--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel that my tendency to acquire books…" description: "\"“I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like someone smoking two packs a day: it's a terrible vice that I wish I could shuck. I love my boo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/leah-price-36354_book_i-feel-that-my-tendency-to-acquire-books_87086.jpg" --- # I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like… ![“I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like someone smoking two packs a day: it's a terrible vice that I wish I could shuck. I love my books, and with all their dog-ears and underlinings they are irreplaceable; but I sometimes wish they'd just vanish. ~ Claire Messud, author of The…” quote by Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/leah-price-36354_book_i-feel-that-my-tendency-to-acquire-books_87086.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/leah-price-36354_book_i-feel-that-my-tendency-to-acquire-books_87086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/leah-price-36354_book_i-feel-that-my-tendency-to-acquire-books_87086.jpg) > ““I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like someone smoking two packs a day: it's a terrible vice that I wish I could shuck. I love my books, and with all their dog-ears and underlinings they are irreplaceable; but I sometimes wish they'd just vanish. ~ Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Child.”” [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A compulsive love of books feels like an addiction, cherished yet burdensome, prompting a wish for release while valuing their irreplaceable presence. **In simple terms:** Bibliophilia as a double‑edged habit Key Takeaway Reading can be both comfort and compulsion Themes reading addiction nostalgia material attachment Mood wistful conflicted Type reflection confession When to use this quote - library visits - book‑selling - personal archives Key Concepts collecting sentimentality Practical Applications - minimalist decluttering - digital archiving Questions to Reflect On - When does a hobby become a hindrance? - How can you honor books without feeling trapped? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [In midlife, I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like someone smoking two packs a day: it's a terrible vice that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/in-midlife-i-feel-that-my-tendency-to-acquire-books-is-rather-like/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Choosing which book isn't difficult. The choice is typically the last one I brought home. I acquire books constantly and place them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/choosing-which-book-isn-t-difficult-the-choice-is-typically-the-last/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus. It would get richer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life-was-a-thing-that/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [ That's what I like about \[smoking\] . . . taking a drag off of death, Mmm! Gives me a sense of controlling my own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/that-s-what-i-like-about-smoking-taking-a-drag-off-of-death-mmm-gives/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [We're kind of like the smoking section in high school. We're immature, keep to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-stone/we-re-kind-of-like-the-smoking-section-in-high-school-we-re-immature/) [Matt Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-stone/) > [“And I just want to tell you, at some point it doesn’t matter who was right and who was wrong. At some point, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/and-i-just-want-to-tell-you-at-some-point-it-doesn-t-matter-who-was/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Don't like to do anything half-heartedly, even if it is a wicked and self-destructive avocation like smoking cigars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/don-t-like-to-do-anything-half-heartedly-even-if-it-is-a-wicked-and/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [Listening to a news broadcast is like smoking a cigarette and crushing the butt in the ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/listening-to-a-news-broadcast-is-like-smoking-a-cigarette-and/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“thee. Thou art like the smoking flax: no light, no warmth, can come from thee; but he will not quench thee; he will blow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/thee-thou-art-like-the-smoking-flax-no-light-no-warmth-can-come-from/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [As a child I was a good boy. Even if I wasn't playing tennis I don't think I'd have done things like smoking or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/as-a-child-i-was-a-good-boy-even-if-i-wasn-t-playing-tennis-i-don-t/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Quoting, like smoking, is a dirty habit to which I am devoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quoting-like-smoking-is-a-dirty-habit-to-which-i-am-devoted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quoting, like smoking, ... is a dirty habit to which I am devoted. But then ... I am a professor of English literature; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/quoting-like-smoking-is-a-dirty-habit-to-which-i-am-devoted-but-then/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [I like smoking pot, but I'm not the kind of guy who smokes every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-like-smoking-pot-but-i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-smokes-every-day/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [“If you don't like smoking don't even bother getting sober, just stay drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/if-you-don-t-like-smoking-don-t-even-bother-getting-sober-just-stay/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“When I was young” … “Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/when-i-was-young-before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) ## More by Leah Price > [“There is a simple rule: practice a kind of generous selfishness. Give a book to a friend, but don't lend it, because you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/there-is-a-simple-rule-practice-a-kind-of-generous-selfishness-give-a/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“When you stand inside somebody's library, you get a powerful sense of who they are, and not just who they are now but who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/when-you-stand-inside-somebody-s-library-you-get-a-powerful-sense-of/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [A self without a shelf remains cryptic; a home without books naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/a-self-without-a-shelf-remains-cryptic-a-home-without-books-naked/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“People sometimes act as though owning books you haven't read constitutes a charade or pretense, but for me, there's a lovely mystery and pregnancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/people-sometimes-act-as-though-owning-books-you-haven-t-read/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [Paper remains the standard to which digital media can only aspire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/paper-remains-the-standard-to-which-digital-media-can-only-aspire/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“I do lend my books, but I have to be a bit selective because my marginalia are so incriminating.” --Alison Bechdel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/i-do-lend-my-books-but-i-have-to-be-a-bit-selective-because-my/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“Just as television didn't put an end to radio or the movies (to say nothing of books), I don't think e-books will put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/just-as-television-didn-t-put-an-end-to-radio-or-the-movies-to-say/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“Correction of Earlier Entry: 8/01/12 We read over the shoulders of giants; books place us in dialogue not just with an author but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/correction-of-earlier-entry-8-01-12-we-read-over-the-shoulders-of/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“RE: Kindle, iPad, et cetera: For a researcher, these new ways of accessing information are just extraordinary. I thing it introduces the possibility of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/re-kindle-ipad-et-cetera-for-a-researcher-these-new-ways-of-accessing/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [I felt the breath of God go cold on my skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/i-felt-the-breath-of-god-go-cold-on-my-skin/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [Correction of Earlier Entry: 8/01/12We read over the shoulders of giants; books place us in dialogue not just with an author but with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/correction-of-earlier-entry-8-01-12we-read-over-the-shoulders-of/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [“I hate lending, or borrowing—if you want me to read a book, tell me about it, or buy me a copy outright. Your loaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/i-hate-lending-or-borrowing-if-you-want-me-to-read-a-book-tell-me/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) [Explore all 13 Leah Price quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) ## 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": "“I feel that my tendency to acquire books is rather like someone smoking two packs a day: it's a terrible vice that I wish I could shuck. 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