--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I hope I will never have a life that…" description: "\"But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth and glue, such perishable things for id..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg" --- # But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded… ![“But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth and glue, such perishable things for ideas have lasted thousands of years . . . I hope I am always walled in by the very weight and breadth and clumsy, inefficient, antiquated bulk of…” quote by Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg) > “But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth and glue, such perishable things for ideas have lasted thousands of years . . . I hope I am always walled in by the very weight and breadth and clumsy, inefficient, antiquated bulk of them, hope that I spend my last days on this Earth arranging and rearranging them on thrones of good, honest pine, oak, and mahogany, because I just like to look at their covers, and dream of the promise of the great stories inside.” [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker cherishes the physicality of books, seeing them as enduring vessels for ideas that outlast fleeting digital media. **In simple terms:** Loves real books for their lasting, tangible nature. Key Takeaway Physical books embody lasting ideas. Themes literature material culture nostalgia knowledge preservation Mood reverent reflective Type personal reflection celebration of reading When to use this quote - building a personal library - gift-giving books - studying in a quiet reading room Key Concepts tactile experience historical continuity Practical Applications - curate a personal book collection - use books as décor to inspire reading Questions to Reflect On - Why do we value physical objects over digital ones? - How does the medium affect our relationship with ideas? A Different Perspective Physical books are costly and less portable than digital alternatives, limiting accessibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Last day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-day/) [Last Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-days/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mahogany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mahogany/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[I\] threw open the door to find Rob sit­ting on the low stool in front of my book­case, sur­round­ed by card­board box­es. 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Donleavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-donleavy-2/) ## More by Rick Bragg > [Momma kept a garden, which sounds romantic to people who have never held a hoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/momma-kept-a-garden-which-sounds-romantic-to-people-who-have-never/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“…dreaming backwards can carry a man through some dark rooms where the walls seem lined with razor blades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/dreaming-backwards-can-carry-a-man-through-some-dark-rooms-where-the/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“On every pack leaned an M16, except Lori’s. Her son was playing soldier with it in the bleachers. There was no clip in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/on-every-pack-leaned-an-m16-except-lori-s-her-son-was-playing-soldier/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [Passion is something you really don't miss, after it has cooled. 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I hope I am always walled in by the very weight and breadth and clumsy, inefficient, antiquated bulk of them, hope that I spend my last days on this Earth arranging and rearranging them on thrones of good, honest pine, oak, and mahogany, because I just like to look at their covers, and dream of the promise of the great stories inside.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Bragg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rick-bragg-12837_book_but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that_105879.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and…” — Rick Bragg", "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": "Rick Bragg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But I hope I will never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/#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 } } ] } ```