--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were two free public libraries…" description: "\"There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the librar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png" --- # There were two free public libraries within walking… ![“There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.” quote by Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png) > “There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.” [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes abundant access to knowledge and the habit of borrowing extensively. **In simple terms:** Libraries provide limitless learning opportunities. Key Takeaway Utilize local libraries often. Themes education access curiosity Mood inspirational nostalgic Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - studying - research - community engagement Key Concepts information theory public resources Questions to Reflect On - How many books can you realistically read? - What topics would you explore next? A Different Perspective Limited by borrowing caps and time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Books have always been my home. I ransacked the library regularly from the time we moved to the States. I read on the fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitali-perkins/books-have-always-been-my-home-i-ransacked-the-library-regularly-from/) [Mitali Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitali-perkins/) > [“But some of the greatest achievements in philosophy could only be compared with taking up some books which seemed to belong together, and putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/but-some-of-the-greatest-achievements-in-philosophy-could-only-be/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [I'm the happiest at home when I get a visit from my daughter-in-law, BC Jean, and Mark Ballas, my son. They'll pop round for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ballas/i-m-the-happiest-at-home-when-i-get-a-visit-from-my-daughter-in-law/) [Shirley Ballas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ballas/) > [“It's one thing to develop a nostalgia for home while you're boozing with Yankee writers in Martha's Vineyard or being chased by the bulls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/it-s-one-thing-to-develop-a-nostalgia-for-home-while-you-re-boozing/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [My family are too grounded, and I will go home to visit. I always need my dose of Liverpool to keep me grounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ferguson/my-family-are-too-grounded-and-i-will-go-home-to-visit-i-always-need/) [Rebecca Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ferguson/) > [I came from a house full of books, so I took reading for granted. I was an outdoorsy little kid, too, so I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-came-from-a-house-full-of-books-so-i-took-reading-for-granted-i-was/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [There is probably no greater anxiety in life than going home to visit your mother for Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-falter-barns/there-is-probably-no-greater-anxiety-in-life-than-going-home-to-visit/) [Suzanne Falter-Barns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-falter-barns/) > [But all I could think of was taking some books to read in jail. I held everybody up, choosing which ones to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clellon-holmes/but-all-i-could-think-of-was-taking-some-books-to-read-in-jail-i-held/) [John Clellon Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clellon-holmes/) > [A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-library-will-never-be-too-neat-or-too-dusty-because-somebody/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [Public libraries are our great teachers and storytellers, and are a vital adjunct to our schools. In this day of standardized and homogenized education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/public-libraries-are-our-great-teachers-and-storytellers-and-are-a/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [What is also strange to me is that public libraries have always been in the forefront of opposing censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/what-is-also-strange-to-me-is-that-public-libraries-have-always-been/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“My experience with public libraries is that the first volume of the book I inquire for is out, unless I happen to want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/my-experience-with-public-libraries-is-that-the-first-volume-of-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/) > [Books, for me, are a home. Books don’t make a home – they are one, in the sense that just as you do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/books-for-me-are-a-home-books-don-t-make-a-home-they-are-one-in-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [We never had books at home, but my dad, seeing how keen I was to read, took me to Islington Library when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kemp/we-never-had-books-at-home-but-my-dad-seeing-how-keen-i-was-to-read/) [Gary Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kemp/) ## More by Martin Lewis Perl > [I learned quickly, as I tell my graduate students now, there are no answers in the back of the book when the equipment doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/i-learned-quickly-as-i-tell-my-graduate-students-now-there-are-no/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [The remoteness of my parents from the schools, so unfashionable today, was often painful for me, but I learned early to deal with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/the-remoteness-of-my-parents-from-the-schools-so-unfashionable-today/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [About 1900 my parents came to the United States as children from what was then the Polish area of Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/about-1900-my-parents-came-to-the-united-states-as-children-from-what/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Experimental science is a craft and an art, and part of the art is knowing when to end a fruitless experiment. There is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/experimental-science-is-a-craft-and-an-art-and-part-of-the-art-is/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [A parent being called to the school because their child had misbehaved was as serious as a parent being called to the police station…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/a-parent-being-called-to-the-school-because-their-child-had/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Naturally, I have compensated in my adult years by owning very large numbers of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/naturally-i-have-compensated-in-my-adult-years-by-owning-very-large/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [As Jews, their families left Russia to escape the poverty and the antisemitism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/as-jews-their-families-left-russia-to-escape-the-poverty-and-the/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [My parents regarded school teachers as higher beings, as did many immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/my-parents-regarded-school-teachers-as-higher-beings-as-did-many/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Going to school and working for good marks, indeed working for very good marks, was a serious business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/going-to-school-and-working-for-good-marks-indeed-working-for-very/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Whatever the course, whether the course was boring or interesting to me, whether I was talented in mathematics or not talented in languages, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/whatever-the-course-whether-the-course-was-boring-or-interesting-to/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Natures' curriculum cannot be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/natures-curriculum-cannot-be-changed/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [This was good training for research, because large parts of experimental work are sometimes boring or involve the use of skills in which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/this-was-good-training-for-research-because-large-parts-of/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [They wanted me to play more sports because they were acutely sensitive to their children being one hundred percent American, and they believed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/they-wanted-me-to-play-more-sports-because-they-were-acutely/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [Their educations ended with high school - my father going to work as a clerk and then salesman in a company dealing in printing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/their-educations-ended-with-high-school-my-father-going-to-work-as-a/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) > [The experimenter dealing with nature faces an outside and often hard world. Natures' curriculum cannot be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/the-experimenter-dealing-with-nature-faces-an-outside-and-often-hard/) [Martin Lewis Perl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) [Explore all 21 Martin Lewis Perl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Lewis Perl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/there-were-two-free-public-libraries-within-walking-distance-of-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/there-were-two-free-public-libraries-within-walking-distance-of-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/martin-lewis-perl-26976_books_there-were-two-free-public-libraries-wit_568813.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home…” — Martin Lewis Perl", "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": "Martin Lewis Perl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lewis-perl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There were two free public libraries...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/there-were-two-free-public-libraries-within-walking-distance-of-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lewis-perl/there-were-two-free-public-libraries-within-walking-distance-of-my/#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 } } ] } ```