knows how I learned to read? It was before I went t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/joan-didion-497_adults_i-just-read-everything-i-could-get-my-ha_1731825.jpg" --- # I just read everything I could get my hands on. I taught… ![“I just read everything I could get my hands on. I taught myself to read or my mother taught me. Who knows how I learned to read? It was before I went to school, so I would go to the library and just take things off the shelf. My mother had to sign a piece of paper saying I could take adult books.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/joan-didion-497_adults_i-just-read-everything-i-could-get-my-ha_1731825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/joan-didion-497_adults_i-just-read-everything-i-could-get-my-ha_1731825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/joan-didion-497_adults_i-just-read-everything-i-could-get-my-ha_1731825.jpg) > “I just read everything I could get my hands on. I taught myself to read or my mother taught me. Who knows how I learned to read? It was before I went to school, so I would go to the library and just take things off the shelf. My mother had to sign a piece of paper saying I could take adult books.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes an autodidactic childhood driven by curiosity and access to books, emphasizing self‑directed learning before formal schooling. **In simple terms:** She taught herself to read by borrowing books from the library. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and seek knowledge independently. Themes learning self‑direction curiosity literacy independence Mood reflective inspirational Type personal development educational When to use this quote - home schooling - library visits - personal development - early literacy - self‑motivation Key Concepts autodidactism access to resources informal education Questions to Reflect On - What resources can you use to learn independently? - How does early self‑directed learning shape later habits? A Different Perspective Limited access to materials could hinder such self‑learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [President Bush said that our kids must be taught how to read. 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Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? 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