--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Schools and libraries are the twin…" description: "\"Schools and libraries are the twin cornerstones of a civilized society. Libraries are only good if people use them, like books only exist when someone ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/nicholas-meyer-16558_book_schools-and-libraries-are-the-twin-corne_2843664.png" --- # Schools and libraries are the twin cornerstones of a… ![“Schools and libraries are the twin cornerstones of a civilized society. Libraries are only good if people use them, like books only exist when someone reads them.” quote by Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/nicholas-meyer-16558_book_schools-and-libraries-are-the-twin-corne_2843664.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/nicholas-meyer-16558_book_schools-and-libraries-are-the-twin-corne_2843664.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/nicholas-meyer-16558_book_schools-and-libraries-are-the-twin-corne_2843664.png) > “Schools and libraries are the twin cornerstones of a civilized society. Libraries are only good if people use them, like books only exist when someone reads them.” [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He likens schools and libraries as essential foundations, thriving only when used. **In simple terms:** Schools and libraries need users to be valuable. Key Takeaway Promote active use of educational resources. Themes education community accessibility Mood hopeful inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - school curricula - public library programs - digital archives Key Concepts Public good knowledge sharing civic duty Questions to Reflect On - How can we increase library usage? - What role should schools play in community learning? A Different Perspective Resources can become underutilized without engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Civilized society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-society/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Twins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twins/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [When the function of libraries is put in terms of their contributions to the community, people see their centrality. The challenge to us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-curley/when-the-function-of-libraries-is-put-in-terms-of-their-contributions/) Arthur Curley > [Time slows down in libraries in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-farr/time-slows-down-in-libraries-in-a-good-way/) [Hilary Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-farr/) > [I want to have schools and libraries and other institutions named after me. I tell my daughter that all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kam-williams/i-want-to-have-schools-and-libraries-and-other-institutions-named/) [Kam Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kam-williams/) > [Between school, homework, tests, and play time with my friends, I have worked my butt off to create this space where black girls' stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marley-dias/between-school-homework-tests-and-play-time-with-my-friends-i-have/) [Marley Dias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marley-dias/) > [I was a very keen reader of science fiction, and during the time I was going to libraries, it was good, written by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-was-a-very-keen-reader-of-science-fiction-and-during-the-time-i-was/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“We cannot have good libraries until we first have good librarians-properly educated, profesionally recognized and fairly rewarded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-s-white/we-cannot-have-good-libraries-until-we-first-have-good-librarians/) Herbert S. White > [Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/public-libraries-have-been-a-mainstay-of-my-life-they-represent-an/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“we should not judge our books by their covers, and that some books exist between covers that are perfectly people-shaped.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-should-not-judge-our-books-by-their-covers-and-that-some-books/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The composition of vast books is a laborious and impoverishing extravagance. To go on for five hundred pages developing an idea whose perfect oral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-composition-of-vast-books-is-a-laborious-and-impoverishing/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“Chicken Soup for the Soul". You've heard of these books, am I right? We've all heard of them. But I wonder if you're aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/chicken-soup-for-the-soul-you-ve-heard-of-these-books-am-i-right-we/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [Writing long books is a laborious and impoverishing act of foolishness: expanding in five hundred pages an idea that could be perfectly explained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-long-books-is-a-laborious-and-impoverishing-act-of/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I can imagine a future in which real books will exist but in a more limited, particular way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-can-imagine-a-future-in-which-real-books-will-exist-but-in-a-more/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Books exist for me not as physical entities with pages and binding, but in the province of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/books-exist-for-me-not-as-physical-entities-with-pages-and-binding/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“Children's books do not exist in a vacuum, unrelated to literature as a whole. They are a portion of universal literature and must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-h-smith/children-s-books-do-not-exist-in-a-vacuum-unrelated-to-literature-as/) Lillian H. Smith > [“I don’t know how I feel about a canon anymore ... The sheer volume of books that exist out there means that a canon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/i-don-t-know-how-i-feel-about-a-canon-anymore-the-sheer-volume-of/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) ## More by Nicholas Meyer > [Actors will change their face, will change their hair, will change their voice, will disappear into the role. A movie star doesn't disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/actors-will-change-their-face-will-change-their-hair-will-change/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [No rock and roll ensemble, however inspired, can deliver the kind of musical variety obtainable with the resources of 110 instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/no-rock-and-roll-ensemble-however-inspired-can-deliver-the-kind-of/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [Roddenberry had his own utopian vision about he perfectibility of man, and I never really believed that. And I don’t think the show demonstrates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/roddenberry-had-his-own-utopian-vision-about-he-perfectibility-of-man/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [There are moments in one's life where you look back and you say, 'Well, I wish I had done this differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/there-are-moments-in-one-s-life-where-you-look-back-and-you-say-well/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [I never gave my career much strategic thought. Maybe I should have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/i-never-gave-my-career-much-strategic-thought-maybe-i-should-have/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [Movie studios, Hollywood studios, by and large are not making the kind of movies that I go to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/movie-studios-hollywood-studios-by-and-large-are-not-making-the-kind/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [I wrote an article not so long ago that was published in the Los Angeles Times, and I think I titled it "Movies vs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/i-wrote-an-article-not-so-long-ago-that-was-published-in-the-los/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [The first thing that put me on the map was my Sherlock Holmes novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/the-first-thing-that-put-me-on-the-map-was-my-sherlock-holmes-novel/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [But you have to understand what that really did is that it opened these DVDs to be sources of oral history instead of puff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/but-you-have-to-understand-what-that-really-did-is-that-it-opened/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [The naive thing I suppose is simply that we thought, in the words of Francis Fukuyama, that we had reached the end of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/the-naive-thing-i-suppose-is-simply-that-we-thought-in-the-words-of/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [My father's book is about is about a number of things, but about Houdini's rage to not be a failure like his father, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/my-father-s-book-is-about-is-about-a-number-of-things-but-about/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [I'm mainly interested in people trying to figure s#!t out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/i-m-mainly-interested-in-people-trying-to-figure-s-t-out/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [An actor is someone who pretends to be somebody else. A movie star is somebody who pretends that somebody else is them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/an-actor-is-someone-who-pretends-to-be-somebody-else-a-movie-star-is/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [I was always a filmmaker before I was anything else. If I was always anything, I was a storyteller, and it never really made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/i-was-always-a-filmmaker-before-i-was-anything-else-if-i-was-always/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) > [When you read a history or biography you are entitled to imagine that it is as accurate as the authors can make it. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-meyer/when-you-read-a-history-or-biography-you-are-entitled-to-imagine-that/) [Nicholas Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) [Explore all 39 Nicholas Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-meyer/) ## 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": "Schools and libraries are the twin cornerstones of a civilized society. 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