--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Congratulations,\" I said. \"It's so…" description: "\"“Congratulations,\" I said. \"It's so wonderful to write a book.\" \"I walked all the way here,\" she said. \"I started at midnight. I would have gotten here..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg" --- # Congratulations," I said. "It's so wonderful to write a… ![“Congratulations," I said. "It's so wonderful to write a book." "I walked all the way here," she said. "I started at midnight. I would have gotten here sooner if I weren't so old." "Where do you live?" I said. "The Kit Carson Hotel," she said. "And I've written a book." Then she handed it proudly…” quote by Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg) > ““Congratulations," I said. "It's so wonderful to write a book." "I walked all the way here," she said. "I started at midnight. I would have gotten here sooner if I weren't so old." "Where do you live?" I said. "The Kit Carson Hotel," she said. "And I've written a book." Then she handed it proudly to me as if it were the most precious thing in the world. And it was. It was a loose-leaf notebook of the type that you find everywhere in America. There is no place that does not have them. There was a heavy label pasted on the cover and written in broad green crayon across the label was the title: GROWING FLOWERS BY CANDLELIGHT IN HOTEL ROOMS BY MRS. CHARLES FINE ADAMS”” [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humble notebook, presented as a treasured book, reveals how ordinary objects can hold deep personal significance. **In simple terms:** Ordinary things can feel priceless when shared. Key Takeaway Value the simple gifts people give. Themes humility gift-giving value Mood nostalgic warm Type personal anecdotal When to use this quote - family gatherings - book clubs - travel souvenirs - personal milestones Key Concepts symbolism memory authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Why do we elevate certain objects? - What makes a simple item feel special? A Different Perspective The story may romanticize mundane objects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ## Related quotes > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“I always wanted to write a book that ended with the word Mayonnaise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-always-wanted-to-write-a-book-that-ended-with-the-word-mayonnaise/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [Before I wrote The Power of Now, I had a vision that I had already written the book and that it was affecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/before-i-wrote-the-power-of-now-i-had-a-vision-that-i-had-already/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Rarely in life do you find an object that retains its ability to continuously impact regardless of how many times it has been used.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orly-wahba/rarely-in-life-do-you-find-an-object-that-retains-its-ability-to/) Orly Wahba > [So my first book I had no experience having written a book, but each book is a little snapshot of who you are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/so-my-first-book-i-had-no-experience-having-written-a-book-but-each/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [The process of writing a book is infinitely more important than the book that is completed as a result of the writing, let alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-isaac-rubin/the-process-of-writing-a-book-is-infinitely-more-important-than-the/) [Theodore Isaac Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-isaac-rubin/) > [There is a secret and wholesome conviction in the heart of every man or woman who has written a book that it should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/there-is-a-secret-and-wholesome-conviction-in-the-heart-of-every-man/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [I have written a book it's called "Stronger Together."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-written-a-book-it-s-called-stronger-together/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [You always hope a book's going to be a success. I don't think I've ever written a book thinking, 'This will be bad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/you-always-hope-a-book-s-going-to-be-a-success-i-don-t-think-i-ve/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [One man is as good as another until he has written a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/one-man-is-as-good-as-another-until-he-has-written-a-book/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) > [I do write, but for now I am keeping it all in the desk drawer. I have always written. The only book that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/i-do-write-but-for-now-i-am-keeping-it-all-in-the-desk-drawer-i-have/) [Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/) > [“So, the rationale of having written this book is to say an inspiring word to a lot of people who are hurting, crying and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boniface-sagini/so-the-rationale-of-having-written-this-book-is-to-say-an-inspiring/) [Boniface Sagini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boniface-sagini/) > [You can't expect that, after a poor fellow has written a book, he should also understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovannino-guareschi/you-can-t-expect-that-after-a-poor-fellow-has-written-a-book-he/) Giovannino Guareschi > [I began writing books after speaking for several years and I realize that when you have a written book people think that you're smarter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-began-writing-books-after-speaking-for-several-years-and-i-realize/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [I'd never written a book or a story that required meeting people, and that's not necessarily my best skill, even in English. I prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tania-james/i-d-never-written-a-book-or-a-story-that-required-meeting-people-and/) [Tania