--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [D]on't ever apologise to an author for…" description: "\"“[D]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your librar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/neil-gaiman-29_apologizing_d-on-t-ever-apologise-to-an-author-for-b_921361.jpg" --- # \[D\]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something… ![“[D]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologise to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/neil-gaiman-29_apologizing_d-on-t-ever-apologise-to-an-author-for-b_921361.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/neil-gaiman-29_apologizing_d-on-t-ever-apologise-to-an-author-for-b_921361.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/neil-gaiman-29_apologizing_d-on-t-ever-apologise-to-an-author-for-b_921361.jpg) > ““\[D\]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologise to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone. And that people who like things, tell other people. The most important thing is that people read ...”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading and sharing books spreads ideas; the act of buying or borrowing supports authors and community. **In simple terms:** Sharing books spreads ideas and supports authors. Key Takeaway Read and share books freely. Themes literature community sharing support access Mood enthusiastic reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal reading - book clubs - library use - friend lending - bookcrossing Key Concepts Copyright cultural diffusion economics Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing affect an author's livelihood? - What balance should exist between access and compensation? A Different Perspective Some authors may feel lost about free distribution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Borrowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowing/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Buying books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying-books/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Second hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-hand/) [Teens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teens/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“A bookshop is a peaceful sanctuary of silent voices waiting to heard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/a-bookshop-is-a-peaceful-sanctuary-of-silent-voices-waiting-to-heard/) [Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/) > [The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/the-buying-of-more-books-than-one-can-read-is-nothing-less-than-the/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [“I mention the library only as a last resort. I recommend buying your own books... They can be spiced with underlines, question marks, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-lomb/i-mention-the-library-only-as-a-last-resort-i-recommend-buying-your/) [Kató Lomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-lomb/) > [The revolution of ideas that will save us is a revolution of goodwill, of compassion, and of higher thinking. I believe that they outnumber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-revolution-of-ideas-that-will-save-us-is-a-revolution-of-goodwill/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Now, everyone is excited about food - cooking, growing, learning - watching it on TV, buying books, trying things at home. It's the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/now-everyone-is-excited-about-food-cooking-growing-learning-watching/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them; but as a rule the purchase of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/buying-books-would-be-a-good-thing-if-one-could-also-buy-the-time-to/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Jack shook his head. 'Books. What is it with women and books? My sisters were the same. They were always buying books for boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-osmond/jack-shook-his-head-books-what-is-it-with-women-and-books-my-sisters/) Hazel Osmond > [“What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!” “It ought to be good,” he replied, “it has been the work of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/what-a-delightful-library-you-have-at-pemberley-mr-darcy-it-ought-to/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“The more freely a librarian mingles with readers, and the greater the amount of assistance he renders them, the more intense does the conviction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-green/the-more-freely-a-librarian-mingles-with-readers-and-the-greater-the/) Samuel Green > [“buying books would be a good thing if we also could buy the time to read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/buying-books-would-be-a-good-thing-if-we-also-could-buy-the-time-to/) [arthur schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [With my adult books, for the first six weeks or so, it's about 60 percent ebooks in terms of sales. The kids' books, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/with-my-adult-books-for-the-first-six-weeks-or-so-it-s-about-60/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“She asked her parents to buy him the books she’d been read by her first teachers, Peter Rabbit and Frog and Toad. “What’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/she-asked-her-parents-to-buy-him-the-books-she-d-been-read-by-her/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [“Buying books in that 20 year period of my life in which the internet pervaded much of what I did, was quick and simple.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-boyle/buying-books-in-that-20-year-period-of-my-life-in-which-the-internet/) [Mark Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-boyle/) > [Buying clothes is as good as buying books, but the difference is that clothes make you beautiful form the outside and books make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/buying-clothes-is-as-good-as-buying-books-but-the-difference-is-that/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [... that when you're buying books, you're optimistically thinking you're buying the time to read them. (Paraphrase of Schopenhauer)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-when-you-re-buying-books-you-re-optimistically-thinking-you-re/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“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/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Apologise quotes > [I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-said-a-lot-of-things-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-that-i-shouldn-t/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Too Often We Dont Realize What We Have Until its Gone¦ We are too stubborn to say,sorry I was wrong. We Hurt The Ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swag-jagar/too-often-we-dont-realize-what-we-have-until-its-gone-we-are-too/) Swag Jagar > [Everybody is likely to make mistakes at times but it's important we learn from it, apologise, recognise where you've gone wrong and keep improving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-calvert-lewin/everybody-is-likely-to-make-mistakes-at-times-but-it-s-important-we/) [Dominic Calvert-Lewin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-calvert-lewin/) > [“If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologise!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-even-dream-of-beating-me-you-better-wake-up-and-apologise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/there-is-no-excuse-nor-should-there-be-any-tolerance-for-anyone-who/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [I tried to push him away with my head. I apologise to everyone. I should not have got involved in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/i-tried-to-push-him-away-with-my-head-i-apologise-to-everyone-i/) [Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/) > [Your apologies don't mean much to me any more. You apologise but you never change. It's a waste of time believing that you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/your-apologies-don-t-mean-much-to-me-any-more-you-apologise-but-you/) Unkown > [What I said Wasn't wise It wasn't even true I apologise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/what-i-said-wasn-t-wise-it-wasn-t-even-true-i-apologise/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [I am constantly accused of being 'First World.' So what should I do? I can't apologise for my environment, upbringing, aesthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-johar/i-am-constantly-accused-of-being-first-world-so-what-should-i-do-i/) [Karan Johar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-johar/) > [“The one thing you should never do to a woman, whether you make love to her or fuck her, is apologise straight after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/the-one-thing-you-should-never-do-to-a-woman-whether-you-make-love-to/) [Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/) > [When a man holds you round the throat, I don't think he has come to apologise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/when-a-man-holds-you-round-the-throat-i-don-t-think-he-has-come-to/) [Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/) > [“Never apologise for who you are or where you come from, those who love you will love you just the way you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-kanyera/never-apologise-for-who-you-are-or-where-you-come-from-those-who-love/) [Audrey Kanyera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-kanyera/) > [Anger starts from your foolishness and ends up when you apologise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubhi-sharma/anger-starts-from-your-foolishness-and-ends-up-when-you-apologise/) [Shubhi Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubhi-sharma/) > [“Most of the problems in life are because: We misunderstand people's intentions, We don't listen and jump to conclusions, Then we are too proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/most-of-the-problems-in-life-are-because-we-misunderstand-people-s/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [I'm very sorry to Mr. Gabas, to whom I apologised in person. Very sorry for letting my Davis Cup teammates down and for letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-shapovalov/i-m-very-sorry-to-mr-gabas-to-whom-i-apologised-in-person-very-sorry/) [Denis Shapovalov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-shapovalov/) Browse all 114 Apologise quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[D]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologise to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone. And that people who like things, tell other people. 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