--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was reading some complex books in my…" description: "\"I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I didnt always understand every word, let alone every concept-but I got the main thrust, which..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg" --- # I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I… ![“I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I didnt always understand every word, let alone every concept-but I got the main thrust, which was like a lifeline in a fluctuating world.” quote by Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg) > “I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I didnt always understand every word, let alone every concept-but I got the main thrust, which was like a lifeline in a fluctuating world.” [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding core messages can guide us through uncertainty, even if details elude us. **In simple terms:** Grasp the main idea to navigate change. Key Takeaway Focus on essential insights. Themes learning resilience clarity navigation Mood thoughtful hopeful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - education - career challenges - personal growth - mental health Key Concepts core concepts lifelines Questions to Reflect On - What core ideas guide you in chaos? - How do you handle missing details? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex topics, missing nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lifelines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifelines/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [By the way of connecting with subject, with theme, I was able to find a kind of lifeline. Writing's like a lifeline. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/by-the-way-of-connecting-with-subject-with-theme-i-was-able-to-find-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“The shared secret of our second lives hangs between us, not like a weight, but like a lifeline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/the-shared-secret-of-our-second-lives-hangs-between-us-not-like-a/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“People talk about books being an escape...this one feels more like a lifeline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/people-talk-about-books-being-an-escape-this-one-feels-more-like-a/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“People talk about books being an escape, but here on the tube, this one feels more like a lifeline...The motion of the train makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/people-talk-about-books-being-an-escape-but-here-on-the-tube-this-one/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [We have to appreciate that we are part of nature, we must work with nature; the environment is our lifeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-pugh/we-have-to-appreciate-that-we-are-part-of-nature-we-must-work-with/) [Lewis Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-pugh/) > [People who won't help others in trouble "because they got into trouble through their own fault" would probably not throw a lifeline to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/people-who-won-t-help-others-in-trouble-because-they-got-into-trouble/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Yes, older drivers are more likely to injure themselves and others when they get behind the wheel. But if you take that away, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/yes-older-drivers-are-more-likely-to-injure-themselves-and-others/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [my love isn't a weapon, it's a lifeline, reach out and take hold, and don't let go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/my-love-isn-t-a-weapon-it-s-a-lifeline-reach-out-and-take-hold-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [The laboratory routine, which involves a great deal of measurement, filing, and tabulation, is either my lifeline or my chief handicap, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/the-laboratory-routine-which-involves-a-great-deal-of-measurement/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) > [ I really think \[William\] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-onto-something-here-when-he-said/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think, with music in general, people just inevitably connect with feeling. The opportunity to hear expressed feeling. And that's what has always drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-with-music-in-general-people-just-inevitably-connect-with/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [My cell phone is my best friend. It's my lifeline to the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/my-cell-phone-is-my-best-friend-it-s-my-lifeline-to-the-outside-world/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Prayer is our essential lifeline to God's throne and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/prayer-is-our-essential-lifeline-to-god-s-throne-and-heart/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) ## More by Tanith Lee > [No one more cynical than an idealist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/no-one-more-cynical-than-an-idealist/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [The humble were the elect of God. Did not the priests teach so, in their gemmed, kingly robes, from their towering pulpits?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/the-humble-were-the-elect-of-god-did-not-the-priests-teach-so-in/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“Having told of so much beauty, how is it possible to tell of her? There are no words left on the earth in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/having-told-of-so-much-beauty-how-is-it-possible-to-tell-of-her-there/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [As a child, my mother told me lots of fairy stories, many her own invention. She, too, tended to reverse the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/as-a-child-my-mother-told-me-lots-of-fairy-stories-many-her-own/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“Often misunderstood, Dionysus is far more than a wine deity. 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But to say it's too complex is to insult the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/if-they-had-said-my-writing-wasn-t-good-enough-fair-enough-that-s-an/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“Louisa beheld the grounds and house with the calm pleasure of one who has seen nothing, been nowhere, expects everything, and has little imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/louisa-beheld-the-grounds-and-house-with-the-calm-pleasure-of-one-who/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“Live and let love. Love and let go. Go live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/live-and-let-love-love-and-let-go-go-live/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [Pirates have always fascinated me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/pirates-have-always-fascinated-me/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“All the Scarabae—all but one—were crowded in the garden. They watched her. Their grim old faces gave away nothing. Like elderly kiddies at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/all-the-scarabae-all-but-one-were-crowded-in-the-garden-they-watched/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“She did this not out of fear of him, but out of pity. Because she had come to see the ultimate terrible truth behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/she-did-this-not-out-of-fear-of-him-but-out-of-pity-because-she-had/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and nonfiction. And even there, who can be sure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/writing-is-writing-and-stories-are-stories-perhaps-the-only-true/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“Tanaquil gently toed the peeve. "I'll unfasten the window. Jump out to the lower roof and run." "Stay and bite," said the peeve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/tanaquil-gently-toed-the-peeve-i-ll-unfasten-the-window-jump-out-to/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) [Explore all 131 Tanith Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) ## 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": "I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I didnt always understand every word, let alone every concept-but I got the main thrust, which was like a lifeline in a fluctuating world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tanith Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-own-youth-and-no-i-didnt/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-own-youth-and-no-i-didnt/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/tanith-lee-3374_book_i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-o_1728962.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was reading some complex books in my own youth-and no, I didnt always understand every word, let alone…” — Tanith Lee", "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": "Tanith Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was reading some complex books...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-own-youth-and-no-i-didnt/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-was-reading-some-complex-books-in-my-own-youth-and-no-i-didnt/#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 } } ] } ```