--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While reading 'David Copperfield' in the…" description: "\"While reading 'David Copperfield' in the middle of the night - probably because of the light, I had insomnia for the first time - I looked out of the w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/siri-hustvedt-860_because_while-reading-david-copperfield-in-the-m_2051642.jpg" --- # While reading 'David Copperfield' in the middle of the… ![“While reading 'David Copperfield' in the middle of the night - probably because of the light, I had insomnia for the first time - I looked out of the window and thought, 'If this is what books can do, this is what I want to do.'” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/siri-hustvedt-860_because_while-reading-david-copperfield-in-the-m_2051642.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/siri-hustvedt-860_because_while-reading-david-copperfield-in-the-m_2051642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/siri-hustvedt-860_because_while-reading-david-copperfield-in-the-m_2051642.jpg) > “While reading 'David Copperfield' in the middle of the night - probably because of the light, I had insomnia for the first time - I looked out of the window and thought, 'If this is what books can do, this is what I want to do.'” [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading can awaken deep desire and purpose, inspiring life direction. **In simple terms:** Books inspire purpose. Key Takeaway Follow the call of inspiration. Themes inspiration reading purpose identity Mood enthusiastic reflective Type motivational literary When to use this quote - career choice - creative projects - academic research - personal development - artistic pursuits Key Concepts existentialism literary influence self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What purpose does reading awaken in you? - How will you translate inspiration into concrete steps? A Different Perspective Inspiration may be fleeting without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/david/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/david-copperfield/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Insomnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomnia/) [Insomnia Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomnia-time-3870066/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Insomnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-insomnia-3870065/) [Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-night/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-books-251088/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) ## Related quotes > [Sleep resistance, bouts of insomnia, nightmares, night terrors, crawling into bed with parents in the middle of the night - all these are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/sleep-resistance-bouts-of-insomnia-nightmares-night-terrors-crawling/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I thought \[books ban\] was crazy. Really my thoughts were "This is America, we don't do this here" but of course I know a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/i-thought-books-ban-was-crazy-really-my-thoughts-were-this-is-america/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [“She loved books. She loved them with her senses and her intellect. They way they looked and smelled; the way they felt in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/she-loved-books-she-loved-them-with-her-senses-and-her-intellect-they/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“And I thought about books. And for the first time I realized that a man was behind each one of the books. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/and-i-thought-about-books-and-for-the-first-time-i-realized-that-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“I’ve always thought that books have some kind of healing power and that they can, if nothing else, provide a distraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katarina-bivald/i-ve-always-thought-that-books-have-some-kind-of-healing-power-and/) [Katarina Bivald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katarina-bivald/) > [I've often thought books give you - put you in a world that you never thought you could go. And I often would say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ray-hinton/i-ve-often-thought-books-give-you-put-you-in-a-world-that-you-never/) [Anthony Ray Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ray-hinton/) > [ “\[When under stress I thought of\] the books I had read \[and applied\] them to myself. I \[imagined I was\] one of the characters… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/when-under-stress-i-thought-of-the-books-i-had-read-and-applied-them/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“I thought about the people I had met who were in pain but were pretending that everything was fine. And I thought, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-schumacher/i-thought-about-the-people-i-had-met-who-were-in-pain-but-were/) [Julie Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-schumacher/) > [“... He who thought at last the books would tell him why people couldn't stay, and how their maps unraveled into ink-dissolving roads, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyatt-prunty/he-who-thought-at-last-the-books-would-tell-him-why-people-couldn-t/) [Wyatt Prunty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyatt-prunty/) > [We do not belong to those who only get their thought from books, or at the prompting of books, -- it is our custom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-do-not-belong-to-those-who-only-get-their-thought-from-books-or-at/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The thought of these vast stacks of books would drive him mad: the more he read, the less he seemed to know — the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/the-thought-of-these-vast-stacks-of-books-would-drive-him-mad-the/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [ “\[...\] I'd wake up in the middle of the night to the Star-Spangled Banner and some old film of a flag blowing in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-montoure/i-d-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-the-star-spangled-banner/) [Michael Montoure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-montoure/) > [I was 13 when I had my first bout of insomnia. My family was in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the summer, and day never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-was-13-when-i-had-my-first-bout-of-insomnia-my-family-was-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I am convinced that during bouts of insomnia, I have sometimes slept without knowing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-convinced-that-during-bouts-of-insomnia-i-have-sometimes-slept/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More by Siri Hustvedt > [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. 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They go hand in hand. To one degree or another, we all invent our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-faculty-of-memory-cannot-be-separated-from-the-imagination-they/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Looking is part of love, but what you see when you look is anybody's guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/looking-is-part-of-love-but-what-you-see-when-you-look-is-anybody-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Every sickness has an alien quality, a feeling of invasion and loss of control that is evident in the language we use about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/every-sickness-has-an-alien-quality-a-feeling-of-invasion-and-loss-of/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I have a tendency to face my bad fantasies in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-have-a-tendency-to-face-my-bad-fantasies-in-my-books/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The outside also becomes us. A human being is born an unfinished organism and as the person develops experience with others becomes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-outside-also-becomes-us-a-human-being-is-born-an-unfinished/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I am an American, but a sense of otherness was part of my growing up. I spoke Norwegian before I spoke English. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-an-american-but-a-sense-of-otherness-was-part-of-my-growing-up-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) [Explore all 330 Siri Hustvedt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. 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