--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people don't realize how important…" description: "\"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 was sol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/neil-gaiman-29_book_most-people-don-t-realize-how-important_2225430.jpg" --- # Most people don't realize how important librarians are. I… ![“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 was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn't value its librarians doesn't value…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/neil-gaiman-29_book_most-people-don-t-realize-how-important_2225430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/neil-gaiman-29_book_most-people-don-t-realize-how-important_2225430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/neil-gaiman-29_book_most-people-don-t-realize-how-important_2225430.jpg) > “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 was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn't value its librarians doesn't value ideas and without ideas, well, where are we?” [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. Librarians are vital for preserving ideas; societies that undervalue them risk stagnation. **In simple terms:** Librarians keep ideas alive; ignoring them harms culture. Key Takeaway Support and invest in libraries. Themes education knowledge society values Mood concerned hopeful Type advocacy philosophical When to use this quote - school curricula - public policy - community programs - fundraising events Key Concepts information stewardship civic responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What would a world without libraries look like? - How can we modernize library services? A Different Perspective Funding cuts and digital shifts threaten library roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians/) [Overstatement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overstatement/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Reading is important. Books are important. Librarians are important. (Also, libraries are not child-care facilities, but sometimes feral children raise themselves among the stacks.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/reading-is-important-books-are-important-librarians-are-important/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-see-libraries-and-librarians-as-frontline-soldiers-in-the-war/) [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/) > [“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/) > [It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board and against myself on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-korchnoi/it-is-a-gross-overstatement-but-in-chess-it-can-be-said-i-play/) [Viktor Korchnoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-korchnoi/) > [The chief error in philosophy is overstatement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-chief-error-in-philosophy-is-overstatement/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/the-physicists-have-known-sin-and-this-is-a-knowledge-which-they/) [J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/) > [A single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole, and a carefree superlative has the power to destroy, for the reader, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-single-overstatement-wherever-or-however-it-occurs-diminishes-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's been this attempt to block Donald Trump, in primary candidates and Democrats, that - to try to make everything he says some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/there-s-been-this-attempt-to-block-donald-trump-in-primary-candidates/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [“Strunk and White wrote in Elements of Style, “Do not overstate…a single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/strunk-and-white-wrote-in-elements-of-style-do-not-overstate-a-single/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ["Simpler is always better" is an overstatement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/simpler-is-always-better-is-an-overstatement/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [“If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/if-you-treat-every-situation-as-a-life-and-death-matter-you-ll-die-a/) [Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/) > [Jay Mohr saved my life. That's not an overstatement either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/jay-mohr-saved-my-life-that-s-not-an-overstatement-either/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [Saying I took my clean water for granted is an overstatement. To tell you the truth, I didn't even think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlan-gorse-cousteau/saying-i-took-my-clean-water-for-granted-is-an-overstatement-to-tell/) [Ashlan Gorse Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlan-gorse-cousteau/) > [Leaving out the gamblers, the burglars, and the plumbers, perhaps we do put our trust in God after a fashion. But, after all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/leaving-out-the-gamblers-the-burglars-and-the-plumbers-perhaps-we-do/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## 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 Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“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/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most people don't realize how important librarians are. 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