--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It strikes me that people want to be…" description: "\"It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are much more likely to be looking for explana..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png" --- # It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that… ![“It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are much more likely to be looking for explanation than for escapism.” quote by Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png) > “It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are much more likely to be looking for explanation than for escapism.” [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People seek meaning in books during crises, preferring explanation over escape. **In simple terms:** Crises drive readers to look for answers. Key Takeaway Seek depth when choosing books. Themes crisis reading meaning escapism Mood contemplative empathetic inquisitive Type observational analytical When to use this quote - personal crisis - economic downturn - pandemic - career change Key Concepts Psychology of reading information seeking Questions to Reflect On - Why do you turn to books in tough times? - What kind of explanation do you look for? A Different Perspective Not all seek explanation; some need relief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bookstore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookstore/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Crisis Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis-likely-512041/) [Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged/) [Engaged Bookstore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged-bookstore-4028693/) [Escapism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escapism/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [Explanation Escapism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation-escapism-4028692/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likely/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-want/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without-reforming-it-washington-has/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/the-current-financial-crisis-in-the-us-is-likely-to-be-judged-in/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“Escapism sold books, to be sure, but not nearly as many as were sold by exposing America’s flaws and making the average American reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/escapism-sold-books-to-be-sure-but-not-nearly-as-many-as-were-sold-by/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [“The bookstore was a wreck. That much hadn't been a dream. I began to stand and stopped, realizing there was a sheet of paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/the-bookstore-was-a-wreck-that-much-hadn-t-been-a-dream-i-began-to/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“... Bookstore, which smelled the way only a new book from England does when you open it for the first time, faintly like nutmeg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-beuchner/bookstore-which-smelled-the-way-only-a-new-book-from-england-does/) [Frederick Beuchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-beuchner/) > [Fantasy novels, I don't really gravitate to that part of the bookstore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/fantasy-novels-i-don-t-really-gravitate-to-that-part-of-the-bookstore/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I first got really interested in Noh in about 1977. There was an independent bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana where I was going to high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-first-got-really-interested-in-noh-in-about-1977-there-was-an/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [If Im in the bookstore, and I see a 700-page novel, my first thought is, Ooh, how could you cut this down to size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/if-im-in-the-bookstore-and-i-see-a-700-page-novel-my-first-thought-is/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [“November, a dark, rainy Tuesday afternoon. This is my ideal time to be in a bookstore. The shortened light of the afternoon and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/november-a-dark-rainy-tuesday-afternoon-this-is-my-ideal-time-to-be/) [Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/) > [I am a big advocate of the role of the bookstore in the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/i-am-a-big-advocate-of-the-role-of-the-bookstore-in-the-community/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [“A place ain’t a place without a bookstore,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/a-place-ain-t-a-place-without-a-bookstore/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“Yes, we know you are a graduate with PhD. But when was the last time you chase after a book shop to buy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/yes-we-know-you-are-a-graduate-with-phd-but-when-was-the-last-time/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [My main interest was finding boyfriends. I'd park myself in the bookstore and read with one eye on everyone coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/my-main-interest-was-finding-boyfriends-i-d-park-myself-in-the/) [Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/) > [I'm an inveterate bookstore wanderer. I read constantly, so I love a good bookstore. I can't help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-m-an-inveterate-bookstore-wanderer-i-read-constantly-so-i-love-a/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [Books look handsome and it's a real singular experience getting to go to a bookstore. I don't want to not do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-goldsmith/books-look-handsome-and-it-s-a-real-singular-experience-getting-to-go/) [Taylor Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-goldsmith/) ## More by Michael Korda > [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [In 'Gran Torino,' Eastwood moves towards the climax of the movie not by staging a shoot-out, but by putting his weapons to one side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/in-gran-torino-eastwood-moves-towards-the-climax-of-the-movie-not-by/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Some people are so famous that the legends about them and the cultural aftermath of their life altogether obscure the real human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/some-people-are-so-famous-that-the-legends-about-them-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [The advice I would offer to any writer is that even when you think you have revised your book to the point where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-advice-i-would-offer-to-any-writer-is-that-even-when-you-think/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Citizens of Rome might boast that the claim of 'Civus romanus sum' set them apart from barbarians and slaves, and it was true up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/citizens-of-rome-might-boast-that-the-claim-of-civus-romanus-sum-set/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Concentration is the magic key that opens the door to accomplishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/concentration-is-the-magic-key-that-opens-the-door-to-accomplishment/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Luck can often mean simply taking advantage of a situation at the right moment. It is possible to make your luck by being