--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The librarian must be the librarian…" description: "\"The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can be the librarian triumphant.\" — Melvil Dewey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg" --- # The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can… ![“The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can be the librarian triumphant.” quote by Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg) > “The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can be the librarian triumphant.” [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A librarian must first be disciplined and assertive before achieving success. **In simple terms:** Discipline precedes triumph. Key Takeaway Cultivate rigor first. Themes discipline leadership success Mood analytical motivational Type professional inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - team management - project execution Key Concepts library science personal development Questions to Reflect On - What does “militant” mean to you in a professional context? - How can you balance firmness with empathy? A Different Perspective Authority without foundation can fail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Librarian Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian-librarian-1979604/) [Librarian Militant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian-militant-6059703/) [Librarian Triumphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian-triumphant-6059704/) [Militant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/militant/) [Militant Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/militant-librarian-6059702/) [Triumphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumphant/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Ingrid dresses more like a librarian than any librarian in the history of libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/ingrid-dresses-more-like-a-librarian-than-any-librarian-in-the/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [“I was just turned last week. I'm a librarian." He stilled, as if I'd just told him I was the inventor of the tube…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-was-just-turned-last-week-i-m-a-librarian-he-stilled-as-if-i-d-just/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) > [The adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament is the end of the Church Militant, just as adoration of God in His glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-julian-eymard/the-adoration-of-jesus-in-the-most-blessed-sacrament-is-the-end-of/) [Peter Julian Eymard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-julian-eymard/) > [The Kingdom of grace is nothing but… the beginning of the Kingdom of glory; the Kingdom of grace is glory in the seed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/the-kingdom-of-grace-is-nothing-but-the-beginning-of-the-kingdom-of/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [Has God no living church? 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White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Between complete socialism and communism there is no difference whatever in my mind.Communism is in fact the completion of socialism; when that ceases to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/between-complete-socialism-and-communism-there-is-no-difference/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Grace and glory differ very little; the one is the seed, the other is the flower; grace is glory militant, glory is grace triumphant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/grace-and-glory-differ-very-little-the-one-is-the-seed-the-other-is/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [Any negro who occupies a position that was given to him by the white man, if you analyze his function, his function never enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-negro-who-occupies-a-position-that-was-given-to-him-by-the-white/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [There are plenty of people who don't want change - the Labour Party, some of their militant trade union friends like Unite busy causing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-are-plenty-of-people-who-don-t-want-change-the-labour-party/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [I’m an atheist, and a militant atheist when religion starts impacting on legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-m-an-atheist-and-a-militant-atheist-when-religion-starts-impacting/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) ## More by Melvil Dewey > [The eternal conflict of good and the best with bad and the worst is on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-eternal-conflict-of-good-and-the-best-with-bad-and-the-worst-is-on/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [To my thinking, a great librarian must have a clear head, a strong hand, and, above all, a great heart. And when I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/to-my-thinking-a-great-librarian-must-have-a-clear-head-a-strong-hand/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [Our great function is to inform or to inspire, or to please; to give to the public in the quickest and cheapest way information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/our-great-function-is-to-inform-or-to-inspire-or-to-please-to-give-to/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [The time was when a library was very like a museum and the librarian a mouser among dusty books. The time is when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-time-was-when-a-library-was-very-like-a-museum-and-the-librarian/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [A library's function is to give the public in the quickest and cheapest way: information, inspiration, and recreation. If a better way than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/a-library-s-function-is-to-give-the-public-in-the-quickest-and/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [Women can endure pain with fortitude, and they can perform monotonous tasks with patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/women-can-endure-pain-with-fortitude-and-they-can-perform-monotonous/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) > [Reading is a mighty engine, beside which steam and electricity sink into insignificance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/reading-is-a-mighty-engine-beside-which-steam-and-electricity-sink/) [Melvil Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) [Explore all 8 Melvil Dewey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/) ## More Librarian quotes > [In general, librarians enjoyed special requests. A reference librarian is someone who likes the chase. When librarians read for pleasure, they often pick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-general-librarians-enjoyed-special-requests-a-reference-librarian/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“She'd always been a little excitable, a little more passionate about books than your average person, but she was supposed to be -- she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/she-d-always-been-a-little-excitable-a-little-more-passionate-about/) [Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/) > [The role of a librarian is to make sense of the world of information. If that's not a qualification for superhero-dom, what is?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/the-role-of-a-librarian-is-to-make-sense-of-the-world-of-information/) [Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/) > [You can take the girl out of the library, but you can’t take the neurotic, compulsively curious librarian out of the girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/you-can-take-the-girl-out-of-the-library-but-you-can-t-take-the/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) > [“The Burgess sisters arrive together. Tara and Lainie do a little bit of everything. Sometimes dancers, sometimes actresses. 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Don’t let anyone tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-callaghan/the-librarian-a-tiny-blonde-twenty-something-in-a-riot-grrrl-t-shirt/) [Helen Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-callaghan/) > [Smiling back at her, it occurs to me that I've never met a mean librarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/smiling-back-at-her-it-occurs-to-me-that-i-ve-never-met-a-mean/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [I learned to read from Mrs. Augusta Baker, the children's librarian. ... If that was the only good deed that lady ever did in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-learned-to-read-from-mrs-augusta-baker-the-children-s-librarian-if/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Libraries are where it all begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/libraries-are-where-it-all-begins/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture, and our concern for the future,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-think-the-health-of-our-civilization-the-depth-of-our-awareness/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If Donald Trump and the Wicked Witch of the West had a kid, it would be Jayne-Anne. She looks like a librarian with some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/if-donald-trump-and-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-had-a-kid-it-would/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [Librarians lend people books from the library. The best librarians are children's book librarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-scarry/librarians-lend-people-books-from-the-library-the-best-librarians-are/) [Richard Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-scarry/) > [I am proud of what I am. I am a librarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-am-proud-of-what-i-am-i-am-a-librarian/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [Children's books are written for upbringing...but upbringing is a great thing; it decides the fate of the human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vissarion-belinsky/children-s-books-are-written-for-upbringing-but-upbringing-is-a-great/) [Vissarion Belinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vissarion-belinsky/) [Browse all 506 Librarian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can be the librarian triumphant.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Melvil Dewey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-militant-before-he-can-be-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Librarian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-militant-before-he-can-be-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bab/melvil-dewey-46046_librarian_the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-mili_788217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The librarian must be the librarian militant before he can be the librarian triumphant.” — Melvil Dewey", "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": "Melvil Dewey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvil-dewey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The librarian must be the librarian...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-militant-before-he-can-be-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvil-dewey/the-librarian-must-be-the-librarian-militant-before-he-can-be-the/#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 } } ] } ```