--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The library is a whispering post. You…" description: "\"“The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png" --- # The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a… ![“The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed that if he or she spoke, someone would listen. It was that affirmation that always amazed me. Even the oddest…” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png) > ““The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed that if he or she spoke, someone would listen. It was that affirmation that always amazed me. Even the oddest, most peculiar book was written with that kind of courage -- the writer's belief that someone would find his or her book important to read. I was struck by how precious and foolish and brave that belief is, and how necessary, and how full of hope it is to collect these books and manuscripts and preserve them. It declares that stories matter, and so does every effort to create something that connects us to one another, and to our past, and to what is still to come.”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote celebrates libraries as living spaces where books embody voices waiting to be heard, highlighting the courage of writers who trust readers will find value, and the hope in preserving stories for connection across time. **In simple terms:** Libraries hold voices and hope; preserving stories connects us. Key Takeaway Preserve and share stories to keep hope alive. Themes preservation hope connection literature courage Mood reflective inspirational hopeful Type observational philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - library work - archiving - reading clubs - education - community events Key Concepts cultural memory authorial intent collective identity Questions to Reflect On - How does a library stay vital in a digital age? - What responsibilities do we have to keep forgotten stories alive? A Different Perspective Preservation alone cannot guarantee relevance; changing media may shift how stories are accessed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Telling stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In my book, that's the most important thing: loving and taking care of your family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/in-my-book-that-s-the-most-important-thing-loving-and-taking-care-of/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [“I never knew book were important than anything even humans until i discovered that books are straight forward why humans are unstable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oladeji-jeremy/i-never-knew-book-were-important-than-anything-even-humans-until-i/) Oladeji jeremy > [I think this book, Matthew Desmond's "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.", if you have a friend who is a public official,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/i-think-this-book-matthew-desmond-s-evicted-poverty-and-profit-in-the/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [You need to change yourself. The moment that you change yourself it is a gigantic step. And this is what I do. The book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-need-to-change-yourself-the-moment-that-you-change-yourself-it-is/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The book is not the important part. The book is the delivery system. The important part is the story and the talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-book-is-not-the-important-part-the-book-is-the-delivery-system/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Mr. Stegall has birthed a very important book that will help us as a people go to the next level. This book is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gaskins-jr/mr-stegall-has-birthed-a-very-important-book-that-will-help-us-as-a/) Tony Gaskins Jr > [I feel luck plays a vey crucial role in determining the success of the book. Marketing a book is also very important. You need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/i-feel-luck-plays-a-vey-crucial-role-in-determining-the-success-of/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Darwin's book is very important and serves me as a basis in natural science for the class struggle in history. One has to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/darwin-s-book-is-very-important-and-serves-me-as-a-basis-in-natural/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [A book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-book-is-less-important-for-what-it-says-than-for-what-it-makes-you/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“... The Book is more important than your plans for it. You have to go with what works for The Book ~ if your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-book-is-more-important-than-your-plans-for-it-you-have-to-go-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any book, which is at all important, should be reread immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/any-book-which-is-at-all-important-should-be-reread-immediately/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [She can take a year to read something, whereas I like a book that becomes more important in my life that life itself. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/she-can-take-a-year-to-read-something-whereas-i-like-a-book-that/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [“I burned to defend myself, but fortunately I had a bright idea. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if I began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-beevers/i-burned-to-defend-myself-but-fortunately-i-had-a-bright-idea-i-knew/) [John Beevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-beevers/) > [What we really need the poet's and orator's I help to keep alive in us is not, then, the common and gregarious courage which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-we-really-need-the-poet-s-and-orator-s-i-help-to-keep-alive-in/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“He was training people to become “sacred warriors”—not so that they could do battle with others but so that they could develop the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/he-was-training-people-to-become-sacred-warriors-not-so-that-they/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## 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": "“The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed that if he or she spoke, someone would listen. It was that affirmation that always amazed me. Even the oddest, most peculiar book was written with that kind of courage -- the writer's belief that someone would find his or her book important to read. I was struck by how precious and foolish and brave that belief is, and how necessary, and how full of hope it is to collect these books and manuscripts and preserve them. It declares that stories matter, and so does every effort to create something that connects us to one another, and to our past, and to what is still to come.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Orlean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don-t-need-to-take-a-book-off-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don-t-need-to-take-a-book-off-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12a/susan-orlean-2207_book_the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don_325962.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside…” — Susan Orlean", "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": "Susan Orlean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The library is a whispering post....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don-t-need-to-take-a-book-off-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-library-is-a-whispering-post-you-don-t-need-to-take-a-book-off-a/#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 } } ] } ```