--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we got around to books, I was…" description: "\"When we got around to books, I was finally set, as our minister would say, on solid ground. I gorged on books. I sneaked them at night. I rubbed their ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/lorene-cary-58038_book_when-we-got-around-to-books-i-was-finall_450965.jpg" --- # When we got around to books, I was finally set, as our… ![“When we got around to books, I was finally set, as our minister would say, on solid ground. I gorged on books. I sneaked them at night. I rubbed their spines and sniffed in the musty smell of them in the library.” quote by Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/lorene-cary-58038_book_when-we-got-around-to-books-i-was-finall_450965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/lorene-cary-58038_book_when-we-got-around-to-books-i-was-finall_450965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/lorene-cary-58038_book_when-we-got-around-to-books-i-was-finall_450965.jpg) > “When we got around to books, I was finally set, as our minister would say, on solid ground. I gorged on books. I sneaked them at night. I rubbed their spines and sniffed in the musty smell of them in the library.” [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She discovers a deep love for books, finding refuge and excitement in reading despite constraints. **In simple terms:** Finding freedom in reading. Key Takeaway Embrace reading as a sanctuary. Themes knowledge freedom curiosity Mood reflective enthusiastic Type literary personal When to use this quote - library visits - late night reading - personal growth - academic study Key Concepts literature escape intellectual growth Questions to Reflect On - How does reading change your sense of self? - What books have shaped your worldview? A Different Perspective Reading can be isolating if not shared. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-reading/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Library books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-books/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [That was only the beginning - where one burns books, one will finally also burn people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/that-was-only-the-beginning-where-one-burns-books-one-will-finally/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [In terms of e-books, though, I haven't quite gotten to the bottom of it yet, but for some reason everybody I know seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/in-terms-of-e-books-though-i-haven-t-quite-gotten-to-the-bottom-of-it/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [It took me eight books to finally be at a point in my career where I could come out with a book and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/it-took-me-eight-books-to-finally-be-at-a-point-in-my-career-where-i/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [You can read ten books and finally come across one detail, and it's like, "now everything else makes sense. 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"In case you're interested." they both glanced up overhead as if to make sure the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/the-house-was-on-fire-i-greeted-them-tersely-in-case-you-re/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“Why do you need to see him? (Remi) Wolf business, and the last time I sniffed, which I’m trying real hard not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/why-do-you-need-to-see-him-remi-wolf-business-and-the-last-time-i/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“The dog sniffed at the bonfire like a ship with a wet nose docking at a foreign port." -Mgru”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moles/the-dog-sniffed-at-the-bonfire-like-a-ship-with-a-wet-nose-docking-at/) Stephen Moles > [The dog approached again, cautiously. I found the bologna sandwich, ripped off a chunk, wiped the cheap watery mustard off, then placed it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-dog-approached-again-cautiously-i-found-the-bologna-sandwich/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“He sniffed, and said as others had before him and others no doubt would again, "I have learned never to say, 'Never again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/he-sniffed-and-said-as-others-had-before-him-and-others-no-doubt/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## More by Lorene Cary > [“Happy sneaked out of the room and joined merriment down the hall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-cary/happy-sneaked-out-of-the-room-and-joined-merriment-down-the-hall/) [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) > [I'd been busy, busy, so busy, preparing for life, while life floated by me, quiet and swift as a regatta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-cary/i-d-been-busy-busy-so-busy-preparing-for-life-while-life-floated-by/) [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) > [Black ice is the smoothest naturally occuring ice there is, as if nature were condescending to art. ... Black ice is an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-cary/black-ice-is-the-smoothest-naturally-occuring-ice-there-is-as-if/) [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) > [But it's also true that my memory is a card shark, reshuffling the deck to hide what I fear to know, unable to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-cary/but-it-s-also-true-that-my-memory-is-a-card-shark-reshuffling-the/) [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) > [Why had I been so afraid? I had not loved enough. I'd been busy, busy, so busy, preparing for life, while life floated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-cary/why-had-i-been-so-afraid-i-had-not-loved-enough-i-d-been-busy-busy-so/) [Lorene Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) [Explore all 6 Lorene Cary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-cary/) ## 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. 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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. 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