--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From fifth grade on, I worked at our…" description: "\"From fifth grade on, I worked at our public library. The pay, a pittance, was almost superfluous. All through high school, I looked forward to summer a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/julia-glass-3667_almost_from-fifth-grade-on-i-worked-at-our-publ_416760.png" --- # From fifth grade on, I worked at our public library. The… ![“From fifth grade on, I worked at our public library. The pay, a pittance, was almost superfluous. All through high school, I looked forward to summer as the time when I could work at the library four or five days a week. I was never a camp counselor, a lifeguard, a scooper of ice cream.” quote by Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/julia-glass-3667_almost_from-fifth-grade-on-i-worked-at-our-publ_416760.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/julia-glass-3667_almost_from-fifth-grade-on-i-worked-at-our-publ_416760.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/julia-glass-3667_almost_from-fifth-grade-on-i-worked-at-our-publ_416760.png) > “From fifth grade on, I worked at our public library. The pay, a pittance, was almost superfluous. All through high school, I looked forward to summer as the time when I could work at the library four or five days a week. I was never a camp counselor, a lifeguard, a scooper of ice cream.” [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author valued early work experience despite low pay, finding purpose and routine in library work during school years. **In simple terms:** She loved working at the library even for little money. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful work, not just high wages. Themes purpose work growth routine learning Mood reflective determined nostalgic Type personal career motivational When to use this quote - school summers - part-time jobs - career exploration - community involvement Key Concepts early employment public service personal development Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to work beyond money? - How can low‑pay jobs still be fulfilling? A Different Perspective Low pay may limit financial stability and long‑term prospects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camp/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Counselor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counselor/) [Cream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cream/) [Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days/) [Fifth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifth/) [Fifth grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifth-grade/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grade/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Ice cream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-cream/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Library Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-days-528134/) [Library Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-pay-3703611/) [Lifeguard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifeguard/) [Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Public library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-library/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Superfluous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superfluous/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-library-1925757/) [Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked/) [Worked Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-public-2359985/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [All of my parents' friends worked in public sector jobs. The teachers at my school were quite often card-carrying members of the Labour Party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/all-of-my-parents-friends-worked-in-public-sector-jobs-the-teachers/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [I've worked in two public school districts, Minneapolis and Baltimore, one as a senior leader. And while we might not always have agreed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/i-ve-worked-in-two-public-school-districts-minneapolis-and-baltimore/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [I went to work at the library. I know that sounds crazy but I didn't know where else to go. Besides, at the library…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/i-went-to-work-at-the-library-i-know-that-sounds-crazy-but-i-didn-t/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [ “I work \[at a library\] because I love books, because I'm inveterately curious, and because, like most librarians, I'm not well suited to anything… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hanagarne/i-work-at-a-library-because-i-love-books-because-i-m-inveterately/) [Josh Hanagarne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hanagarne/) > [Please," said Lirael..."I think I would like to work in this Library." "The Library," repeated Sanar, looking troubled. "That can be dangerous to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/please-said-lirael-i-think-i-would-like-to-work-in-this-library-the/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [My parents are both intellectuals and readers; my mother would take me to the library every few days from before I was one year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/my-parents-are-both-intellectuals-and-readers-my-mother-would-take-me/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [Libraries are absolutely at the center of my life. Since I couldn't afford to go to college, I attended the library three or four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/libraries-are-absolutely-at-the-center-of-my-life-since-i-couldn-t/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-couldn-t-go-to-college-so-i-went-to-the-library-three-days-a-week/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When I graduated from high school I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library 3 days a week for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-couldn-t-go-to-college-so-i-went/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these." - Mr. Darcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-cannot-comprehend-the-neglect-of-a-family-library-in-such-days-as/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I'm spending more time at this library in four days than I did at the Eureka College Library in four years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-m-spending-more-time-at-this-library-in-four-days-than-i-did-at-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Blair Waldorf: A hot lifeguard is like kleenex! Use once and throw away. You could ask for a better rebound!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gossip-girl/blair-waldorf-a-hot-lifeguard-is-like-kleenex-use-once-and-throw-away/) [Gossip Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gossip-girl/) > [“I am like a lifeguard with the terrible, secret knowledge that he does not himself know how to swim.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shira-nayman/i-am-like-a-lifeguard-with-the-terrible-secret-knowledge-that-he-does/) [Shira Nayman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shira-nayman/) > [The first two pictures I did, I played a young student in prep school. When I did Lifeguard, everyone was saying, You're so Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-stevenson/the-first-two-pictures-i-did-i-played-a-young-student-in-prep-school/) [Parker Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-stevenson/) > [I've framed houses, worked on an asphalt crew, I was a cop, a lifeguard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-ve-framed-houses-worked-on-an-asphalt-crew-i-was-a-cop-a-lifeguard/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) ## More by Julia Glass > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In every novel, I write about something - a place, an experience, an emotion - with which I'm intimately familiar, but it's also crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/in-every-novel-i-write-about-something-a-place-an-experience-an/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my head, at least, the business of spinning stories has no closing time. Twists in my characters' lives, glimpses of their secrets, obstacles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/in-my-head-at-least-the-business-of-spinning-stories-has-no-closing/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [I am not opposed to e-readers. Any technology that encourages the reading of literature is a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/i-am-not-opposed-to-e-readers-any-technology-that-encourages-the/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [A good novel is an out-of-self experience. It lifts you off the ground so that you have the sensation of flying. It says, 'Look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/a-good-novel-is-an-out-of-self-experience-it-lifts-you-off-the-ground/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Some might have referred to Vince, Buck and Calvin as "ordinary fellows" or "salt of the earth". Such terms are merely code for men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/some-might-have-referred-to-vince-buck-and-calvin-as-ordinary-fellows/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [Call me territorial or narcissistic, but I avoid novels about people who share my vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/call-me-territorial-or-narcissistic-but-i-avoid-novels-about-people/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [Now is almost always the better choice. You never know about later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/now-is-almost-always-the-better-choice-you-never-know-about-later/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“On Thursday, the sandwiches Greenie made were pork tenderloins with chipotle mustard, the soup a puree of beets and pears with Beaujolais wine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/on-thursday-the-sandwiches-greenie-made-were-pork-tenderloins-with/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [Most inexperienced cooks believe, mistakenly, that a fine cake is less challenging to produce than a fine souffle or mousse. I know, however, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/most-inexperienced-cooks-believe-mistakenly-that-a-fine-cake-is-less/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [I have struggled for decades now with the fear of and resistance to change - mostly in the realms of technology, transportation, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/i-have-struggled-for-decades-now-with-the-fear-of-and-resistance-to/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“None of this Mad Mario showmanship- orange clogs and Bermuda shorts fit for Babar, sweetbreads garnished with squash blossoms stuffed with cheese from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/none-of-this-mad-mario-showmanship-orange-clogs-and-bermuda-shorts/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Bet you did not know that in Mexico they call a Palomino an Isabella. Or that George Washington's warhorse was an Arab named Magnolia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/bet-you-did-not-know-that-in-mexico-they-call-a-palomino-an-isabella/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Always more to learn, that's the pain and the pleasure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/always-more-to-learn-that-s-the-pain-and-the-pleasure/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Well, yes, there were quite a lot of books throughout, tumbling out of haphazardly placed bookshelves, stacked beneath chairs, beside beds, even in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/well-yes-there-were-quite-a-lot-of-books-throughout-tumbling-out-of/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) [Explore all 125 Julia Glass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From fifth grade on, I worked at our public library. 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