---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went to the library and began to read…"
description: "\"I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was life-changing. I read Go Tell It on the Mountain first,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg"
---

#  I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my…

![“I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was life-changing. I read Go Tell It on the Mountain first, and that was hugely impactful.” quote by Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg)

> “I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was life-changing. I read Go Tell It on the Mountain first, and that was hugely impactful.”

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

## About This Quote

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

Describes personal discovery of James Baldwin’s work and its profound impact on his worldview.

**In simple terms:** Reading Baldwin changed his life.

Key Takeaway

Explore diverse authors for personal growth.

Themes

literature personal growth cultural awareness identity education

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- college courses
- self‑study
- public talks

Key Concepts

author influence self‑education transformative reading

Questions to Reflect On

- Which author has reshaped your perspective?
- How does reading diverse voices affect empathy?

A Different Perspective

Impact may vary based on prior exposure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baldwin Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baldwin-life-2799558/) [Began Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-read-516791/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james-baldwin/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Life changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-changing/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Read Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-stuff-576235/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Went Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-library-788092/)

## Related quotes

> ['Beasts of No Nation' began when I read an article about child soldiers in Sierra Leone during my final year of high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/beasts-of-no-nation-began-when-i-read-an-article-about-child-soldiers/)

[Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/)

> [In 1965, when I was fourteen, I read my first adult novel; it was a historical novel about Katherine of Aragon, and I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-weir/in-1965-when-i-was-fourteen-i-read-my-first-adult-novel-it-was-a/)

[Alison Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-weir/)

> [I was an atheist, I was open-minded, and I began to read in that direction, in the direction of Islam, and everything that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-was-an-atheist-i-was-open-minded-and-i-began-to-read-in-that/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [“Eventually, in an attempt to avoid his nightmares, he began to read, late at night, which was when his motionless body felt most restless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eventually-in-an-attempt-to-avoid-his-nightmares-he-began-to-read/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I first began to read religious books at school, and especially the Bible, when I was eleven years old; and almost immediately commenced a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-first-began-to-read-religious-books-at-school-and-especially-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“After I consumed Frost in his entirety, my days of exploration began. I read The Diving Comedy while leafing through E. E. Cummings. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-gordon/after-i-consumed-frost-in-his-entirety-my-days-of-exploration-began-i/)

[Spencer Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-gordon/)

> [“She picked up the book she was reading, Beyond the Ice Limit, found her dog-eared place at the beginning of chapter six, and began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/she-picked-up-the-book-she-was-reading-beyond-the-ice-limit-found-her/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

> [“The start of a new novel carried with it a sense of occasion, and the alphabets in Luna’s mind started to shuffle their letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/the-start-of-a-new-novel-carried-with-it-a-sense-of-occasion-and-the/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [Klaus sighed, and opened a book, and as at so many other times when the middle Baudelaire child did not want to think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/klaus-sighed-and-opened-a-book-and-as-at-so-many-other-times-when-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“He began to read at haphazard. He entered upon each system with a little thrill of excitement, expecting to find in each some guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-began-to-read-at-haphazard-he-entered-upon-each-system-with-a/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“She found the page, cleared her throat and began to read, " 'There was nary a doubt that I had ever seen such big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/she-found-the-page-cleared-her-throat-and-began-to-read-there-was/)

[Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/)

> [“Bastian looked at the book. 'I wonder,' he said to himself, 'what's in a book while it's closed. Oh, I know it's full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/bastian-looked-at-the-book-i-wonder-he-said-to-himself-what-s-in-a/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“once i began to read I began to exist”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/once-i-began-to-read-i-began-to-exist/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

> [“It came upon me little by little. I came to like the life here, with its ease and its leisure, and the people, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-came-upon-me-little-by-little-i-came-to-like-the-life-here-with/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [When I began to read, I began to exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/when-i-began-to-read-i-began-to-exist/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

## More by Michael Eric Dyson

> [Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/jeremiah-wright-is-one-of-the-greatest-prophetic-preachers-that-black/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I went to school four years later than most people because I was a teen father, hustled on the streets, worked, lived on welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-school-four-years-later-than-most-people-because-i-was-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [It is true that race is a social fiction, a myth perpetuated by a variety of peoples throughout the modern period, especially, to further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/it-is-true-that-race-is-a-social-fiction-a-myth-perpetuated-by-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ I've written a lot of other books and this book \[Tears we cannot stop\] was different. I couldn't just say what I wanted to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-ve-written-a-lot-of-other-books-and-this-book-tears-we-cannot-stop/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“And there is a paradox that many of you refuse to see: to get to a point where race won’t make a difference, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/and-there-is-a-paradox-that-many-of-you-refuse-to-see-to-get-to-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I believe in a God of a second chance and a God of love and mercy, because I need so much more of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-believe-in-a-god-of-a-second-chance-and-a-god-of-love-and-mercy/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I was very struck when Min. Farrakhan said if Jesus and Muhammad were here today, they'd be embracing each other. That's a tremendous message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-was-very-struck-when-min-farrakhan-said-if-jesus-and-muhammad-were/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“O! save us, we pray thee, thou God of Heaven and of earth, from the devouring hands of the white Christians!!! . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/o-save-us-we-pray-thee-thou-god-of-heaven-and-of-earth-from-the/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [We can't exempt ourselves from the same moral calculus that we are willing to apply to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/we-can-t-exempt-ourselves-from-the-same-moral-calculus-that-we-are/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [New Orleans invented the brown paper bag party - usually at a gathering in a home - where anyone darker than the bag attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/new-orleans-invented-the-brown-paper-bag-party-usually-at-a-gathering/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“Whiteness is an advantage and privilege because you have made it so, not because the universe demands it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/whiteness-is-an-advantage-and-privilege-because-you-have-made-it-so/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

[Explore all 242 Michael Eric Dyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was life-changing. I read Go Tell It on the Mountain first, and that was hugely impactful.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Eric Dyson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read-some-stuff-on-my-own-my/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read-some-stuff-on-my-own-my/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/michael-eric-dyson-1424_books_i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read_1900317.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I went to the library and began to read some stuff on my own. My discovery of James Baldwin was…” — Michael Eric Dyson",
                "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 Eric Dyson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I went to the library and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read-some-stuff-on-my-own-my/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-the-library-and-began-to-read-some-stuff-on-my-own-my/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
