--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good book holds you down. It’s an…" description: "\"A good book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.\" — Roy Blount, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/roy-blount-jr-10266_anchor_a-good-book-holds-you-down-it-s-an-ancho_3162289.png" --- # A good book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you… ![“A good book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.” quote by Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/roy-blount-jr-10266_anchor_a-good-book-holds-you-down-it-s-an-ancho_3162289.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/roy-blount-jr-10266_anchor_a-good-book-holds-you-down-it-s-an-ancho_3162289.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/roy-blount-jr-10266_anchor_a-good-book-holds-you-down-it-s-an-ancho_3162289.png) > “A good book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.” [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book can be so absorbing that it distracts you from other activities, even drinking. **In simple terms:** A gripping book keeps you from other things. Key Takeaway Read mindfully, balance leisure. Themes reading distraction leisure balance Mood reflective humorous Type literary observational When to use this quote - studying - socializing - relaxation - personal growth Key Concepts absorption escape habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance reading with other duties? - What makes a book truly captivating? A Different Perspective Overindulgence in reading may neglect responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Gin and tonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gin-and-tonic/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) ## Related quotes > [A good heavy book holds you down. It's an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/a-good-heavy-book-holds-you-down-it-s-an-anchor-that-keeps-you-from/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [I had an Aston Martin phone worth ?15,000 given to me as a present. I dropped it in a gin and tonic about 15…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jordan/i-had-an-aston-martin-phone-worth-15-000-given-to-me-as-a-present-i/) [Simon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jordan/) > [The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen's lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-gin-and-tonic-has-saved-more-englishmen-s-lives-and-minds-than/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [This was a dream. A very bad, bad dream, brought on by liver poisoning from too many gin and tonics. Here it was, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/this-was-a-dream-a-very-bad-bad-dream-brought-on-by-liver-poisoning/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [I exercise strong self control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-exercise-strong-self-control-i-never-drink-anything-stronger-than/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [All the way out I listen to the car AM radio, bad lyrics of trailer park love, gin and tonic love, strobe light love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/all-the-way-out-i-listen-to-the-car-am-radio-bad-lyrics-of-trailer/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Part of her doing suicide intervention is my caseworker has to mix me another gin and tonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/part-of-her-doing-suicide-intervention-is-my-caseworker-has-to-mix-me/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I don't know what reception I'm at, but for God's sake give me a gin and tonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-thatcher/i-don-t-know-what-reception-i-m-at-but-for-god-s-sake-give-me-a-gin/) [Denis Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-thatcher/) > [I've never felt scared of flight, ever. It's really weird. I don't know. They stick a gin and tonic in your hands and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-campbell/i-ve-never-felt-scared-of-flight-ever-it-s-really-weird-i-don-t-know/) [Dallas Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-campbell/) > [Personally, I believe a rocking hammock, a good cigar, and a tall gin-and-tonic is the way to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/personally-i-believe-a-rocking-hammock-a-good-cigar-and-a-tall-gin/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In Western Australia they don't even know how to make that vital piece of sailboating equipment, the gin and tonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-western-australia-they-don-t-even-know-how-to-make-that-vital/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'm hooked on gin and tonics like your mama's Hooked on Phonics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tash/i-m-hooked-on-gin-and-tonics-like-your-mama-s-hooked-on-phonics/) Tash > [Arthur shook his head and sat down. He looked up. “I thought you must be dead …” he said simply. “So did I for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/arthur-shook-his-head-and-sat-down-he-looked-up-i-thought-you-must-be/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I work for three or four hours a day, in the late morning and early afternoon. Then I go out for a walk and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-work-for-three-or-four-hours-a-day-in-the-late-morning-and-early/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [When I arrived in Beirut from Europe, I felt the oppressive, damp heat, saw the unkempt palm trees and smelt the Arabic coffee, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/when-i-arrived-in-beirut-from-europe-i-felt-the-oppressive-damp-heat/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) ## More by Roy Blount, Jr > [I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-writer-s-block-is-simply-the-dread-that-you-are-going-to/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Doctors and lawyers must go to school for years and years, often with little sleep and with great sacrifice to their first wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/doctors-and-lawyers-must-go-to-school-for-years-and-years-often-with/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Lots of people have expressed consternation that I haven't gotten rid of Southern accent, but I just never saw any reason to lose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/lots-of-people-have-expressed-consternation-that-i-haven-t-gotten-rid/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [New York walking isn't exercise: it's a continually showing make-your-own movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/new-york-walking-isn-t-exercise-it-s-a-continually-showing-make-your/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Going to Vanderbilt did a lot of things for me, and one of the things it cured me of was the need