--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother wanted me to be a reader. She…" description: "\"My mother wanted me to be a reader. She was a reader. Even though she had an 11th-grade education, she was curious about all kinds of things - archeolo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_my-mother-wanted-me-to-be-a-reader-she-w_1203684.png" --- # My mother wanted me to be a reader. She was a reader. Even… ![“My mother wanted me to be a reader. She was a reader. Even though she had an 11th-grade education, she was curious about all kinds of things - archeology, anthropology.” quote by Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_my-mother-wanted-me-to-be-a-reader-she-w_1203684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_my-mother-wanted-me-to-be-a-reader-she-w_1203684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_my-mother-wanted-me-to-be-a-reader-she-w_1203684.png) > “My mother wanted me to be a reader. She was a reader. Even though she had an 11th-grade education, she was curious about all kinds of things - archeology, anthropology.” [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s love for reading can inspire a child’s curiosity despite limited formal education. **In simple terms:** Parents can spark lifelong learning. Key Takeaway Encourage reading regardless of schooling. Themes family education curiosity Mood inspirational reflective Type parental influence motivation When to use this quote - home schooling - library visits - family discussions - personal growth Key Concepts self‑directed learning role modeling Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster curiosity in low‑resource settings? - What books shaped your early interests? A Different Perspective Limited resources may restrict access to books. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Curious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curious/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Curious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-curious-3619971/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader 11Th](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-11th-3619972/) [Reader Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-reader-591491/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Wanted Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-reader-2627025/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I was reading for understanding. I wanted to do to a reader what Salinger did for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/i-was-reading-for-understanding-i-wanted-to-do-to-a-reader-what/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [“his education had had the curious effect of making things that he read and wrote more real to him than things he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/his-education-had-had-the-curious-effect-of-making-things-that-he/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“A writer is nothing without a reader; a reader is nothing without a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/a-writer-is-nothing-without-a-reader-a-reader-is-nothing-without-a/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [An active and creative reader is a re-reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/an-active-and-creative-reader-is-a-re-reader/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“I am a reader. 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Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) ## More by Joe R. Lansdale > [I have finally become my own genre, and now that's what publishers want. I have a wonderful publisher now, Mulholland, very innovated, very fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-have-finally-become-my-own-genre-and-now-that-s-what-publishers/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Some people see writing as a white-collar career, but I've always approached it as a blue-collar writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/some-people-see-writing-as-a-white-collar-career-but-i-ve-always/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“‎He decided quite suddenly, having kept fairly good record on the calendar, that tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and zombies be damned. The Christmas lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/he-decided-quite-suddenly-having-kept-fairly-good-record-on-the/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [A lot of friends I went to school with were criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/a-lot-of-friends-i-went-to-school-with-were-criminals/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I think there are some people for whom words are like food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-think-there-are-some-people-for-whom-words-are-like-food/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [The reviews on it, and the new novel, Honky Tonk Samurai have been awesome, though I'm of the school if you believe the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/the-reviews-on-it-and-the-new-novel-honky-tonk-samurai-have-been/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Killing ain’t no good thing, son, unless it’s to eat or protect yourself. And you ought never to delight in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/killing-ain-t-no-good-thing-son-unless-it-s-to-eat-or-protect/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've done very well financially and sold a lot because I've had a multiple method of attack as a writer. That's a conscious strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-done-very-well-financially-and-sold-a-lot-because-i-ve-had-a/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I used to just sit down and read the dictionary, and I read the Bible and Shakespeare from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-used-to-just-sit-down-and-read-the-dictionary-and-i-read-the-bible/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I know the Pollock novel. Read it last year and liked it. Daniel Woodrell is awesome. I especially like the book Winter's Bone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-know-the-pollock-novel-read-it-last-year-and-liked-it-daniel/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My grandmother on my mother's side lived to nearly 100 years old, and she had seen Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-grandmother-on-my-mother-s-side-lived-to-nearly-100-years-old-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I write what I hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-write-what-i-hear/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've been writing since 1973. I've written nonfiction things of that nature, but I'm probably best known for crime fiction and, to some extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-been-writing-since-1973-i-ve-written-nonfiction-things-of-that/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Far as I knew, closest she'd gotten to art was a drafting table and dressing mannequins in store windows, and the closest I'd gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/far-as-i-knew-closest-she-d-gotten-to-art-was-a-drafting-table-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) [Explore all 132 Joe R. Lansdale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mother wanted me to be a reader. She was a reader. Even though she had an 11th-grade education, she was curious about all kinds of things - archeology, anthropology.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe R. 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