--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Books come at my call and return when I…" description: "\"Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in revie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png" --- # Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they… ![“Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secrets of Nature. These teach me how to live, and those how to die; these dispel my…” quote by Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png) > “Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secrets of Nature. These teach me how to live, and those how to die; these dispel my melancholy by their mirth, and amuse me by their sallies of wit. Some there are who prepare my soul to suffer everything, to desire nothing, and to become thoroughly acquainted with itself. In a word, they open the door to all the arts and sciences.” [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books are ever‑ready companions that educate, entertain, and prepare the soul for life and death, dispelling melancholy. **In simple terms:** Books are ready teachers and friends. Key Takeaway Read to grow. Themes knowledge comfort spiritual growth Mood contemplative scholarly Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - personal development - mental health Key Concepts humanities self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - Which book has most shaped your worldview? A Different Perspective May idealize reading over experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art and science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-and-science/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) [Mirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Books are never out of humour; never envious or jealous, they answer all questions with readiness; ... they teach us how to live and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holbrook-jackson/books-are-never-out-of-humour-never-envious-or-jealous-they-answer/) [Holbrook Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holbrook-jackson/) > [“I ate in the morning what I would digest in the evening; I swallowed as a boy what I would ruminate upon as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/i-ate-in-the-morning-what-i-would-digest-in-the-evening-i-swallowed/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [It is a mistake to think that books have come to stay. The human race did without them for thousands of years and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-3/it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-books-have-come-to-stay-the-human-race/) [E M Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-3/) > [I think my books come out very visual, which is an obvious consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-think-my-books-come-out-very-visual-which-is-an-obvious-consequence/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [I sort of try to read the books when they come out impartially and not make up my mind, but the fact is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-sort-of-try-to-read-the-books-when-they-come-out-impartially-and/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [“In books I meet the dead as if they were alive in books I see what is yet to come... All things decay and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-de-bury/in-books-i-meet-the-dead-as-if-they-were-alive-in-books-i-see-what-is/) [Richard de Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-de-bury/) > [Books come in really handy when you need something to put your laptop on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/books-come-in-really-handy-when-you-need-something-to-put-your-laptop/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [There's so much stuff being written! Every year, how many books come out? I can't keep up, and I read a lot. It's amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/there-s-so-much-stuff-being-written-every-year-how-many-books-come/) [Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/) > [All of my books come from something that I happen to be working out at a given point in my life. It's kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/all-of-my-books-come-from-something-that-i-happen-to-be-working-out-2/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs are set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-books-i-find-the-dead-as-if-they-were-alive-in-books-i-foresee/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All of my books come from something that I happen to be working out at a given point in my life. Its kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/all-of-my-books-come-from-something-that-i-happen-to-be-working-out/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“Books -- they come home hot in your hands and then by increments they warm your life, like heated bricks in a New England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-r-meyers/books-they-come-home-hot-in-your-hands-and-then-by-increments-they/) [Robin R. Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-r-meyers/) > [My books come to me in images, and sometimes the image is at the beginning of the book, and sometimes it's simply a flash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crais/my-books-come-to-me-in-images-and-sometimes-the-image-is-at-the/) [Robert Crais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crais/) > [“Those that spend the greater part of their time in reading or writing books are, of course, apt to take rather particular notice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james-2/those-that-spend-the-greater-part-of-their-time-in-reading-or-writing/) [M.R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james-2/) > [“Though I have been busy, perhaps overbusy, all my life, it seems to me now that I have accomplished little that matters, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/though-i-have-been-busy-perhaps-overbusy-all-my-life-it-seems-to-me/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) ## More by Petrarch > [Five enemies of peace inhabit with us - avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/five-enemies-of-peace-inhabit-with-us-avarice-ambition-envy-anger-and/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [I would have preferred to have been born in any other time than our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/i-would-have-preferred-to-have-been-born-in-any-other-time-than-our/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [The time will come when every change shall cease, This quick revolving wheel shall rest in peace: No summer then shall glow, not winter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/the-time-will-come-when-every-change-shall-cease-this-quick-revolving/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Wanting is not enough, long and you attain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/wanting-is-not-enough-long-and-you-attain-it/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [The aged love what is practical while impetuous youth longs only for what is dazzling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/the-aged-love-what-is-practical-while-impetuous-youth-longs-only-for/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Oh, may she deign to stand atmy bedside When I come to die; and may she call to me And draw me to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/oh-may-she-deign-to-stand-atmy-bedside-when-i-come-to-die-and-may-she/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [How difficult it is to save the bark of reputation from the rocks of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/how-difficult-it-is-to-save-the-bark-of-reputation-from-the-rocks-of/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Do you suppose there is any living man so unreasonable that if he found himself stricken with a dangerous ailment he would not anxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/do-you-suppose-there-is-any-living-man-so-unreasonable-that-if-he/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/sameness-is-the-mother-of-disgust-variety-the-cure/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [He loves but lightly who his love can tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/he-loves-but-lightly-who-his-love-can-tell/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/rarely-do-great-beauty-and-great-virtue-dwell-together/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [It is better to will the good than to know the truth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/it-is-better-to-will-the-good-than-to-know-the-truth/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [For death betimes is comfort, not dismay, and who can rightly die needs no delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/for-death-betimes-is-comfort-not-dismay-and-who-can-rightly-die-needs/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [“I feed my heart with sighs, that's all it asks, I live on tears, I think I'm born to weep; I don't complain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/i-feed-my-heart-with-sighs-that-s-all-it-asks-i-live-on-tears-i-think/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) > [Often have I wondered with much curiosity as to our coming into this world and what will follow our departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/often-have-i-wondered-with-much-curiosity-as-to-our-coming-into-this/) [Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) [Explore all 98 Petrarch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secrets of Nature. These teach me how to live, and those how to die; these dispel my melancholy by their mirth, and amuse me by their sallies of wit. Some there are who prepare my soul to suffer everything, to desire nothing, and to become thoroughly acquainted with itself. In a word, they open the door to all the arts and sciences.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Petrarch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i-desire-them-they-are-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i-desire-them-they-are-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/petrarch-6716_age_books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i_2869860.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my…” — Petrarch", "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": "Petrarch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Books come at my call and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i-desire-them-they-are-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/books-come-at-my-call-and-return-when-i-desire-them-they-are-never/#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 } } ] } ```