--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The library was open for one hour after…" description: "\"The library was open for one hour after school let out. I hid there, looking at art books and reading poetry.\" — Lynda Barry" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/lynda-barry-3343_after-school_the-library-was-open-for-one-hour-after_219285.jpg" --- # The library was open for one hour after school let out. I… ![“The library was open for one hour after school let out. I hid there, looking at art books and reading poetry.” quote by Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/lynda-barry-3343_after-school_the-library-was-open-for-one-hour-after_219285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/lynda-barry-3343_after-school_the-library-was-open-for-one-hour-after_219285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/lynda-barry-3343_after-school_the-library-was-open-for-one-hour-after_219285.jpg) > “The library was open for one hour after school let out. I hid there, looking at art books and reading poetry.” [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator finds refuge after school in a library, immersing in art and poetry to escape or seek inspiration. **In simple terms:** After school, the library offered a creative escape. Key Takeaway Seek quiet spaces for inspiration. Themes creativity solitude literature Mood reflective inspirational Type personal creative When to use this quote - after school - creative writing - self‑reflection - mental health Key Concepts art appreciation personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you create personal sanctuaries? - What role does art play in your life? A Different Perspective Libraries may not be accessible to everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-school/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books and reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-and-reading/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-poetry/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Young children in grades K-3 should study at least 30 to 45 minutes per school night (which should include 15 minutes of reading out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-shaw/young-children-in-grades-k-3-should-study-at-least-30-to-45-minutes/) Marion Shaw > [“I'll be taking a two-hour after-school class twice a week for seven and a half weeks. After those thirty hours of classroom time, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-thrasher/i-ll-be-taking-a-two-hour-after-school-class-twice-a-week-for-seven/) [Travis Thrasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-thrasher/) > [All of the life-changing awesome words and pictures and ideas inside your library are useless without just one word outside your library: Open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/all-of-the-life-changing-awesome-words-and-pictures-and-ideas-inside/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [The doors of this Library are open now and are all welcome. The judgment of history is left to you, the people. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-doors-of-this-library-are-open-now-and-are-all-welcome-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [When a library is open, no matter its size or shape, democracy is open, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/when-a-library-is-open-no-matter-its-size-or-shape-democracy-is-open/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [I sometimes get up at night when I can't sleep and walk down into my library and open one of my books and read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-sometimes-get-up-at-night-when-i-can-t-sleep-and-walk-down-into-my/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [It's nice to live in a country that has its priorities straight: the library's open three hours a week, and the House of Fist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/it-s-nice-to-live-in-a-country-that-has-its-priorities-straight-the/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [The Library is an open sanctuary. It is devoted to individual intellectual inquiry and contemplation. Its function is to provide free access to ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-vosper/the-library-is-an-open-sanctuary-it-is-devoted-to-individual/) Robert G. Vosper > [“Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/heaven-must-be-a-place-where-the-library-is-open-twenty-four-hours-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/as-i-stood-outside-in-cow-lane-it-occurred-to-me-that-heaven-must-be/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [Reading poetry gives me a sense of calm, well-being, and love for humanity - the same stuff more flexible women get from yoga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/reading-poetry-gives-me-a-sense-of-calm-well-being-and-love-for/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [Even though poetry was written for the 'minds ear' as well as the physical ear, the minds ear can be trained only by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvor-winters/even-though-poetry-was-written-for-the-minds-ear-as-well-as-the/) [Yvor Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvor-winters/) > [“I suppose I could have been nicer when I was at Columbia. I could have been polite, respectful, turned in my papers on time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-rall/i-suppose-i-could-have-been-nicer-when-i-was-at-columbia-i-could-have/) [Ted Rall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-rall/) > [If every head of state and every government official spent an hour a day reading poetry we'd live in a much more humane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/if-every-head-of-state-and-every-government-official-spent-an-hour-a/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) ## More by Lynda Barry > [ “i believe \[images\] are the soul's immune system and transit system.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-believe-images-are-the-soul-s-immune-system-and-transit-system/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [I found myself compelled - like this weird, shameful compulsion - to draw cute animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-found-myself-compelled-like-this-weird-shameful-compulsion-to-draw/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [“As I enter the small intestine I get squeezed by muscles. Its dark and the walls look like slimey crushed velvet theres pancreas juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/as-i-enter-the-small-intestine-i-get-squeezed-by-muscles-its-dark-and/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [I look crazy. I know I do. Been true since I was a kid!