James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tania-james/) ## More by Richard Brautigan > [I daydream about a high school where everybody plays the harmonica: the students, the teachers, the principal, the janitor and the cook in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-daydream-about-a-high-school-where-everybody-plays-the-harmonica/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“The river loved to tell everybody (everybody being the sky, the wind, the few trees that grew around there, birds, deer and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/the-river-loved-to-tell-everybody-everybody-being-the-sky-the-wind/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“I guess some people lived like Reader's Digest, but I hadn't met any and at that time it seemed doubtful that I ever would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-guess-some-people-lived-like-reader-s-digest-but-i-hadn-t-met-any/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“The Beautiful Poem" I go to bed in Los Angeles thinking about you. Pissing a few moments ago I looked down at my penis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/the-beautiful-poem-i-go-to-bed-in-los-angeles-thinking-about-you/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [I didn't know the full dimensions of forever, but I knew it was longer than waiting for Christmas to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-didn-t-know-the-full-dimensions-of-forever-but-i-knew-it-was-longer/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“Alas, Measured Perfectly" Saturday, August 25, 1888. 5:20 P.M. is the name of a photograph of two old women in a front yard, beside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/alas-measured-perfectly-saturday-august-25-1888-5-20-p-m-is-the-name/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“My Name “I guess you are kind of curious as to who I am, but I am one of those who do not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/my-name-i-guess-you-are-kind-of-curious-as-to-who-i-am-but-i-am-one/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [I had become so quiet and so small in the grass by the pond that I was barely noticeable, hardly there. I sat there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-had-become-so-quiet-and-so-small-in-the-grass-by-the-pond-that-i/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“I’m haunted by all the space that I will live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-m-haunted-by-all-the-space-that-i-will-live-without-you/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [Once upon a time there was a dwarf knight who only had fifty words to live in and they were so fleeting that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-dwarf-knight-who-only-had-fifty-words-to/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“I feel horrible. She doesn't love me and I wander around the house like a sewing machine that's just finished sewing a turd to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-feel-horrible-she-doesn-t-love-me-and-i-wander-around-the-house/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [Like some kind of strange vacuum cleaner I tried to console him. I recited the same old litanies that you say to people when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/like-some-kind-of-strange-vacuum-cleaner-i-tried-to-console-him-i/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [This morning I saw a coyote walking through the sagebrush right at the very edge of the ocean ― next stop China. The coyote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/this-morning-i-saw-a-coyote-walking-through-the-sagebrush-right-at/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [Love Poem ـــــــــ It's so nice to wake up in the morning all alone and not have to tell somebody you love them when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/love-poem-it-s-so-nice-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-all-alone-and-not/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/in-watermelon-sugar-the-deeds-were-done-and-done-again-as-my-life-is/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) [Explore all 145 Richard Brautigan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) ## 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": "“Congratulations,\" I said. \"It's so wonderful to write a book.\" \"I walked all the way here,\" she said. \"I started at midnight. I would have gotten here sooner if I weren't so old.\" \"Where do you live?\" I said. \"The Kit Carson Hotel,\" she said. \"And I've written a book.\" Then she handed it proudly to me as if it were the most precious thing in the world. And it was. It was a loose-leaf notebook of the type that you find everywhere in America. There is no place that does not have them. There was a heavy label pasted on the cover and written in broad green crayon across the label was the title: GROWING FLOWERS BY CANDLELIGHT IN HOTEL ROOMS BY MRS. CHARLES FINE ADAMS”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Brautigan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful-to-write-a-book-i-walked-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful-to-write-a-book-i-walked-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/richard-brautigan-2765_books_congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful_440566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Congratulations,\" I said. \"It's so wonderful to write a book.\" \"I walked all the way here,\" she said. \"I…” — Richard Brautigan", "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": "Richard Brautigan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Congratulations,\" I said. \"It's so wonderful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful-to-write-a-book-i-walked-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/congratulations-i-said-it-s-so-wonderful-to-write-a-book-i-walked-all/#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 } } ] } ```