--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A book is a book is a book." description: "\"A book is a book is a book.\" — Maurice Sendak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg" --- # A book is a book is a book. ![“A book is a book is a book.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg) > “A book is a book is a book.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repetition emphasizes the essence of a book as a vessel for stories and imagination. **In simple terms:** A book is simply a book. Key Takeaway Appreciate the power of simplicity. Themes literature repetition essence Mood playful thoughtful Type children's literature philosophical When to use this quote - reading - teaching - creative writing Key Concepts minimalism storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What does this repetition reveal about perception? - How does simplicity affect understanding? A Different Perspective Redundancy can limit deeper insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [ I hate \[ebooks\]. It's like making believe there's another kind of sex. There isn't another kind of sex. There isn't another kind of book!… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-hate-ebooks-it-s-like-making-believe-there-s-another-kind-of-sex/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The dream book is always the next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-christe/the-dream-book-is-always-the-next-book/) [Ian Christe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-christe/) > [“This book is the book you have just read. It’s done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/this-book-is-the-book-you-have-just-read-it-s-done/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I did not go through the Book. The Book went through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-did-not-go-through-the-book-the-book-went-through-me/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [My first book was the book that changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/my-first-book-was-the-book-that-changed-my-life/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [“Every reader his or her book. Every book its reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-reader-his-or-her-book-every-book-its-reader/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A general cry of "What book? What book? Let us see this famous book!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/a-general-cry-of-what-book-what-book-let-us-see-this-famous-book/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [A dollar put into a book and a book mastered might change the whole course of a boy's life. It might easily be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/a-dollar-put-into-a-book-and-a-book-mastered-might-change-the-whole/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Read a book and book yourself into another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/read-a-book-and-book-yourself-into-another-world/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [“Al-Qur'an is not a book of S C I E N C E but a book of S I G N S”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/al-qur-an-is-not-a-book-of-s-c-i-e-n-c-e-but-a-book-of-s-i-g-n-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“i have read a couple of children's book. But this book is amazing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-read-a-couple-of-children-s-book-but-this-book-is-amazing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/all-the-world-knows-me-in-my-book-and-my-book-in-me/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [We have preserved the Book, and the Book has preserved us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-have-preserved-the-book-and-the-book-has-preserved-us/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## 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. 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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. 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. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A book is a book is a book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maurice Sendak" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/maurice-sendak-1273_book_a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book-2811451_2811451.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A book is a book is a book.” — Maurice Sendak", "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": "Maurice Sendak", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A book is a book is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/a-book-is-a-book-is-a-book/#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 } } ] } ```