---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People say strange things, the boy…"
description: "\"People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg"
---

#  People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's…

![“People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But when you're talking to people, they say some things that are…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg)

> “People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But when you're talking to people, they say some things that are so strange that you don't know how to continue the conversation.”

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator reflects on the comfort of books and solitude versus the unpredictability of social interaction, highlighting the value of literature for personal insight.

**In simple terms:** Books offer calm and stories; people can be confusing.

Key Takeaway

Seek solace in reading when conversation feels odd.

Themes

solitude literature communication

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading retreats
- quiet study
- networking events

Key Concepts

existentialism social anxiety

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prefer books or conversation for growth?
- How can you bridge the gap between silence and dialogue?

A Different Perspective

Books may isolate rather than connect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Incredibles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibles/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-say/) [Say anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-anything/) [Say Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-strange-274564/) [Say Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-things/) [Sheep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheep/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-people/) [Things Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-strange-299149/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [“People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with sheep who don’t say anything at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-say-strange-things-the-boy-thought-sometimes-it-s-better-to-be/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I don't know what to say to her. All I know is, I ain't saying it. And I know she ain't saying what she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-don-t-know-what-to-say-to-her-all-i-know-is-i-ain-t-saying-it-and-i/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [“All I know is, I ain’t saying it. And I know she ain’t saying what she want a say either and it’s a strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/all-i-know-is-i-ain-t-saying-it-and-i-know-she-ain-t-saying-what-she/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [“And better still to be alone with one’s books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-better-still-to-be-alone-with-one-s-books-they-tell-their/)

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

> [I guess because of my act, people think that I say things they want to say, and that they can just come up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-sykes/i-guess-because-of-my-act-people-think-that-i-say-things-they-want-to/)

[Wanda Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-sykes/)

> [If somebody said something racist around me, or you, or most people, you would correct it, you would stop it, but when they say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/if-somebody-said-something-racist-around-me-or-you-or-most-people-you/)

[Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/)

> [If you say three things, you don't say anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/if-you-say-three-things-you-don-t-say-anything/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [I can read people, and if the other person doesn't want to say anything, I'm fine with that. People say things when it's time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gillen/i-can-read-people-and-if-the-other-person-doesn-t-want-to-say/)

[Aidan Gillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gillen/)

> [The sheep-people don't think for themselves anymore. You can say anything and it's the gospel truth and they don't have to go research it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-boi/the-sheep-people-don-t-think-for-themselves-anymore-you-can-say/)

[Big Boi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-boi/)

> [Just as some things are too strange for fiction, others are too true for journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/just-as-some-things-are-too-strange-for-fiction-others-are-too-true/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“All she’d notice was that some things were strange because they reminded her of Brooklyn and that other things were strange because they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/all-she-d-notice-was-that-some-things-were-strange-because-they/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [One of the more depressing things about reading your fiction 25 years later, or 10 years later, is you realize the only things going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/one-of-the-more-depressing-things-about-reading-your-fiction-25-years/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [Many things they sawe with us as mathematicall instruments, sea compasses... spring clocks that seemed to goe of themselves - and many other things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harriot/many-things-they-sawe-with-us-as-mathematicall-instruments-sea/)

[Thomas Harriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harriot/)

> [The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-function-of-the-imagination-is-not-to-make-strange-things-settled/)

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

> [I can empathise with different cultural expressions and am open to things that seem strange at first sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mousa-dembele/i-can-empathise-with-different-cultural-expressions-and-am-open-to/)

[Mousa Dembele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mousa-dembele/)

## More by Paulo Coelho

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

[Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## 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": "People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say anything. And better still to be alone with one's books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But when you're talking to people, they say some things that are so strange that you don't know how to continue the conversation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paulo Coelho"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-say-strange-things-the-boy-thought-sometimes-it-s-better-to-be-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-say-strange-things-the-boy-thought-sometimes-it-s-better-to-be-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/paulo-coelho-10_book_people-say-strange-things-the-boy-though_2135217.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it's better to be with the sheep, who don't say…” — Paulo Coelho",
                "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": "Paulo Coelho",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People say strange things, the boy...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-say-strange-things-the-boy-thought-sometimes-it-s-better-to-be-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-say-strange-things-the-boy-thought-sometimes-it-s-better-to-be-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
