--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Librarian is a service occupation. Gas…" description: "\"Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind.\" — Richard Powers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg" --- # Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant… ![“Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind.” quote by Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg) > “Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind.” [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A librarian provides mental assistance much like a gas station fuels travelers. **In simple terms:** Librarians help minds like fuel stations fuel bodies. Key Takeaway Recognize the intellectual support librarians give. Themes service knowledge support Mood appreciative thoughtful Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - research - studying - reading - learning Key Concepts information access community building Questions to Reflect On - How does a librarian’s role extend beyond books? - What mental “fuel” do you seek? A Different Perspective Limited resources can restrict service reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attendant Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attendant-mind-2584563/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas/) [Gas station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas-station/) [Gas stations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas-stations/) [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Librarian Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian-service-4052609/) [Libraries and librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries-and-librarians/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Station Attendant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/station-attendant-4052610/) [Thought provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-provoking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Envy, the attendant of the empty mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/envy-the-attendant-of-the-empty-mind/) [Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/) > [I'm stranded all alone in the gas station of love, and I have to use the self service pump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-stranded-all-alone-in-the-gas-station-of-love-and-i-have-to-use/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Psycho? The woman's senile. We had to stop at about thirty gas stations on the way over here. Finally I got tired of getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/psycho-the-woman-s-senile-we-had-to-stop-at-about-thirty-gas-stations/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [So I was at the gas station the other day, and I saw that there was braille on the pumps. I don't see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/so-i-was-at-the-gas-station-the-other-day-and-i-saw-that-there-was/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [All of Iraq's oil fields are under U.S. control which is ironic considering all the gas stations here are run by Middle Easterners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/all-of-iraq-s-oil-fields-are-under-u-s-control-which-is-ironic/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I have candy all the time. I live on gummy bears and peach rings. They're like dried-up peaches, only dipped in sugar. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-have-candy-all-the-time-i-live-on-gummy-bears-and-peach-rings-they/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [I'm a vegan. But, no one believes it because when you're out in the field, most of your meal options involve meat with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-lapin/i-m-a-vegan-but-no-one-believes-it-because-when-you-re-out-in-the/) [Nicole Lapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-lapin/) > [I had a lot of jobs, because I wanted to be an actor, and I had this bad habit of wanting to eat regularly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hilton-jacobs/i-had-a-lot-of-jobs-because-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-had-this/) [Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hilton-jacobs/) > [After the oil spill, I had this strong feeling that if I ever were to be blessed in having children, I never wanted my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/after-the-oil-spill-i-had-this-strong-feeling-that-if-i-ever-were-to/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) > [I'm so in love with the United States. Not as a patriot. I'm in love with America like it's my first girlfriend. The geography,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-gallo/i-m-so-in-love-with-the-united-states-not-as-a-patriot-i-m-in-love/) [Vincent Gallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-gallo/) > [The consumption of alcohol is increasing among youth. Targeting young audiences, advertisers portray beer and wine as joyful, socially desirable, and harmless. Producers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/the-consumption-of-alcohol-is-increasing-among-youth-targeting-young/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [You might be a redneck if your wife wants to stop at the gas station to see if they've got the new Darrell Waltrip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-wife-wants-to-stop-at-the-gas-station/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [I don't live in the papal residence. I live in a simple apartment behind the Vatican gas station.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-don-t-live-in-the-papal-residence-i-live-in-a-simple-apartment/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I know quickly whether a guy is boyfriend material. If I can have a good time doing absolutely nothing with him, then that's boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-hannigan/i-know-quickly-whether-a-guy-is-boyfriend-material-if-i-can-have-a/) [Alyson Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-hannigan/) > [This game has taken a lot of guys over the years who would have had to work in factories and gas stations and made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sparky-anderson/this-game-has-taken-a-lot-of-guys-over-the-years-who-would-have-had/) [Sparky Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sparky-anderson/) ## More by Richard Powers > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“It seemed to me that half of life’s problems would be solved if one of us had a vagina.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/it-seemed-to-me-that-half-of-life-s-problems-would-be-solved-if-one/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Information may travel at light speed, but meaning spreads at the speed of dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/information-may-travel-at-light-speed-but-meaning-spreads-at-the/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Science is not about control. It is about cultivating a perpetual condition of wonder in the face of something that forever grows one step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/science-is-not-about-control-it-is-about-cultivating-a-perpetual/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [What we can do should never by itself determine what we choose to do, yet this is the way technology tends to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/what-we-can-do-should-never-by-itself-determine-what-we-choose-to-do/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I really like science because it seems to be that place where you get the big picture, everything connects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-really-like-science-because-it-seems-to-be-that-place-where-you-get/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [For me, university was just awful because it was closing one door after the other of all these candy shops of professional possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/for-me-university-was-just-awful-because-it-was-closing-one-door/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [We will live with racism for ever. But senses of self, senses of belonging, senses of us and of others? Those are up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/we-will-live-with-racism-for-ever-but-senses-of-self-senses-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Reading is the last act of secular prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/reading-is-the-last-act-of-secular-prayer/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Time passes, as the novelist says. The single most useful trick of fiction for our repair and refreshment: the defeat of time. A century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/time-passes-as-the-novelist-says-the-single-most-useful-trick-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [A book is still atemporal. It is you, in silence, hearing voices in your head, unfolding at a time that has nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/a-book-is-still-atemporal-it-is-you-in-silence-hearing-voices-in-your/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [My dream has always been to suspend myself in space when I write, and lying horizontal in bed is the closest to doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/my-dream-has-always-been-to-suspend-myself-in-space-when-i-write-and/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Je ne fais aucun mal en restant ici. I do no harm by remaining here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/je-ne-fais-aucun-mal-en-restant-ici-i-do-no-harm-by-remaining-here/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [The use of music is to remind us how short a time we have a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/the-use-of-music-is-to-remind-us-how-short-a-time-we-have-a-body/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Explore all 84 Richard Powers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## 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": "Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Powers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-station-attendant-of-the-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-station-attendant-of-the-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/richard-powers-8111_book_librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-st_2889987.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind.” — Richard Powers", "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 Powers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Librarian is a service occupation. Gas...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-station-attendant-of-the-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/librarian-is-a-service-occupation-gas-station-attendant-of-the-mind/#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 } } ] } ```