to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/going-to-vanderbilt-did-a-lot-of-things-for-me-and-one-of-the-things/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [I've never thought it was necessary to make fun of people - you can find fun in people without necessarily mocking them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-ve-never-thought-it-was-necessary-to-make-fun-of-people-you-can/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Many a person has been saved from summer alcoholism, not to mention hypertoxicity, by Dostoyevsky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/many-a-person-has-been-saved-from-summer-alcoholism-not-to-mention/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Studying literature at Harvard is like learning about women at the Mayo Clinic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/studying-literature-at-harvard-is-like-learning-about-women-at-the/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Being president of too many well-meaning organizations put my father into an early grave. The lesson in this was not lost on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/being-president-of-too-many-well-meaning-organizations-put-my-father/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Twiddle-twiddle away at my softly clicky keyboard for a while, making twiddly adjustments all along- and then print what I have twiddled. Glare at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/twiddle-twiddle-away-at-my-softly-clicky-keyboard-for-a-while-making/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [That's American English for you: more roots than a mangrove swamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/that-s-american-english-for-you-more-roots-than-a-mangrove-swamp/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [I do some eccentric dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-do-some-eccentric-dancing/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [“When mannequins have nipples, it's a cold-hearted world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/when-mannequins-have-nipples-it-s-a-cold-hearted-world/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [I just think lots of words have physicality. How about the word 'wobble?' You think that's arbitrary? When you say the word 'wince,' you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-just-think-lots-of-words-have-physicality-how-about-the-word-wobble/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [English is an outrageous tangle of those derivations and other multifarious linguistic influences, from Yiddish to Shoshone, which has grown up around a gnarly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/english-is-an-outrageous-tangle-of-those-derivations-and-other/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) [Explore all 67 Roy Blount, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) ## More Anchor quotes > [“But, he continues, if you need something to hold on to until you feel grounded, I make a pretty good anchor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasie-west/but-he-continues-if-you-need-something-to-hold-on-to-until-you-feel/) [Kasie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasie-west/) > [A child who goes to school but learns nothing is like an anchor that is always in the sea yet doesnt learn to swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-child-who-goes-to-school-but-learns-nothing-is-like-an-anchor-that/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Where it all ends I can't fathom, my friends. If I knew, I might toss out my anchor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/where-it-all-ends-i-can-t-fathom-my-friends-if-i-knew-i-might-toss/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [The news anchor is exactly that - an anchor, a center, a focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-savitch/the-news-anchor-is-exactly-that-an-anchor-a-center-a-focus/) [Jessica Savitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-savitch/) > [My mom taught me the power of love. I learned to focus on the long-term big picture from my father. His sense of humor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/my-mom-taught-me-the-power-of-love-i-learned-to-focus-on-the-long/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/cast-all-your-cares-on-god-that-anchor-holds/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Sometimes you have to be your own anchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-have-to-be-your-own-anchor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground. I'll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-be-the-anchor-that-keeps-my-feet-on-the-ground-i-ll-be-the-wings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As an anchor, I want to make sure we're exploring all angles on a story. The viewer can make up their own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-regan/as-an-anchor-i-want-to-make-sure-we-re-exploring-all-angles-on-a/) [Trish Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-regan/) > [The bass line is the anchor for me. I started with the bass, and either doubled that and then added the harmonies, or sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-haden/the-bass-line-is-the-anchor-for-me-i-started-with-the-bass-and-either/) [Petra Haden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-haden/) > [I worked in three local news markets and in every single one of them, they said: 'You're a lousy anchor. We would love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-vargas/i-worked-in-three-local-news-markets-and-in-every-single-one-of-them/) [Elizabeth Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-vargas/) > [Ultimate hope constitutes the anchor of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/ultimate-hope-constitutes-the-anchor-of-the-soul/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [I was a news anchor in Macon for a year and a half, and a news reporter for exactly one year in Spartanburg before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-johnson-jr/i-was-a-news-anchor-in-macon-for-a-year-and-a-half-and-a-news/) [Ernie Johnson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-johnson-jr/) > [The real test of an anchor is when there's a very big event. Sept. 11 is the quintessential example of that, and that day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-real-test-of-an-anchor-is-when-there-s-a-very-big-event-sept-11/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [Going from reporter to anchor is like going from wide receiver to quarterback. As anchor, you're running the plays and having the feel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/going-from-reporter-to-anchor-is-like-going-from-wide-receiver-to/) [Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/) Browse all 225 Anchor quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good book holds you down. 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