--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes the very best of all summer…" description: "\"Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg" --- # Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank… ![“Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or the hot lifeguard on the beach or the vista down the hill from your cabin.” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg) > “Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or the hot lifeguard on the beach or the vista down the hill from your cabin.” [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author suggests that a blank notebook can be the most valuable summer book, inviting creative sketches of everyday scenes. **In simple terms:** A blank notebook lets you capture summer moments creatively. Key Takeaway Carry a notebook for spontaneous art. Themes creativity summer writing Mood inspired reflective Type motivational creative When to use this quote - vacation - camping - beach outings - personal reflection Key Concepts journaling visual art Questions to Reflect On - What will you sketch today? - How does a notebook change your summer experience? A Different Perspective Blank pages may feel intimidating to some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Blank Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-notebook-4807702/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Practice Sketching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-sketching-4807700/) [Sketching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketching/) [Sketching Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketching-lemon-4807699/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-book-217314/) [Summer Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-books-4807701/) ## Related quotes > [“In the summer you could take out ten books at a time, instead of three, and keep them a month, instead of two weeks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eager/in-the-summer-you-could-take-out-ten-books-at-a-time-instead-of-three/) [Edward Eager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eager/) > [The Summer Book is beautiful and warm, with the kind of wisdom we can adapt to our everyday lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/the-summer-book-is-beautiful-and-warm-with-the-kind-of-wisdom-we-can/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [In terms of how the music developed, it was my normal process, which I would say is really a hybrid process of sketching on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-richter/in-terms-of-how-the-music-developed-it-was-my-normal-process-which-i/) [Max Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-richter/) > [“The Sonnets to Orpheus, Part Two, XII Want the change. Be inspired by the flame where everything shines as it disappears. The artist, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rilke/the-sonnets-to-orpheus-part-two-xii-want-the-change-be-inspired-by/) [Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rilke/) > [My mom is a great artist and she inspired me when I was young to sketch and draw, but I never took it seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/my-mom-is-a-great-artist-and-she-inspired-me-when-i-was-young-to/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [When I was a child of four I wasn't really drawing like a child, I wasn't sketching as a child. I would sketch and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arman/when-i-was-a-child-of-four-i-wasn-t-really-drawing-like-a-child-i/) [Arman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arman/) > [I would love to have my own fashion line because I love sketching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-g/i-would-love-to-have-my-own-fashion-line-because-i-love-sketching/) [Becky G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-g/) > [In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/in-drawing-nothing-is-better-than-the-first-attempt/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [When I was thinking about what we could do in terms of what production values of Broadway might be able to add to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-timbers/when-i-was-thinking-about-what-we-could-do-in-terms-of-what/) [Alex Timbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-timbers/) > [I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-franck/i-have-learned-that-what-i-have-not-drawn-i-have-never-really-seen/) [Frederick Franck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-franck/) > [I've been designing since I was 8. I started sketching dresses I could wear when skating. I was always involved in all aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-wang/i-ve-been-designing-since-i-was-8-i-started-sketching-dresses-i-could/) [Vera Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-wang/) > [Tolkien is as good as Dickens at sketching a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/tolkien-is-as-good-as-dickens-at-sketching-a-scene/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [With pencil there is a tendency to be timid, either using very faint lines or erasing bad lines... Line sketching tends to emphasize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/with-pencil-there-is-a-tendency-to-be-timid-either-using-very-faint/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I became interested in photography when I was sharing a studio with Walker Evans, and found my own sketching was inadequate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shahn/i-became-interested-in-photography-when-i-was-sharing-a-studio-with/) [Ben Shahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shahn/) ## More by Michael Dirda > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I sometimes lie awake at night and try to imagine what would be the best period in history to spend one's seventy-odd years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-sometimes-lie-awake-at-night-and-try-to-imagine-what-would-be-the/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [To my mind, 'Dear Brutus' stands halfway between Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 'Into the Woods'. Like them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/to-my-mind-dear-brutus-stands-halfway-between-shakespeare-s-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [The goal of a just society should be to provide satisfying work with a living wage to all its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/the-goal-of-a-just-society-should-be-to-provide-satisfying-work-with/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Most lyric poetry is about love, whether yearned after, fulfilled, or wistfully regretted; what isn't tends to consist of laments and cris du coeur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/most-lyric-poetry-is-about-love-whether-yearned-after-fulfilled-or/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [“Books, by their very nature and variety, help us grow in empathy for others, in tolerance and awareness. But they should increase our skepticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/books-by-their-very-nature-and-variety-help-us-grow-in-empathy-for/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My