always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/luck-can-often-mean-simply-taking-advantage-of-a-situation-at-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Nothing is more difficult than to recreate in all its complexity than a distant age, and not only to get it right but make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/nothing-is-more-difficult-than-to-recreate-in-all-its-complexity-than/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [The American system demands success, and in order to succeed we must first believe that we can. Yet our society, with its intolerance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-american-system-demands-success-and-in-order-to-succeed-we-must/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [In my experience, with very few exceptions - I am, as it happens, one of the exceptions - the one thing that most editors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/in-my-experience-with-very-few-exceptions-i-am-as-it-happens-one-of/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [We British and Americans have never been conquered and occupied by the Germans, or forced to make the choice between defiance and collaboration, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/we-british-and-americans-have-never-been-conquered-and-occupied-by/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Ronald Reagan had a kind of shallow movie-star charisma - a combination of makeup and the skill of a good actor - but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/ronald-reagan-had-a-kind-of-shallow-movie-star-charisma-a-combination/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [An ounce of hypocrisy is worth a pound of ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/an-ounce-of-hypocrisy-is-worth-a-pound-of-ambition/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [The men who died at D-Day did not die shoulder-to-shoulder with their French comrades. They died to liberate the French from a sinister and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-men-who-died-at-d-day-did-not-die-shoulder-to-shoulder-with-their/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/one-way-to-keep-momentum-going-is-to-have-constantly-greater-goals/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) [Explore all 145 Michael Korda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) ## More Bookstore quotes > [Books look handsome and it's a real singular experience getting to go to a bookstore. I don't want to not do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-goldsmith/books-look-handsome-and-it-s-a-real-singular-experience-getting-to-go/) [Taylor Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-goldsmith/) > [I'm an inveterate bookstore wanderer. I read constantly, so I love a good bookstore. I can't help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-m-an-inveterate-bookstore-wanderer-i-read-constantly-so-i-love-a/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [My main interest was finding boyfriends. I'd park myself in the bookstore and read with one eye on everyone coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/my-main-interest-was-finding-boyfriends-i-d-park-myself-in-the/) [Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/) > [“Yes, we know you are a graduate with PhD. But when was the last time you chase after a book shop to buy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/yes-we-know-you-are-a-graduate-with-phd-but-when-was-the-last-time/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“A place ain’t a place without a bookstore,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/a-place-ain-t-a-place-without-a-bookstore/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I am a big advocate of the role of the bookstore in the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/i-am-a-big-advocate-of-the-role-of-the-bookstore-in-the-community/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [“November, a dark, rainy Tuesday afternoon. This is my ideal time to be in a bookstore. The shortened light of the afternoon and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/november-a-dark-rainy-tuesday-afternoon-this-is-my-ideal-time-to-be/) [Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/) > [If Im in the bookstore, and I see a 700-page novel, my first thought is, Ooh, how could you cut this down to size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/if-im-in-the-bookstore-and-i-see-a-700-page-novel-my-first-thought-is/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I first got really interested in Noh in about 1977. There was an independent bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana where I was going to high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-first-got-really-interested-in-noh-in-about-1977-there-was-an/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [Fantasy novels, I don't really gravitate to that part of the bookstore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/fantasy-novels-i-don-t-really-gravitate-to-that-part-of-the-bookstore/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [“... Bookstore, which smelled the way only a new book from England does when you open it for the first time, faintly like nutmeg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-beuchner/bookstore-which-smelled-the-way-only-a-new-book-from-england-does/) [Frederick Beuchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-beuchner/) > [“The bookstore was a wreck. That much hadn't been a dream. I began to stand and stopped, realizing there was a sheet of paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/the-bookstore-was-a-wreck-that-much-hadn-t-been-a-dream-i-began-to/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Just as we were finishing 'Paul's Boutique' we got our own places, and I was going out to clubs a lot less. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yauch/just-as-we-were-finishing-paul-s-boutique-we-got-our-own-places-and-i/) [Adam Yauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-yauch/) > [The only bookstore I had was the paperback rack at the drugstore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-only-bookstore-i-had-was-the-paperback-rack-at-the-drugstore/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [I think that every book that's in a bookstore should entertain in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-think-that-every-book-that-s-in-a-bookstore-should-entertain-in/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) [Browse all 163 Bookstore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookstore/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are much more likely to be looking for explanation than for escapism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Korda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-engaged-and-that-those-who-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bookstore" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-engaged-and-that-those-who-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-korda-2925_bookstore_it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-eng_2075663.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are…” — Michael Korda", "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 Korda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It strikes me that people want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-engaged-and-that-those-who-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-engaged-and-that-those-who-go/#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 } } ] } ```