--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see libraries and librarians as…" description: "\"I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg" --- # I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in… ![“I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg) > “I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.” [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. Libraries are vital defenders against ignorance and lack of creativity, acting as frontline soldiers in the fight for literacy and imagination. **In simple terms:** Libraries fight ignorance and spark imagination. Key Takeaway Support and champion libraries. Themes education literacy imagination community advocacy Mood inspired determined Type advocational motivational When to use this quote - school programs - community events - policy advocacy - fundraising campaigns Key Concepts social impact public good civic duty Questions to Reflect On - How can we better fund libraries? - What role can individuals play in supporting them? A Different Perspective Limited funding can hinder their frontline role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Illiteracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiteracy/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians/) [Libraries and librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries-and-librarians/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I want to wage war against illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, unfair competition, communitarianism, delinquency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-sarkozy/i-want-to-wage-war-against-illiteracy-poverty-unemployment-unfair/) [Nicolas Sarkozy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-sarkozy/) > [Librarians have always been among the most thoughtful and helpful people. They are teachers without a classroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/librarians-have-always-been-among-the-most-thoughtful-and-helpful-2/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [I have always had a special affinity for libraries and librarians, for the most obvious reasons. I love books. (One of my first Jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/i-have-always-had-a-special-affinity-for-libraries-and-librarians-for/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [Libraries have always seemed like the richest places in the world to me, and I?ve done some of my best learning and thinking thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/libraries-have-always-seemed-like-the-richest-places-in-the-world-to/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [Librarians are tour-guides for all of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/librarians-are-tour-guides-for-all-of-knowledge/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/google-can-bring-you-back-100-000-answers-a-librarian-can-bring-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Libraries are our friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/libraries-are-our-friends/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Most people don't realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the peace and prosperity of a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/most-people-don-t-realize-how-important-librarians-are-i-ran-across-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Rule number one: Don't fuck with librarians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/rule-number-one-don-t-fuck-with-librarians/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Librarians are the coolest people out there doing the hardest job out there on the frontlines. And every time I get to encounter or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/librarians-are-the-coolest-people-out-there-doing-the-hardest-job-out/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Libraries should be open to all - except the censor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/libraries-should-be-open-to-all-except-the-censor/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Books are the quietest and most constant of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-william-eliot/books-are-the-quietest-and-most-constant-of-friends/) [Charles William Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-william-eliot/) > [If information is the currency of democracy, then libraries are its banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-h-ford/if-information-is-the-currency-of-democracy-then-libraries-are-its/) Wendell H. Ford > [My alma mater was books, a good library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/my-alma-mater-was-books-a-good-library/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [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/) ## 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 Illiteracy quotes > [Our real illiteracy is our inability to create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedensreich-hundertwasser/our-real-illiteracy-is-our-inability-to-create/) [Friedensreich Hundertwasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedensreich-hundertwasser/) > [Illiteracy does not impede the practice of democracy, as witnessed by the success of democracy in India despite the high illiteracy rate. One doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaa-al-aswany/illiteracy-does-not-impede-the-practice-of-democracy-as-witnessed-by/) [Alaa Al Aswany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaa-al-aswany/) > [We live in a world in which we are able to communicate very quickly in many different ways, and yet we find communicating more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-we-are-able-to-communicate-very-quickly/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [Ignorance and illiteracy are obviously not synonymous; even illiterate masses can cast their ballots with intelligence, once they are informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-orville-douglas/ignorance-and-illiteracy-are-obviously-not-synonymous-even-illiterate/) William Orville Douglas > [Immigration along with nonwhite birthrates will make white people a minority totally vulnerable to the political, social, and economic will of blacks, Mexicans, Puerto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/immigration-along-with-nonwhite-birthrates-will-make-white-people-a/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [Hatred, intolerance, poor hygienic conditions and violence all have roots in illiteracy, so we're trying to do something to help the poor and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-qadeer-khan/hatred-intolerance-poor-hygienic-conditions-and-violence-all-have/) [Abdul Qadeer Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-qadeer-khan/) > [“Any philosopher, any international economist may talk to me about the methods I have introduced and the thoughts behind them. Illiteracy is a disability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-sattar-edhi/any-philosopher-any-international-economist-may-talk-to-me-about-the/) [Abdul Sattar Edhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-sattar-edhi/) > [The brown toxic cloud strangling Los Angeles never lifts and grows thicker with every immigrant added. One can't help appreciate the streets of Paris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frosty-wooldridge/the-brown-toxic-cloud-strangling-los-angeles-never-lifts-and-grows/) [Frosty Wooldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frosty-wooldridge/) > [People are the common denominator of progress. So... no improvement is possible with unimproved people, and advance is certain when people are liberated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/people-are-the-common-denominator-of-progress-so-no-improvement-is/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Building a godly life on the sand of scriptural illiteracy is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/building-a-godly-life-on-the-sand-of-scriptural-illiteracy-is/) [Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/) > [Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [“Illiteracy is simply the inability to read and write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/illiteracy-is-simply-the-inability-to-read-and-write/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/prisons-do-not-disappear-social-problems-they-disappear-human-beings/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [“But Christian illiteracy is only the first part of the crisis. Even more seriously, even for those who think they speak “Christian” fluently, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/but-christian-illiteracy-is-only-the-first-part-of-the-crisis-even/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“The era of illiteracy is not only a historical stage before Islam, but it is the nature of Middle Eastern minds. We live ignorantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amany-al-hallaq/the-era-of-illiteracy-is-not-only-a-historical-stage-before-islam-but/) [Amany Al-Hallaq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amany-al-hallaq/) [Browse all 172 Illiteracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiteracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontline-soldiers-in-the-war/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Illiteracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontline-soldiers-in-the-war/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/neil-gaiman-29_illiteracy_i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontl_2126614.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of…” — Neil Gaiman", "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": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I see libraries and librarians as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontline-soldiers-in-the-war/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontline-soldiers-in-the-war/#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 } } ] } ```