--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Books. The more I thought about how to…" description: "\"“Books. The more I thought about how to stop and get myself back together as one sane, whole person, the more I thought about books. I thought about es..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/nina-sankovitch-27093_book_books-the-more-i-thought-about-how-to-st_908243.jpg" --- # Books. The more I thought about how to stop and get myself… ![“Books. The more I thought about how to stop and get myself back together as one sane, whole person, the more I thought about books. I thought about escape. Not running to escape but reading to escape. Cyril Connolly, twentieth-century writer and critic, wrote that “words are alive and literature…” quote by Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/nina-sankovitch-27093_book_books-the-more-i-thought-about-how-to-st_908243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/nina-sankovitch-27093_book_books-the-more-i-thought-about-how-to-st_908243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/nina-sankovitch-27093_book_books-the-more-i-thought-about-how-to-st_908243.jpg) > ““Books. The more I thought about how to stop and get myself back together as one sane, whole person, the more I thought about books. I thought about escape. Not running to escape but reading to escape. Cyril Connolly, twentieth-century writer and critic, wrote that “words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living.” That was how I wanted to use books: as an escape back to life. I wanted to engulf myself in books and come up whole again.”” [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books serve as a therapeutic escape, allowing one to reconstruct self‑identity and find vitality. **In simple terms:** Reading helps heal and renew self. Key Takeaway Use reading to restore personal wholeness. Themes healing literature self‑discovery Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - personal growth - creative writing Key Concepts escape identity reconstruction Questions to Reflect On - What book has reshaped your sense of self? - How can reading complement other healing practices? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not solve underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Cyril Connolly, twentieth-century writer and critic, wrote that ‘words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living.’ That was how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/cyril-connolly-twentieth-century-writer-and-critic-wrote-that-words/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [While thoughts exist, words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/while-thoughts-exist-words-are-alive-and-literature-becomes-an-escape/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [What a sense of superiority it gives one to escape reading some book which everyone else is reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-james/what-a-sense-of-superiority-it-gives-one-to-escape-reading-some-book/) [Alice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-james/) > [What sense of superiority it gives one to escape reading some book which every one else is reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-james/what-sense-of-superiority-it-gives-one-to-escape-reading-some-book/) [Alice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-james/) > [“While thought exists, words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living. Cyril Connolly (English critic and editor, 1903-1974)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/while-thought-exists-words-are-alive-and-literature-becomes-an-escape/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [The so-called literature of escape, with its growing popularity, is in part a revolt against the tyranny of clocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bedichek/the-so-called-literature-of-escape-with-its-growing-popularity-is-in/) Roy Bedichek > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [All of us use art and literature as an escape from time to time, but if it's any good, it has a healing quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/all-of-us-use-art-and-literature-as-an-escape-from-time-to-time-but/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [make no mistake about it, the detective-story is part of the literature of escape, and not of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/make-no-mistake-about-it-the-detective-story-is-part-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [People read books to escape the uncertainties of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/people-read-books-to-escape-the-uncertainties-of-life/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“People talk about books being an escape...this one feels more like a lifeline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/people-talk-about-books-being-an-escape-this-one-feels-more-like-a/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [When I read books it's to escape. It's so I don't have to talk to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/when-i-read-books-it-s-to-escape-it-s-so-i-don-t-have-to-talk-to/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“People talk about books being an escape, but here on the tube, this one feels more like a lifeline...The motion of the train makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/people-talk-about-books-being-an-escape-but-here-on-the-tube-this-one/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“It is not uncommon in the modern world for people to retreat into the world of books to escape from the realities of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/it-is-not-uncommon-in-the-modern-world-for-people-to-retreat-into-the/) [Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/) > [“I wanna know something,” Lexi said. “In mystery books, clues come flying out of nowhere in every single chapter. Why is ours so slow?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vila-gingerich/i-wanna-know-something-lexi-said-in-mystery-books-clues-come-flying/) Vila Gingerich ## More by Nina Sankovitch > [“And in reading, I discovered that the burden of living is the uneven and unlimited allotment of pain. Tragedy is conferred randomly and unfairly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/and-in-reading-i-discovered-that-the-burden-of-living-is-the-uneven/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Life is hard, unfair, painful. But life is also guaranteed - one hundred percent, no doubt, no question - to offer unexpected and sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/life-is-hard-unfair-painful-but-life-is-also-guaranteed-one-hundred/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“My hiatus is over, my soul and body are healed, but I will never leave the purple chair for long. So many books waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/my-hiatus-is-over-my-soul-and-body-are-healed-but-i-will-never-leave/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“The truth of living is proved not by the inevitability of death but by the wonder that we lived at all. Remembering lives from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/the-truth-of-living-is-proved-not-by-the-inevitability-of-death-but/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“A book isn't just a friend, but makes friends for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/a-book-isn-t-just-a-friend-but-makes-friends-for-you/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Words create the stories that become history and become unforgettable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/words-create-the-stories-that-become-history-and-become-unforgettable/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“We are what we love to read, and when we admit to loving a book, we admit that the book represents some aspect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/we-are-what-we-love-to-read-and-when-we-admit-to-loving-a-book-we/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“...but I know that I can survive the hard times, taking the worst of what happens to me as a burden but not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/but-i-know-that-i-can-survive-the-hard-times-taking-the-worst-of-what/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Books are reason to get up in the morning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/books-are-reason-to-get-up-in-the-morning/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“The value of experience, real or imagined, is that is shows us how to - or how NOT to - live. In reading about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/the-value-of-experience-real-or-imagined-is-that-is-shows-us-how-to/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Desire for a person is not the same thing as having that unique appreciation and need for them, nor is affection. Desire waxes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/desire-for-a-person-is-not-the-same-thing-as-having-that-unique/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Because to take someone for granted is a luxury; to have her and not think about losing her or never seeing her again, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/because-to-take-someone-for-granted-is-a-luxury-to-have-her-and-not/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Are you busy?" the caller would ask. "Yes I'm working." Sitting in my chair, cats nearby, I was reading a great book. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/are-you-busy-the-caller-would-ask-yes-i-m-working-sitting-in-my-chair/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Remembrance is acknowledging that a life was lived ... My father finally wrote out his memories for a reason. I took on a year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/remembrance-is-acknowledging-that-a-life-was-lived-my-father-finally/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) > [“Because being witness to all types of human experience is important to understanding the world, but also to understanding myself. To define what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-sankovitch/because-being-witness-to-all-types-of-human-experience-is-important/) [Nina Sankovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) [Explore all 21 Nina Sankovitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-sankovitch/) ## 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": "“Books. The more I thought about how to stop and get myself back together as one sane, whole person, the more I thought about books. I thought about escape. Not running to escape but reading to escape. Cyril Connolly, twentieth-century writer and critic, wrote that “words are alive and literature becomes an escape, not from, but into living.” That was how I wanted to use books: as an escape back to life. 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