--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The two things that constantly inspired…" description: "\"The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.\" — Patti Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg" --- # The two things that constantly inspired me were books and… ![“The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg) > “The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books and travel serve as continual sources of inspiration, fueling creativity and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Books and travel inspire. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge and new experiences. Themes inspiration creativity learning exploration personal growth Mood reflective enthusiastic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - career development - personal enrichment - cultural immersion Key Concepts literature travel curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What books have shaped you? - How does travel change perspective? A Different Perspective May overlook other inspiration sources; not universal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'm constantly being inspired by the old days and taking things from the past and allowing them to lift me up where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-june/i-m-constantly-being-inspired-by-the-old-days-and-taking-things-from/) [Valerie June](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-june/) > [“When I come home and look back through my Book of Books I see a personal narrative I didn’t recognize at the time. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-paul/when-i-come-home-and-look-back-through-my-book-of-books-i-see-a/) [Pamela Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-paul/) > [Oh, I think every author is inspired by all of the books that she reads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/oh-i-think-every-author-is-inspired-by-all-of-the-books-that-she-reads/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I'm a bit of a book worm, so a lot of the songs I write are inspired by books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-fraser/i-m-a-bit-of-a-book-worm-so-a-lot-of-the-songs-i-write-are-inspired/) [Brooke Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-fraser/) > [I'm constantly inspired by the women in our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/i-m-constantly-inspired-by-the-women-in-our-culture/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) > [I absolutely love my job. I feel so privileged: I get to travel the world, I get to witness history... and I'm constantly inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-ward/i-absolutely-love-my-job-i-feel-so-privileged-i-get-to-travel-the/) [Clarissa Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-ward/) > [Before we had the kids, my husband and I were traveling a lot and working and really enjoying our lives and each other. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/before-we-had-the-kids-my-husband-and-i-were-traveling-a-lot-and/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [When I write, I'm still imagining a kid reading it on paper. I read e-books when I travel, but in general I still prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/when-i-write-i-m-still-imagining-a-kid-reading-it-on-paper-i-read-e/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“My grandfather always says that's what books are for. To travel without moving an inch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/my-grandfather-always-says-that-s-what-books-are-for-to-travel/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [As far as inspiration goes, I'm constantly inspired by traveling, symbols, magic and different cultural traditions around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-love/as-far-as-inspiration-goes-i-m-constantly-inspired-by-traveling/) [Pamela Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-love/) > [That's what books are for... to travel without moving an inch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/that-s-what-books-are-for-to-travel-without-moving-an-inch/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [I'm constantly inspired by my friends and the people I surround myself with and the cities that I'm traveling to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-abloh/i-m-constantly-inspired-by-my-friends-and-the-people-i-surround/) [Virgil Abloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-abloh/) > [“Therefore I would ask you to write all kinds of books, hesitating at no subject however trivial or however vast. By hook or by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/therefore-i-would-ask-you-to-write-all-kinds-of-books-hesitating-at/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“One of the first books of travel, giving European readers some insight into the unfamiliar world of the Orient, was published in 1356-67 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-carter/one-of-the-first-books-of-travel-giving-european-readers-some-insight/) [Ronald Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-carter/) > [So many different things make me come alive: performing for people, making people laugh, music and dancing or any kind of physical activity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xosha-roquemore/so-many-different-things-make-me-come-alive-performing-for-people/) [Xosha Roquemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xosha-roquemore/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## 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! 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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": "The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired-me-were-books-and-travel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired-me-were-books-and-travel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/patti-smith-394_book_the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired_2498762.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.” — Patti Smith", "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": "Patti Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The two things that constantly inspired...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired-me-were-books-and-travel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-two-things-that-constantly-inspired-me-were-books-and-travel/#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 } } ] } ```