---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My very identities as a reader and a…"
description: "\"My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.\" — Paula Spencer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png"
---

#  My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the…

![“My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.” quote by Paula Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png)

> “My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.”

Paula Spencer

## About This Quote

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

The author credits a library branch as the seed of her literary identity.

**In simple terms:** A library sparked her reading and writing self.

Key Takeaway

Seek places that ignite your passions.

Themes

identity reading writing library community

Mood

nostalgic inspired

Type

personal reflective

When to use this quote

- career
- education
- creative writing
- personal growth

Key Concepts

personal development place influence

Questions to Reflect On

- What spaces have shaped your identity?
- How can you nurture that influence?

A Different Perspective

Libraries are one of many influences on identity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Documentary is, therefore, an approach, which makes use of the artistic faculties to give vivification to fact - to use Walt Whitman's definition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beaumont-newhall/documentary-is-therefore-an-approach-which-makes-use-of-the-artistic/)

[Beaumont Newhall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beaumont-newhall/)

> [In his very rejection of art Walt Whitman is an artist. He tried to produce a certain effect by certain means and he succeeded…He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-his-very-rejection-of-art-walt-whitman-is-an-artist-he-tried-to/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Walt Whitman, a kosmos, of Manhattan the son, Turbulent, fleshy, sensual, eating, drinking and breeding, No sentimentalist, no stander above men and women or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/walt-whitman-a-kosmos-of-manhattan-the-son-turbulent-fleshy-sensual/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [Our culture is what we did together. What did Walt Whitman represent for all of us? What was his message to us? That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/our-culture-is-what-we-did-together-what-did-walt-whitman-represent/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [When I was young I once found a book in a Dutch translation, 'The leaves of Grass'. It was the first time a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-appel/when-i-was-young-i-once-found-a-book-in-a-dutch-translation-the/)

[Karel Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-appel/)

> [The English tourist in American literature wants above all things something different from what he has at home. For this reason the one American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-english-tourist-in-american-literature-wants-above-all-things/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [I don't know about that. I'm not a very analytical person. I have various impulses. I've often quoted Walt Whitman's phrase "I contain multitudes."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-know-about-that-i-m-not-a-very-analytical-person-i-have/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [Art is a luxury. It's not necessary for you to - you can work your job and you can make some money and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/art-is-a-luxury-it-s-not-necessary-for-you-to-you-can-work-your-job/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [I had parents who were attentive to what was going on politically. There was the Greek connection, a sense of a larger world. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-had-parents-who-were-attentive-to-what-was-going-on-politically/)

[Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/)

> [What Bannon and Trump have presented us with is an idea of America that's not been the traditional idea, not the Walt Whitman idea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/what-bannon-and-trump-have-presented-us-with-is-an-idea-of-america/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [INCOMPOSSIBLE, adj. Unable to exist if something else exists. Two things are incompossible when the world of being has scope enough for one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/incompossible-adj-unable-to-exist-if-something-else-exists-two-things/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Walt Whitman and Nietzsche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-only-dance-masters-i-could-have-were-jean-jacques-rousseau-walt/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [I always knew in my heart Walt Whitman's mind to be more like my own than any other man's living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/i-always-knew-in-my-heart-walt-whitman-s-mind-to-be-more-like-my-own/)

[Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/)

> [I went through a very hairy period. I had a movie where I was going to play Walt Whitman that fell through. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/i-went-through-a-very-hairy-period-i-had-a-movie-where-i-was-going-to/)

[Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/)

## More by Paula Spencer

> [“It's alot harder than you'd think to scar a kid for life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/it-s-alot-harder-than-you-d-think-to-scar-a-kid-for-life/)

Paula Spencer

Explore all 2 Paula Spencer quotes

## 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

> [“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

> [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": "My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paula Spencer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-writer-began-at-the-walt-whitman/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-writer-began-at-the-walt-whitman/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/paula-spencer-111756_books_my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-wri_2782368.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.” — Paula Spencer",
                "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": "Paula Spencer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-spencer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My very identities as a reader...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-writer-began-at-the-walt-whitman/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-writer-began-at-the-walt-whitman/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
