--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m completely library educated. I’ve…" description: "\"“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade school in Waukegan, and in high school in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg" --- # I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to… ![“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade school in Waukegan, and in high school in Los Angeles, and spent long days every summer in the library. I used to steal magazines from a store on Genesee Street, in Waukegan, and read them…” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg) > ““I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade school in Waukegan, and in high school in Los Angeles, and spent long days every summer in the library. I used to steal magazines from a store on Genesee Street, in Waukegan, and read them and then steal them back on the racks again. That way I took the print off with my eyeballs and stayed honest. I didn’t want to be a permanent thief, and I was very careful to wash my hands before I read them. But with the library, it’s like catnip, I suppose: you begin to run in circles because there’s so much to look at and read. And it’s far more fun than going to school, simply because you make up your own list and you don’t have to listen to anyone. When I would see some of the books my kids were forced to bring home and read by some of their teachers, and were graded on—well, what if you don’t like those books? I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries, I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to the library three nights a week. I did this every week for almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I got married, I figured I was done. So I graduated from the library when I was twenty-seven. I discovered that the library is the real school.”” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑directed learning through libraries can be more engaging and honest than formal schooling, fostering curiosity and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Learning in libraries is personal, fun, and honest. Key Takeaway Embrace libraries as a lifelong learning resource. Themes education curiosity independence Mood inspirational nostalgic Type personal educational When to use this quote - school projects - career development - personal hobbies - community volunteering Key Concepts self‑directed learning informal education library culture Questions to Reflect On - What topics have you explored most passionately in a library? - How can you integrate library learning into daily life? A Different Perspective Libraries may lack structured guidance for some learners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient egypt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-egypt/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Los angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/los-angeles/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Self education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-education/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-am-a-librarian-i-discovered-me-in-the-library-i-went-to-find-me-in/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“This is incredible. This is quite amazing because who you're honoring tonight is not only myself but the ghost of a lot of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/this-is-incredible-this-is-quite-amazing-because-who-you-re-honoring/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade school in Waukegan, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-never-been-to-college-i-went-2/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“If every kid who said he was going to the library, when he was really off doing something else, actually went to the library,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-koertge/if-every-kid-who-said-he-was-going-to-the-library-when-he-was-really/) [Ron Koertge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-koertge/) > [Libraries are absolutely at the center of my life. Since I couldn't afford to go to college, I attended the library three or four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/libraries-are-absolutely-at-the-center-of-my-life-since-i-couldn-t/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“There are two perfumes to a book. If a book is new, it smells great. If a book is old, it smells even better.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-are-two-perfumes-to-a-book-if-a-book-is-new-it-smells-great-if/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-don-t-believe-in-colleges-and-universities-i-believe-in-libraries/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-couldn-t-go-to-college-so-i-went-to-the-library-three-days-a-week/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-discovered-me-in-the-library-i-went-to-find-me-in-the-library/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I never went to college, so I went to the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-never-went-to-college-so-i-went-to-the-library/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When I graduated from high school I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library 3 days a week for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-couldn-t-go-to-college-so-i-went/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“We're living in a world in which we're all survived, targeted, herded, and indoctrinated to an unprecedented degree. Our fallen, debased state is ghastly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/we-re-living-in-a-world-in-which-we-re-all-survived-targeted-herded/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [“Everybody talked about Freud when I lived in New Orleans, but I have never read him. Neither did Shakespeare. I doubt if Melville did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/everybody-talked-about-freud-when-i-lived-in-new-orleans-but-i-have/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“If someone asks me, “Why do you write?” I can reply by pointing out that it is a very dumb question. Nevertheless, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/if-someone-asks-me-why-do-you-write-i-can-reply-by-pointing-out-that/) [William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/) > [I can't imagine why you would want to take your child to see what the career of a writer is like, because it mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-can-t-imagine-why-you-would-want-to-take-your-child-to-see-what-the/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More Ancient egypt quotes > [“We cannot fathom technology that is unknown to us, and we seldom consider things that seem impossible to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dunn/we-cannot-fathom-technology-that-is-unknown-to-us-and-we-seldom/) Christopher Dunn > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [Rae Chorze-Fwaz has preserved and passed on their secret meditation techniques in oral tradition from the time of Atlantis until he present day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/rae-chorze-fwaz-has-preserved-and-passed-on-their-secret-meditation/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [“Even gods decay. Like, in 1890 somebody sold off thousands of mummified Ancient Egyptian sacred cats - \_for fertilizer\_. Get the point? Constancy isn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gash/even-gods-decay-like-in-1890-somebody-sold-off-thousands-of-mummified/) [Jonathan Gash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gash/) > [To the great pharaohs it mattered a great deal to bury their treasures in the pyramids, which they thought they would bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/to-the-great-pharaohs-it-mattered-a-great-deal-to-bury-their/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The only group of Atlanteans that was truly successful in transplanting their knowledge to a new location was the group that landed in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-only-group-of-atlanteans-that-was-truly-successful-in/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Atlantean medicine was evolved to heal, since healing is oneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/atlantean-medicine-was-evolved-to-heal-since-healing-is-oneness/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Light and Darkness. One cannot exist without the other. There is no true Master, without the power of balance. ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/light-and-darkness-one-cannot-exist-without-the-other-there-is-no/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [In Atlantis, children who were spiritually evolved from meditative practices in their previous lives were brought to the Mystery School for training by older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-atlantis-children-who-were-spiritually-evolved-from-meditative/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [“AFFIRMATION CREED OF THE ARRIVIST: I am God, and all other gods are my imagery. I gave birth to myself. I am millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/affirmation-creed-of-the-arrivist-i-am-god-and-all-other-gods-are-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The people to become enlightened in Atlantis lit the "flame of enlightenment" on earth for the first time. The members of the various mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-people-to-become-enlightened-in-atlantis-lit-the-flame-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The world will not change by our position in the Universe. Actions change when beliefs change; collective actions and beliefs change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-a-petti/the-world-will-not-change-by-our-position-in-the-universe-actions/) [Matthew A. Petti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-a-petti/) > [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Browse all 140 Ancient egypt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-egypt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade school in Waukegan, and in high school in Los Angeles, and spent long days every summer in the library. I used to steal magazines from a store on Genesee Street, in Waukegan, and read them and then steal them back on the racks again. That way I took the print off with my eyeballs and stayed honest. I didn’t want to be a permanent thief, and I was very careful to wash my hands before I read them. But with the library, it’s like catnip, I suppose: you begin to run in circles because there’s so much to look at and read. And it’s far more fun than going to school, simply because you make up your own list and you don’t have to listen to anyone. When I would see some of the books my kids were forced to bring home and read by some of their teachers, and were graded on—well, what if you don’t like those books? I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries, I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to the library three nights a week. I did this every week for almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I got married, I figured I was done. So I graduated from the library when I was twenty-seven. I discovered that the library is the real school.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Bradbury" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-never-been-to-college-i-went/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient egypt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-never-been-to-college-i-went/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/ray-bradbury-75_ancient-egypt_i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-nev_1146487.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never been to college. I went down to the library when I was in grade…” — Ray Bradbury", "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": "Ray Bradbury", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I’m completely library educated. I’ve never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-never-been-to-college-i-went/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-completely-library-educated-i-ve-never-been-to-college-i-went/#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 } } ] } ```