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-look-crazy-i-know-i-do-been-true-since-i-was-a-kid/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [In life there are always these things happening if you can just get the joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/in-life-there-are-always-these-things-happening-if-you-can-just-get/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [You may be a lady but you are still the man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/you-may-be-a-lady-but-you-are-still-the-man/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [The minute you understand racism, you're responsible for being racist. It's like eating from the tree of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-minute-you-understand-racism-you-re-responsible-for-being-racist/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [“Same circus, different clowns, and without a doubt I'm one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/same-circus-different-clowns-and-without-a-doubt-i-m-one-of-them/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [“Above me soft footsteps, the sound through the ceiling of a teenager haunted by a door to the night. My cousin Maybonne lights up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/above-me-soft-footsteps-the-sound-through-the-ceiling-of-a-teenager/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [Dear Anyone Who Finds This, Do not blame the drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/dear-anyone-who-finds-this-do-not-blame-the-drugs/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [There was a beautiful time in the beginning when I just did it and didn't analyze the consequences, but I think that time ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/there-was-a-beautiful-time-in-the-beginning-when-i-just-did-it-and/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [“Mr. Harmong is the cheapest chinztiest most pig-lipped tightwad skanked-out lardo king landlord of all time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/mr-harmong-is-the-cheapest-chinztiest-most-pig-lipped-tightwad/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [Love will make a way out of no way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/love-will-make-a-way-out-of-no-way/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [People think that whatever I put into strips has happened to me in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/people-think-that-whatever-i-put-into-strips-has-happened-to-me-in-my/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) [Explore all 133 Lynda Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) ## More After school quotes > [If I have children, after school they'll always feel happy energy in the home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-na/if-i-have-children-after-school-they-ll-always-feel-happy-energy-in/) [Li Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-na/) > [I was pursuing the arts with theater in school, and I was doing after-school activities, but not in any real movement towards a professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/i-was-pursuing-the-arts-with-theater-in-school-and-i-was-doing-after/) [Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/) > [The internet is like a gossipy girls' locker room after school, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/the-internet-is-like-a-gossipy-girls-locker-room-after-school-isn-t-it/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [In high school, one of the things I loved doing was this after-school program where you would teach computer skills to some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/in-high-school-one-of-the-things-i-loved-doing-was-this-after-school/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [What are you? An after school special?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/what-are-you-an-after-school-special/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I used to watch 'Coming to America' every day after school. I have full-on long-running inside jokes with friends and family about different scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabourey-sidibe/i-used-to-watch-coming-to-america-every-day-after-school-i-have-full/) [Gabourey Sidibe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabourey-sidibe/) > [I do after-school ballet and also hip-hop and jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-fanning/i-do-after-school-ballet-and-also-hip-hop-and-jazz/) [Elle Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-fanning/) > [I grew up babysitting and watching TRL after school. But the fact that I'm part of the whole new scripted development program that they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-rose-reed/i-grew-up-babysitting-and-watching-trl-after-school-but-the-fact-that/) [Jillian Rose Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-rose-reed/) > [In a world where people are hungry for quick fixes and sound bites, for instant gratification, there's no patience for the long, slow rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/in-a-world-where-people-are-hungry-for-quick-fixes-and-sound-bites/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [When I was a kid, my favorite after-school snack was hominy and pickled pigs feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/when-i-was-a-kid-my-favorite-after-school-snack-was-hominy-and/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [Real, sane, mature love—the kind that pays the mortgage year after year and picks up the kids after school—is not based on infatuation but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/real-sane-mature-love-the-kind-that-pays-the-mortgage-year-after-year/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Acting was my after-school activity. I never planned on growing up and becoming an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paxton/acting-was-my-after-school-activity-i-never-planned-on-growing-up-and/) [Sara Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paxton/) > [When I was able to get home it first hit me that you had left and I couldn't do anything about it. Every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-scholl/when-i-was-able-to-get-home-it-first-hit-me-that-you-had-left-and-i/) [Sophie Scholl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-scholl/) > [I hate homework. I hate it more now than I did when I was the one lugging textbooks and binders back and forth from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-hate-homework-i-hate-it-more-now-than-i-did-when-i-was-the-one/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [I loved New Jersey. I thought it was the greatest place in the world because on Halloween kids could start trick or treating right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/i-loved-new-jersey-i-thought-it-was-the-greatest-place-in-the-world/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) [Browse all 120 After school quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-school/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The library was open for one hour after school let out. 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