gift, if that's not too grandiose a term, is one for describing novels, biographies, and works of history in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-gift-if-that-s-not-too-grandiose-a-term-is-one-for-describing/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Once we know the plot and its surprises, we can appreciate a book's artistry without the usual confusion and sap flow of emotion, content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/once-we-know-the-plot-and-its-surprises-we-can-appreciate-a-book-s/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My wife tells me I should check out 'Downton Abbey', but I gather that series might be almost too intense for my temperate nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-wife-tells-me-i-should-check-out-downton-abbey-but-i-gather-that/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [A reviewer's lot is not always an easy one. I can remember flogging myself to finish Harold Brodkey's 'The Runaway Soul' despite the novel's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/a-reviewer-s-lot-is-not-always-an-easy-one-i-can-remember-flogging/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I once read that in vaudeville, it was often the straight guy who got paid more than the comic because that's the tougher job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-once-read-that-in-vaudeville-it-was-often-the-straight-guy-who-got/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the December issue of almost any general-interest magazine regularly featured a holiday horror or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/from-the-late-19th-to-the-early-20th-century-the-december-issue-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Neither my mom nor my dad ever bought me any comic books. Certainly not for Christmas. I suspect that doing so would have violated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/neither-my-mom-nor-my-dad-ever-bought-me-any-comic-books-certainly/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [For me, the two weeks between Christmas and Twelfth Night have come to be reserved for desultory reading. The pressure of the holiday is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/for-me-the-two-weeks-between-christmas-and-twelfth-night-have-come-to/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I've always liked an easygoing, colloquial style. I like the kind of reviewer who is essentially a fellow reader, an enthusiast, a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-ve-always-liked-an-easygoing-colloquial-style-i-like-the-kind-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) [Explore all 131 Michael Dirda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## More Beach quotes > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/) [Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) > [I've said many times before that Pebble Beach is a wonderful thinking-man's golf course. That is why it is such a great U.S. Open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-ve-said-many-times-before-that-pebble-beach-is-a-wonderful-thinking/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Here about the beach I wandered, nourishing a youth sublime With the fairy tales of science, and the long result of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/here-about-the-beach-i-wandered-nourishing-a-youth-sublime-with-the/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I love going to the beach and just sitting and watching the sunset by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayshia-adams/i-love-going-to-the-beach-and-just-sitting-and-watching-the-sunset-by/) [Tayshia Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayshia-adams/) > [Carolina beach music," Dupree said, coming up on the porch. "The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [I like trekking and staying in tents, meeting new people and eating good food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripti-dimri/i-like-trekking-and-staying-in-tents-meeting-new-people-and-eating/) [Tripti Dimri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripti-dimri/) > [The biggest part of painting perhaps is faith, and waiting receptively, content to go any way, not planning or forcing. The fear, though, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/the-biggest-part-of-painting-perhaps-is-faith-and-waiting-receptively/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [If I'm on holiday, I'm active on the beach, I play tennis, I run, I swim a lot. It's just about making the workouts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-swanepoel/if-i-m-on-holiday-i-m-active-on-the-beach-i-play-tennis-i-run-i-swim/) [Candice Swanepoel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-swanepoel/) > [The holy grail is right here in this gem of a book. Tosha Silver’s wisdom goes down as easy as a mint milkshake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-holy-grail-is-right-here-in-this-gem-of-a-book-tosha-silver-s/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [Couples without kids have each other, their friends, families, and Siri to talk to. It's not like they're quarantining themselves in an underground bunker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/couples-without-kids-have-each-other-their-friends-families-and-siri/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [They had me doing Beach Boys remakes and all that. I was basically a marionette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-garrett/they-had-me-doing-beach-boys-remakes-and-all-that-i-was-basically-a/) [Leif Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-garrett/) > [When did an old white guy yelling at me, telling me what to think become news? What gives him the right to tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/when-did-an-old-white-guy-yelling-at-me-telling-me-what-to-think/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [Yes, there was one thing that I missed not being able to do - walk on a beach. I've always had this romantic image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/yes-there-was-one-thing-that-i-missed-not-being-able-to-do-walk-on-a/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) [Browse all 2,185 Beach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or the hot lifeguard on the beach or the vista down the hill from your cabin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Dirda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-books-is-a-blank-notebook-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-books-is-a-blank-notebook-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/michael-dirda-3414_beach_sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-bo_586229.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice…” — Michael Dirda", "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": "Michael Dirda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes the very best of all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-books-is-a-blank-notebook-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/sometimes-the-very-best-of-all-summer-books-is-a-blank-notebook-get/#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 } } ] } ```