---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you arrange your books alphabetically?…"
description: "\"Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)\" — Mary Ann Shaffer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png"
---

#  Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)

![“Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)” quote by Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png)

> “Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)”

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Questioning alphabetical organization challenges conventional order, inviting creative categorization.

**In simple terms:** Think beyond alphabetical sorting for books.

Key Takeaway

Consider alternative ways to organize your collection.

Themes

creativity organization literature questioning

Mood

curious playful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- home library
- digital catalog
- personal bookshelf

Key Concepts

library science personal expression novelty

Questions to Reflect On

- What benefits could a non‑alphabetical system bring?
- How would you locate a book quickly?

A Different Perspective

Alphabetical order works well for many; change may cause confusion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alphabetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alphabetically-940334/) [Alphabetically Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alphabetically-hope-3343115/) [Arrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrange/) [Arrange Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrange-books-3343113/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Alphabetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-alphabetically-3343114/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't mind being listed alphabetically. I do mind being treated alphabetically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-tallchief/i-don-t-mind-being-listed-alphabetically-i-do-mind-being-treated/)

[Maria Tallchief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-tallchief/)

> [Everybody line up alphabetically according to your height.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/everybody-line-up-alphabetically-according-to-your-height/)

[Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/)

> [Ordered by subject, by importance, ordered according to whether the book was penned by God or by one of God's creatures, ordered alphabetically or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/ordered-by-subject-by-importance-ordered-according-to-whether-the/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [You guys line up alphabetically by height.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-peterson/you-guys-line-up-alphabetically-by-height/)

[Bill Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-peterson/)

> [The only reason we're not in Iran now is because we're going alphabetically and George Bush can't spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/the-only-reason-we-re-not-in-iran-now-is-because-we-re-going/)

[Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/)

> [Wait, Wikipedia isn't working? Why hasn't someone invented a paper version of it? A set of books organized alphabetically by topic?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/wait-wikipedia-isn-t-working-why-hasn-t-someone-invented-a-paper/)

[Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/)

> [All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/all-right-everyone-line-up-alphabetically-according-to-your-height/)

[Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/)

> [Honestly, I envy painters, who can have a masterpiece in one morning. Or musicians, who can write something in 30 minutes and arrange it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/honestly-i-envy-painters-who-can-have-a-masterpiece-in-one-morning-or/)

[Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/)

> [You wanna re-arrange the truth about me, how about I re-arrange your face whit my fist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-stina/you-wanna-re-arrange-the-truth-about-me-how-about-i-re-arrange-your/)

[Buck-Stina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-stina/)

> [I can read and arrange, but I can't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-can-read-and-arrange-but-i-can-t-write/)

[Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/)

> [“Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to arrange the meeting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-langtry/forgiveness-is-between-them-and-god-it-s-my-job-to-arrange-the-meeting/)

[Leslie Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-langtry/)

> [The moment you put something down on paper it forces you to organize and arrange these thoughts a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/the-moment-you-put-something-down-on-paper-it-forces-you-to-organize/)

[Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/)

> [When credit is cheaper to use and easier to arrange, people do use more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-credit-is-cheaper-to-use-and-easier-to-arrange-people-do-use/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [The laws of physics should allow us to arrange things molecule by molecule and even atom by atom, and at some point it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/the-laws-of-physics-should-allow-us-to-arrange-things-molecule-by/)

[Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/)

