---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would go in the university stacks and…"
description: "\"I would go in the university stacks and pull out books like 'Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II' when I was 12 or something, and I'd spend hours ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png"
---

#  I would go in the university stacks and pull out books…

![“I would go in the university stacks and pull out books like 'Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II' when I was 12 or something, and I'd spend hours reading about the engines in some of those planes.” quote by Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png)

> “I would go in the university stacks and pull out books like 'Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II' when I was 12 or something, and I'd spend hours reading about the engines in some of those planes.”

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

As a child, he avidly read technical books about aircraft engines, showing early passion for engineering.

**In simple terms:** Childhood curiosity about planes.

Key Takeaway

Nurture early interests for future expertise.

Themes

education curiosity engineering

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

biographical educational

When to use this quote

- school projects
- STEM outreach
- personal development

Key Concepts

self‑directed learning technical passion early exposure

Questions to Reflect On

- What early experiences shaped your career?
- How can parents foster technical curiosity?

A Different Perspective

Early reading may not guarantee later success without guidance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aircraft World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aircraft-world-3222991/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Engines Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engines-planes-3222989/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting Aircraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-aircraft-3222990/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Reading Engines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-engines-3222988/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [In the Middle Ages, cathendrals and convents burned like tinder; imagining a medieval story without a fire is like imagining a World War II…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/in-the-middle-ages-cathendrals-and-convents-burned-like-tinder/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/soldiers-sailors-and-airmen-of-the-allied-expeditionary-force-you-are/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [There was great leadership in this country at the time of World War II. There was also unrelenting resolve at home, in America's factories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/there-was-great-leadership-in-this-country-at-the-time-of-world-war/)

[Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/)

> [We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, Our Flag will be recognized throughout the World as a symbol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/we-are-determined-that-before-the-sun-sets-on-this-terrible-struggle/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

> [“Putin has positioned himself as the leader of an authoritarian, xenophobic international movement that wants to expel immigrants, break up the European Union, weaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/putin-has-positioned-himself-as-the-leader-of-an-authoritarian/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [I grew up in a family full of strong women. A great aunt on my mother's side had been a matron on a hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-grew-up-in-a-family-full-of-strong-women-a-great-aunt-on-my-mother/)

[Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/)

> [“Did you know that at one time trick-or-treating was stopped? It's true. During World War II children were not allowed to trick or treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bozzo/did-you-know-that-at-one-time-trick-or-treating-was-stopped-it-s-true/)

[Linda Bozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bozzo/)

> [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My fascination with war is because my dad was in World War II, and my brother was in Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hanneman/my-fascination-with-war-is-because-my-dad-was-in-world-war-ii-and-my/)

[Jeff Hanneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hanneman/)

> [“When at last we arrived in Mannheim, I found that my apartment had been rented to a family whose young son was an amputee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/when-at-last-we-arrived-in-mannheim-i-found-that-my-apartment-had/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/)

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [There will be no veterans of World War III.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-f-mondale/there-will-be-no-veterans-of-world-war-iii/)

[Walter F. Mondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-f-mondale/)

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

## More by Paul Allen

> [I just try to find things that either need to be done, should be done, or where I can make a difference in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-just-try-to-find-things-that-either-need-to-be-done-should-be-done/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [I'm not a video-game player at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-m-not-a-video-game-player-at-all/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [AI2 was born from a desire to create a system that could truly reason about knowledge, rather than just offer up what had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/ai2-was-born-from-a-desire-to-create-a-system-that-could-truly-reason/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Some people can vent their anger, take a breath, and let it go, but I wasn't one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/some-people-can-vent-their-anger-take-a-breath-and-let-it-go-but-i/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Any time you get to compete for the championship in a professional spot, it's just a magic thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/any-time-you-get-to-compete-for-the-championship-in-a-professional/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Art fairs bring attention to up and coming artists and some amazing new works. They are a way to connect everyone with what's happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/art-fairs-bring-attention-to-up-and-coming-artists-and-some-amazing/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Human beings are fragile things, and for the period of time it takes to get them to Mars and back, you have dangerous radiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/human-beings-are-fragile-things-and-for-the-period-of-time-it-takes/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [With documentary-film projects, you hope you highlight an area of concern people haven't thought about before. A lot of times, I'm asking myself -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/with-documentary-film-projects-you-hope-you-highlight-an-area-of/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-my-own-work-i-ve-tried-to-anticipate-what-s-coming-over-the/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [The NBA is intense, but the NFL is a whole 'nother level of intensity and dramatic, game-changing plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/the-nba-is-intense-but-the-nfl-is-a-whole-nother-level-of-intensity/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Sometimes it's very difficult to find fresh fruit on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/sometimes-it-s-very-difficult-to-find-fresh-fruit-on-the-road/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Computers are really, basically, computing elements and a lot of memory. They are pretty easy to understand, as compared to the brain, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/computers-are-really-basically-computing-elements-and-a-lot-of-memory/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [As quickly as it started, our business model evaporated. But while Traf-O-Data was technically a business failure, the understanding of microprocessors we absorbed was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/as-quickly-as-it-started-our-business-model-evaporated-but-while-traf/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [In an ideal world, everybody would find it easy to talk to the press... but not everybody is so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-an-ideal-world-everybody-would-find-it-easy-to-talk-to-the-press/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

> [Those fortunate to achieve great wealth should put it to work for the good of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/those-fortunate-to-achieve-great-wealth-should-put-it-to-work-for-the/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

[Explore all 173 Paul Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

## More Books 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/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [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/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [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/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [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/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would go in the university stacks and pull out books like 'Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II' when I was 12 or something, and I'd spend hours reading about the engines in some of those planes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and-pull-out-books-like-jane-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and-pull-out-books-like-jane-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/paul-allen-2295_books_i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and_348441.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would go in the university stacks and pull out books like 'Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II' when…” — Paul Allen",
                "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": "Paul Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would go in the university...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and-pull-out-books-like-jane-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/i-would-go-in-the-university-stacks-and-pull-out-books-like-jane-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
