---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The colonists had no library at their…"
description: "\"“The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always open at the page which one wanted, a book..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg"
---

#  The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the…

![“The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always open at the page which one wanted, a book which answered all their questions, and which they often consulted.” quote by Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg)

> ““The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always open at the page which one wanted, a book which answered all their questions, and which they often consulted.””

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Knowledge is a portable, ever‑available resource, empowering problem‑solving.

**In simple terms:** Books are always at hand.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate continuous learning.

Themes

knowledge access empowerment

Mood

curious prepared

Type

motivational practical

When to use this quote

- research
- DIY projects
- travel
- emergency planning

Key Concepts

education self‑reliance innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you keep learning tools handy?
- What information would you consult in a crisis?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Answered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-answered-5141413/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Colonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonists/) [Colonists Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonists-library-5141411/) [Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineer/) [Engineer Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineer-book-5141412/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [Don't go to the same studio twice, or work with the same engineer twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/don-t-go-to-the-same-studio-twice-or-work-with-the-same-engineer-twice/)

[Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/)

> [Ive been an engineer, barman, skip lorry driver, coalman, boat window manufacturer, contract grass cutter and builder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-asher/ive-been-an-engineer-barman-skip-lorry-driver-coalman-boat-window/)

[Neal Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-asher/)

> [I've always been an engineer devoted to the potential of advanced technologies. Like most engineers, I have a keen sense of curiosity and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-kao/i-ve-always-been-an-engineer-devoted-to-the-potential-of-advanced/)

[Min Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-kao/)

> [My ma is an economist. My dad is a software engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suraj-sharma/my-ma-is-an-economist-my-dad-is-a-software-engineer/)

[Suraj Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suraj-sharma/)

> [I come from a pretty scientific family. My sister is a neurologist and my brother is an engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-come-from-a-pretty-scientific-family-my-sister-is-a-neurologist-and/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [ The \[engineer\] should be equipped with knowledge of many branches of study and varied kinds of learning, for it is by his judgement that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/the-engineer-should-be-equipped-with-knowledge-of-many-branches-of/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [God is a hacker, not an engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-crick/god-is-a-hacker-not-an-engineer/)

[Francis Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-crick/)

> [ It's \[programming\] the only job I can think of where I get to be both an engineer and an artist. There's an incredible, rigorous,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hertzfeld/it-s-programming-the-only-job-i-can-think-of-where-i-get-to-be-both/)

[Andy Hertzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-hertzfeld/)

> [An engineer cannot participate in irrationality ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/an-engineer-cannot-participate-in-irrationality/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [ A lawyer’s either a social engineer or … a parasite on society … A social engineer \[is\] a highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyer who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hamilton-houston/a-lawyer-s-either-a-social-engineer-or-a-parasite-on-society-a-social/)

[Charles Hamilton Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hamilton-houston/)

> [I never knew what an engineer did for a living when I was a kid. I still don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/i-never-knew-what-an-engineer-did-for-a-living-when-i-was-a-kid-i/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [I was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/)

[James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/)

> [I'm an engineer by trade, and what engineers do is they go and build, and they don't think a lot about storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/i-m-an-engineer-by-trade-and-what-engineers-do-is-they-go-and-build/)

[Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/)

> [Complexity is not a goal. I don't want to be remembered as an engineer of complex systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-parnas/complexity-is-not-a-goal-i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-as-an-engineer/)

[David Parnas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-parnas/)

## More by Jules Verne

> [Look with all your eyes, look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/look-with-all-your-eyes-look/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [“As I remarked before, the Asiatic elephant is smaller than the African, which is frequently twelve feet high, and its tusks are in proportion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/as-i-remarked-before-the-asiatic-elephant-is-smaller-than-the-african/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [As long as a man's heart beats, as long as a man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that a being gifted with thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/as-long-as-a-man-s-heart-beats-as-long-as-a-man-s-flesh-quivers-i-do/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Now, when an American has an idea, he directly seeks a second American to share it. If there be three, they elect a president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/now-when-an-american-has-an-idea-he-directly-seeks-a-second-american/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Well, my friend, this earth will one day be that cold corpse; it will become uninhabitable and uninhabited like the moon, which has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/well-my-friend-this-earth-will-one-day-be-that-cold-corpse-it-will/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Ah! Young people, travel if you can, and if you cannot - travel all the same!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/ah-young-people-travel-if-you-can-and-if-you-cannot-travel-all-the/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [It is always a vulgar and often an unhealthy pastime, and it is a vice which does not go alone; the man who gambles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/it-is-always-a-vulgar-and-often-an-unhealthy-pastime-and-it-is-a-vice/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [“My uncle” is the natives’ usual name for the tiger, they believing that the soul of each of their ancestors is lodged for eternity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/my-uncle-is-the-natives-usual-name-for-the-tiger-they-believing-that/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [“Kâlagani evidently knew this thinly-peopled region perfectly, and guided us across it most admirably. On the 29th September our train began to ascend the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/k-lagani-evidently-knew-this-thinly-peopled-region-perfectly-and/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Well, I feel that we should always put a little art into what we do. It's better that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/well-i-feel-that-we-should-always-put-a-little-art-into-what-we-do-it/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [“— Isola in vendita per contanti, più le spese, al miglior offerente! — andava ripetendo a perdifiato Dean Felporg, banditore dell'auction, in cui venivano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/isola-in-vendita-per-contanti-pi-le-spese-al-miglior-offerente-andava/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [It is certain," exclaimed my uncle in a tone of triumph. "But silence, do you hear me? silence upon the whole subject; and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/it-is-certain-exclaimed-my-uncle-in-a-tone-of-triumph-but-silence-do/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Man, a mere inhabitant of the earth, cannot overstep its boundaries! But though he is confined to its crust, he may penetrate into all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/man-a-mere-inhabitant-of-the-earth-cannot-overstep-its-boundaries-but/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [On the surface of the ocean, men wage war and destroy each other; but down here, just a few feet beneath the surface, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/on-the-surface-of-the-ocean-men-wage-war-and-destroy-each-other-but/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [In presence of Nature's grand convulsions man is powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/in-presence-of-nature-s-grand-convulsions-man-is-powerless/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

[Explore all 331 Jules Verne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

## 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! 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/)

> [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/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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": "“The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always open at the page which one wanted, a book which answered all their questions, and which they often consulted.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jules Verne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-disposal-but-the-engineer-was-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-disposal-but-the-engineer-was-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jules-verne-795_book_the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-di_3062282.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always…” — Jules Verne",
                "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": "Jules Verne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The colonists had no library at...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-disposal-but-the-engineer-was-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/the-colonists-had-no-library-at-their-disposal-but-the-engineer-was-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