> [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

## More by Mary Ann Shaffer

> [Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/reading-good-books-ruins-you-for-enjoying-bad-books/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [Now that I think about it, maybe he is a werewolf. I can picture him lunging over the moors in hot pursuit of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/now-that-i-think-about-it-maybe-he-is-a-werewolf-i-can-picture-him/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [Miss X has always been a ditherer -- she was a ten month baby and has not improved in any material way since then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/miss-x-has-always-been-a-ditherer-she-was-a-ten-month-baby-and-has/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-don-t-want-to-be-married-just-to-be-married-i-can-t-think-of/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“This profusion of questions, exclamations, and tales is the new version of the Society. Its members are spread all over the world, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/this-profusion-of-questions-exclamations-and-tales-is-the-new-version/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“I kept trying to explain and he kept shouting until I began to cry from frustration. Then he felt remorseful, which was so unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-kept-trying-to-explain-and-he-kept-shouting-until-i-began-to-cry/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“A sunny nature? A light heart? I have never been so insulted. Light-hearted is a short step from witless in my book. A cackling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/a-sunny-nature-a-light-heart-i-have-never-been-so-insulted-light/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“I can’t think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can’t talk to, or worse, someone I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-can-t-think-of-anything-lonelier-than-spending-the-rest-of-my-life/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [People don't know how chickens can turn on you, but they can -- just like mad dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/people-don-t-know-how-chickens-can-turn-on-you-but-they-can-just-like/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [Treat a dog right and he'll treat you right - he'll keep you company, be your friend, never ask you no questions. Cats is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/treat-a-dog-right-and-he-ll-treat-you-right-he-ll-keep-you-company-be/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“Thousands of those men and boys died here, and I have recently learned that their inhuman treatment was the intended policy of Himmler. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/thousands-of-those-men-and-boys-died-here-and-i-have-recently-learned/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [What on earth did you say to Isola? She stopped in on her way to pick up Pride and Prejudice and to berate me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/what-on-earth-did-you-say-to-isola-she-stopped-in-on-her-way-to-pick/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [“He didn't say much at our first meeting - nor at any of our meetings since, come to think of it - but left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/he-didn-t-say-much-at-our-first-meeting-nor-at-any-of-our-meetings/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [Those times, I tried to think of something happy, something I'd liked - but not something I loved, for that made it worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/those-times-i-tried-to-think-of-something-happy-something-i-d-liked/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops, I went at once to Hastings & Sons Bookshop upon receiving your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/because-there-is-nothing-i-would-rather-do-than-rummage-through/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

[Explore all 73 Mary Ann Shaffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

## More Arrange quotes

> [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [The laws of physics should allow us to arrange things molecule by molecule and even atom by atom, and at some point it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/the-laws-of-physics-should-allow-us-to-arrange-things-molecule-by/)

[Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/)

> [When credit is cheaper to use and easier to arrange, people do use more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-credit-is-cheaper-to-use-and-easier-to-arrange-people-do-use/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [The moment you put something down on paper it forces you to organize and arrange these thoughts a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/the-moment-you-put-something-down-on-paper-it-forces-you-to-organize/)

[Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/)

> [“Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to arrange the meeting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-langtry/forgiveness-is-between-them-and-god-it-s-my-job-to-arrange-the-meeting/)

[Leslie Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-langtry/)

> [I can read and arrange, but I can't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-can-read-and-arrange-but-i-can-t-write/)

[Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/)

> [You wanna re-arrange the truth about me, how about I re-arrange your face whit my fist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-stina/you-wanna-re-arrange-the-truth-about-me-how-about-i-re-arrange-your/)

[Buck-Stina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-stina/)

> [Honestly, I envy painters, who can have a masterpiece in one morning. Or musicians, who can write something in 30 minutes and arrange it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/honestly-i-envy-painters-who-can-have-a-masterpiece-in-one-morning-or/)

[Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/)

> [I arrange my subject as I want it, then I go ahead and paint it, like a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/i-arrange-my-subject-as-i-want-it-then-i-go-ahead-and-paint-it-like-a/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [Universe will re-arrange itself accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/universe-will-re-arrange-itself-accordingly/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [“And yet how simple it is: in one day, in one hour everything could be arranged at once! The chief thing is to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-yet-how-simple-it-is-in-one-day-in-one-hour-everything-could-be/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [I'm trying to arrange my life so I don't have to be present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-m-trying-to-arrange-my-life-so-i-don-t-have-to-be-present/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [In my day, when I was a young kid, army duty was compulsory in South Africa or you go to jail. I had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/in-my-day-when-i-was-a-young-kid-army-duty-was-compulsory-in-south/)

[Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/)

> [After that he turned to the question of invading England. Hitler said that during the previous year he could not afford to risk a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-student/after-that-he-turned-to-the-question-of-invading-england-hitler-said/)

[Kurt Student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-student/)

> [My first album didn't come out until I was 27, which in pop years is late, you know. But when it came time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/my-first-album-didn-t-come-out-until-i-was-27-which-in-pop-years-is/)

[Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/)

[Browse all 52 Arrange quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrange/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Ann Shaffer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically-i-hope-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrange"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically-i-hope-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_arrange_do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically_2785787.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Do you arrange your books alphabetically? (I hope not.)” — Mary Ann Shaffer",
                "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": "Mary Ann Shaffer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Do you arrange your books alphabetically?...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically-i-hope-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/do-you-arrange-your-books-alphabetically-i-hope-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```