--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do know great books help shape who I am…" description: "\"I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life.\" — Mat Kearney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png" --- # I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look… ![“I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life.” quote by Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png) > “I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life.” [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading shapes identity and worldview, influencing how we see life. **In simple terms:** Books affect who we become. Key Takeaway Read to grow your perspective. Themes education identity literature self‑development Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - choosing a career - personal growth - building empathy - writing a memoir Key Concepts psychology philosophy culture Questions to Reflect On - Which book changed your self‑view? - How can you apply lessons from reading? A Different Perspective Not all books have equal impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Great books help you understand, and they help you to feel understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/great-books-help-you-understand-and-they-help-you-to-feel-understood/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/the-books-that-help-you-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the-most/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Even in times when it's difficult to figure out, how do you go forward, art - and books - always help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/even-in-times-when-it-s-difficult-to-figure-out-how-do-you-go-forward/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I hope in my books I help children to see their strengths, and show them I have some idea of what they may occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bawden/i-hope-in-my-books-i-help-children-to-see-their-strengths-and-show/) [Nina Bawden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bawden/) > [I'm confused, and brilliant books help me to be less so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-m-confused-and-brilliant-books-help-me-to-be-less-so/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“At the moment, don't buy my books, help the people of Ukraine instead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/at-the-moment-don-t-buy-my-books-help-the-people-of-ukraine-instead/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Life is about the journey, the adventure. Books help you find your way, right or left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keahu-kahuanui/life-is-about-the-journey-the-adventure-books-help-you-find-your-way/) [Keahu Kahuanui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keahu-kahuanui/) > [“When friends stab you in the back, books can help it out”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-patches/when-friends-stab-you-in-the-back-books-can-help-it-out/) Olivia Patches > [That’s one of the things books do. They help us talk. But they also give us something we all can talk about when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/that-s-one-of-the-things-books-do-they-help-us-talk-but-they-also/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading; every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the-most/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-that-help-you-the-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Read for fun, read for information, read in order to understand yourself and other people with quite different ideas. Learn about the world beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/read-for-fun-read-for-information-read-in-order-to-understand/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Books always help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/books-always-help/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [“Books are enchanted. Books help me travel. Books help me breathe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/books-are-enchanted-books-help-me-travel-books-help-me-breathe/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Where do we go from here? Would books help us?" "Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/where-do-we-go-from-here-would-books-help-us-only-if-the-third/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Mat Kearney > [My dad was a scratch golfer growing up. When I'm on the road, I always bring my clubs with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/my-dad-was-a-scratch-golfer-growing-up-when-i-m-on-the-road-i-always/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [With 'City of Black & White,' I wanted a record that would make you feel good, that would sort of take you up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/with-city-of-black-white-i-wanted-a-record-that-would-make-you-feel/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [The first year I moved to Nashville, I started playing these songwriter nights with people like Nickel Creek, Duncan Sheik, and even Ryan Adams...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/the-first-year-i-moved-to-nashville-i-started-playing-these/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [When we tour, there's always this unique quality to every town you visit... Touring, you get a sense of a collective identity for different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/when-we-tour-there-s-always-this-unique-quality-to-every-town-you/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I meant what I said when I said until my dying day.I'm holding on to you, holding on to me.Maybe it's all gone black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-meant-what-i-said-when-i-said-until-my-dying-day-i-m-holding-on-to/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [God found me when I was at my lowest point. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/god-found-me-when-i-was-at-my-lowest-point-that-was-the-first-time-in/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [It's not the circumstances that determine who you're gonna be but how you deal with these problems and pains that come your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/it-s-not-the-circumstances-that-determine-who-you-re-gonna-be-but-how/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I'm really influenced by '90s hip hop. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were my heroes growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-m-really-influenced-by-90s-hip-hop-a-tribe-called-quest-and-de-la/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Well, I never made a record to be in the Christian market. So when I made my record it was to exist in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/well-i-never-made-a-record-to-be-in-the-christian-market-so-when-i/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I guess we're all one phone call from our knees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-guess-we-re-all-one-phone-call-from-our-knees/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I love creating moments that feel bigger than just like an artist on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-love-creating-moments-that-feel-bigger-than-just-like-an-artist-on/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Just because you've written a song doesn't mean that you have pulled through. There are definitely songs where I embodied someone else's pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/just-because-you-ve-written-a-song-doesn-t-mean-that-you-have-pulled/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [It's silly to throw things out or label things. You know, is U2 a Christian band, or was Johnny Cash a Christian country singer?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/it-s-silly-to-throw-things-out-or-label-things-you-know-is-u2-a/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Generally, the songs that are the scariest ones are the ones that people connect to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/generally-the-songs-that-are-the-scariest-ones-are-the-ones-that/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I never got too specialized but did like the Southern Gothic writers like William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-never-got-too-specialized-but-did-like-the-southern-gothic-writers/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) [Explore all 126 Mat Kearney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) ## 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": "I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mat Kearney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-am-and-how-i-look-at-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-am-and-how-i-look-at-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/mat-kearney-3612_books_i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-a_562586.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life.” — Mat Kearney", "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": "Mat Kearney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do know great books help...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-am-and-how-i-look-at-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-do-know-great-books-help-shape-who-i-am-and-how-i-look-at-life/#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 } } ] } ```