--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: May I ask you something?\" I say. \"Why do…" description: "\"May I ask you something?\" I say. \"Why do you read books, when you could be outside, living a million different adventures every day?\" \"Because you can ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/jodi-picoult-45_adventure_may-i-ask-you-something-i-say-why-do-you_1818804.jpg" --- # May I ask you something?" I say. "Why do you read books… ![“May I ask you something?" I say. "Why do you read books, when you could be outside, living a million different adventures every day?" "Because you can always count on a book to stay the same. EVerything else changes when you least expect it," she replies, bitter. "Families split apart, and…” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/jodi-picoult-45_adventure_may-i-ask-you-something-i-say-why-do-you_1818804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/jodi-picoult-45_adventure_may-i-ask-you-something-i-say-why-do-you_1818804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/jodi-picoult-45_adventure_may-i-ask-you-something-i-say-why-do-you_1818804.jpg) > “May I ask you something?" I say. "Why do you read books, when you could be outside, living a million different adventures every day?" "Because you can always count on a book to stay the same. EVerything else changes when you least expect it," she replies, bitter. "Families split apart, and nothing's forever. In books, you always know what's coming next. There are no surprises.” [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. Books offer stability in a changing world, but they also limit surprise, reflecting a desire for certainty over adventure. **In simple terms:** Books provide predictable comfort. Key Takeaway Balance reading with real‑world experiences. Themes comfort predictability adventure choice Mood nostalgic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading habits - life planning - adventure seeking Key Concepts literature psychology risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How much predictability do you need? - What adventures are you missing? A Different Perspective Reliance on books may hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Because you can always count on a book to stay the same . Everything changes when you least expect it, she replies, bitter. Families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-you-can-always-count-on-a-book-to-stay-the-same-everything/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Without books we should very likely be a still-primitive people living in the shadow of traditions that faded with years until only a blur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/without-books-we-should-very-likely-be-a-still-primitive-people/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [We read many books, because we cannot know enough people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/we-read-many-books-because-we-cannot-know-enough-people/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“I read books. I know who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-orozco/i-read-books-i-know-who-i-am/) [Daniel Orozco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-orozco/) > [I love books so much. I've read more books than anyone else I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-love-books-so-much-i-ve-read-more-books-than-anyone-else-i-know/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I try not to let myself get too wrapped up in the image of whatever my books have become in the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-try-not-to-let-myself-get-too-wrapped-up-in-the-image-of-whatever/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I couldn't imagine any other way of living, outside of books, outside my work. Which doesn't mean I am not interested in other things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-couldn-t-imagine-any-other-way-of-living-outside-of-books-outside/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“A library cannot be made all at once, any more than a house or a nation or a tree; they must all take time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-library-cannot-be-made-all-at-once-any-more-than-a-house-or-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [In books, you always know what's coming next. There are no surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/in-books-you-always-know-what-s-coming-next-there-are-no-surprises/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I read everything. When I say everything, I read everything: children's literature, Y.A., science fiction, fantasy, romance - I read it all. Each genre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-read-everything-when-i-say-everything-i-read-everything-children-s/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When people come up to me and say, 'I read your book,' I'm thinking, 'How dare you! Who gave you a copy?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/when-people-come-up-to-me-and-say-i-read-your-book-i-m-thinking-how/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [I read a lot of comics growing up. My mom used to say, 'Would you please read a book?' She was worried where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-durance/i-read-a-lot-of-comics-growing-up-my-mom-used-to-say-would-you-please/) [Erica Durance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-durance/) > [“So I say to you read! Read! Something will stick in the mind, be diligent and good will come of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/so-i-say-to-you-read-read-something-will-stick-in-the-mind-be/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [If you have something really important you want to say, you have to read your audience, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/if-you-have-something-really-important-you-want-to-say-you-have-to/) [Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/) > [I follow my own nose. So I read things that are different. People will always say to me, "Have you read Robert S. Bosco's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/i-follow-my-own-nose-so-i-read-things-that-are-different-people-will/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) ## 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 Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. 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