--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here I am, wasting away inside a book I…" description: "\"Here I am, wasting away inside a book I wish I could escape, and all she wants to do is stay in the story. If I could talk to this girl Delilah, I’d as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/jodi-picoult-45_book_here-i-am-wasting-away-inside-a-book-i-w_2697549.jpg" --- # Here I am, wasting away inside a book I wish I could… ![“Here I am, wasting away inside a book I wish I could escape, and all she wants to do is stay in the story. If I could talk to this girl Delilah, I’d ask her why on earth she would ever trade a single second of the world she’s in for the one in which I’m stuck” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/jodi-picoult-45_book_here-i-am-wasting-away-inside-a-book-i-w_2697549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/jodi-picoult-45_book_here-i-am-wasting-away-inside-a-book-i-w_2697549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/jodi-picoult-45_book_here-i-am-wasting-away-inside-a-book-i-w_2697549.jpg) > “Here I am, wasting away inside a book I wish I could escape, and all she wants to do is stay in the story. If I could talk to this girl Delilah, I’d ask her why on earth she would ever trade a single second of the world she’s in for the one in which I’m stuck” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character feels trapped in a story while yearning for escape, highlighting the tension between imagination and reality. **In simple terms:** Feeling stuck in a story while wanting freedom. Key Takeaway Recognize when imagination hinders real life. Themes escape imagination reality longing Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - reading - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts Narrative immersion psychological conflict Questions to Reflect On - What does the story represent for you? - How can you balance imagination with reality? A Different Perspective Escapism can prevent confronting real issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [You can't be real," Delilah murmurs. "Says who?" I ask. "Did you really think that a story exists only when you're reading it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-can-t-be-real-delilah-murmurs-says-who-i-ask-did-you-really-think/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Just in case it... doesn't work. I want you to know, Delilah. You have been the biggest adventure of my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/just-in-case-it-doesn-t-work-i-want-you-to-know-delilah-you-have-been/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Go, little book, and wish to all Flowers in the garden, meat in the hall, A bin of wine, a spice of wit, A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/go-little-book-and-wish-to-all-flowers-in-the-garden-meat-in-the-hall/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“The book—” Cinderella started. “Is waiting for you on my desk. I’ll be along in a minute, although I shall miss you every second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/the-book-cinderella-started-is-waiting-for-you-on-my-desk-i-ll-be/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [I wish I didn't have ever to sign my long name on the cover of a book, and I wish I could write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wise-brown/i-wish-i-didn-t-have-ever-to-sign-my-long-name-on-the-cover-of-a-book/) [Margaret Wise Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wise-brown/) > [When I read a good book, I wish my life were three thousand years long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-i-read-a-good-book-i-wish-my-life-were-three-thousand-years-long/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Its a very good book and i wish i read it first than anyone else!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/its-a-very-good-book-and-i-wish-i-read-it-first-than-anyone-else/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [“Write the book you wish you could find on the shelf but can't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/write-the-book-you-wish-you-could-find-on-the-shelf-but-can-t/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Crazy girls did this, girls who walked like zombies through YA novels. But. Trixie felt the sting of the skin as it split, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/crazy-girls-did-this-girls-who-walked-like-zombies-through-ya-novels/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“You know, you should think about getting in touch with Gabriel, he's your half-brother and also a really good guy.” Delilah looks at me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-cosway/you-know-you-should-think-about-getting-in-touch-with-gabriel-he-s/) [L.H. Cosway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-cosway/) > [“You’re my Delilah, Edie, and I’m your Samson. You want to ruin me, destroy me, strip me of my power, and betray me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-shen/you-re-my-delilah-edie-and-i-m-your-samson-you-want-to-ruin-me/) [L.J. Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/) > [“Usually, when he came in these dreams he woke up still thrusting into ruined sheets, his face pressed into a pillow. This time, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-tenorio/usually-when-he-came-in-these-dreams-he-woke-up-still-thrusting-into/) [Dee Tenorio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-tenorio/) > [“Open," he urged her in a soft voice. Samson to Delilah”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-folsom/open-he-urged-her-in-a-soft-voice-samson-to-delilah/) [Tina Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-folsom/) > [“He became an unimaginative woman's creation. Delilah had shorn his locks and assured him he looked much neater and cooler without them. He gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/he-became-an-unimaginative-woman-s-creation-delilah-had-shorn-his/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here I am, wasting away inside a book I wish I could escape, and all she wants to do is stay in the story. 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