--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The death of a library, any library…" description: "\"The death of a library, any library, suggests that the community has lost its soul.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg" --- # The death of a library, any library, suggests that the… ![“The death of a library, any library, suggests that the community has lost its soul.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg) > “The death of a library, any library, suggests that the community has lost its soul.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a library disappears, it signals a community’s loss of shared knowledge and identity. **In simple terms:** Losing a library means losing community spirit. Key Takeaway Preserve public knowledge spaces. Themes culture community knowledge identity Mood reflective concerned Type observational critical When to use this quote - urban planning - education policy - community activism - heritage preservation Key Concepts public libraries social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - How can we replace the role of physical libraries? - What alternatives sustain community soul? A Different Perspective Even with libraries, digital media can erode communal bonds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-lost-2320594/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-library-4597860/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Library Suggests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-suggests-4597861/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-soul/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Suggests Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggests-community-4597862/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The scientific community has lost its original sense of responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-scientific-community-has-lost-its-original-sense-of-responsibility/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [On the set of 'Community,' we quote 'Community' to each other. We're a lost cause. We're like a bunch of little kids running around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/on-the-set-of-community-we-quote-community-to-each-other-we-re-a-lost/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [While on the subject of burning books, I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength, who, all over this country, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/while-on-the-subject-of-burning-books-i-want-to-congratulate/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-america-i-love-still-exists-at-the-front-desks-of-our-public/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I can always recognize another lost soul. Even if they're smiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-joshua-shaw/i-can-always-recognize-another-lost-soul-even-if-they-re-smiling/) [Mr. Joshua Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-joshua-shaw/) > [The only test of possession is use. The talent that is buried is not owned. The napkin and the hole in the ground are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/the-only-test-of-possession-is-use-the-talent-that-is-buried-is-not/) [Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/) > [“I'm a lost soul. We do wail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-m-a-lost-soul-we-do-wail/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“There’s a drive in a lost soul—in one that is searching for acceptance, companionship, belonging, whatever you want to call it. The slightest coincidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-cooper/there-s-a-drive-in-a-lost-soul-in-one-that-is-searching-for/) [Doug Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-cooper/) > [“I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-seemed-to-have-lost-all-soul-or-sensation-but-for-this-one-pursuit/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I have everything I prayed for. I know most would condemn me and think I've lost my soul, but I know in my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-g-henderson/i-have-everything-i-prayed-for-i-know-most-would-condemn-me-and-think/) [Patty G. Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-g-henderson/) > [Aye I'm not a bad kid I just lost my soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cooly-justice/aye-i-m-not-a-bad-kid-i-just-lost-my-soul/) [Cooly Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cooly-justice/) > [The devil tryna rip out my soul. Lost my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/the-devil-tryna-rip-out-my-soul-lost-my-soul/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [Or maybe I’d lost my soul already. I doubted God let someone like me keep any gift from him. It was highly likely I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/or-maybe-i-d-lost-my-soul-already-i-doubted-god-let-someone-like-me/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [Tourism does not go to a city that has lost its soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-frommer/tourism-does-not-go-to-a-city-that-has-lost-its-soul/) [Arthur Frommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-frommer/) > [“And a ride in a hearse tells us we’re all close to that final cruise . . . when the body dies and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mutti-clark/and-a-ride-in-a-hearse-tells-us-we-re-all-close-to-that-final-cruise/) [David Mutti Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mutti-clark/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The death of a library, any library, suggests that the community has lost its soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-death-of-a-library-any-library-suggests-that-the-community-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-death-of-a-library-any-library-suggests-that-the-community-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/kurt-vonnegut-41_community_the-death-of-a-library-any-library-sugge_552694.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The death of a library, any library, suggests that the community has lost its soul.” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The death of a library, any...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-death-of-a-library-any-library-suggests-that-the-community-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-death-of-a-library-any-library-suggests-that-the-community-has/#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 } } ] } ```