--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aziraphale collected books. If he were…" description: "\"Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/terry-pratchett-19_book_aziraphale-collected-books-if-he-were-to_1882609.jpg" --- # Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with… ![“Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them. He was not unusual in this. In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand book seller, he used every means short of actual physical…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/terry-pratchett-19_book_aziraphale-collected-books-if-he-were-to_1882609.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/terry-pratchett-19_book_aziraphale-collected-books-if-he-were-to_1882609.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/terry-pratchett-19_book_aziraphale-collected-books-if-he-were-to_1882609.jpg) > “Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them. He was not unusual in this. In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand book seller, he used every means short of actual physical violence to prevent customers from making a purchase. Unpleasant damp smells, glowering looks, erratic opening hours - he was incredibly good at it.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aziraphale hides his true love of books behind a façade of a typical second‑hand shop, using subtle deterrents to avoid selling them. **In simple terms:** He pretends his shop is just a storage place while secretly cherishing the books. Key Takeaway Accept your passions even if you must conceal them. Themes secrecy passion bookstore Mood wry reflective Type literary humorous When to use this quote - running a used‑book shop - protecting personal collections - managing customer expectations Key Concepts deception love of literature self‑preservation Questions to Reflect On - Do you hide what you truly love? - How can you balance honesty with self‑protection? A Different Perspective His tactics may alienate genuine customers and limit sales. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admitted Bookshop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admitted-bookshop-2668975/) [Aziraphale Collected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aziraphale-collected-2668974/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bookshop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshop/) [Bookshops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshops/) [Collected Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collected-books-2668976/) [Erratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erratic/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Opening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Physical violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-violence/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Store Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/store-unusual-2668977/) [Stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stores/) [Typical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typical/) [Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unusual/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'd love to do a whole series of stories and have them collected into books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aragones/i-d-love-to-do-a-whole-series-of-stories-and-have-them-collected-into/) [Sergio Aragones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aragones/) > [“On a spring day in 1988…a Massachusetts man who collected books about local history was rummaging through a bin in a New Hampshire antiques…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-hoover-bartlett/on-a-spring-day-in-1988-a-massachusetts-man-who-collected-books-about/) [Allison Hoover Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-hoover-bartlett/) > [The truth is that even big collections of ordinary books distort space, as can readily be proved by anyone who has been around a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-truth-is-that-even-big-collections-of-ordinary-books-distort/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-good-bookshop-is-just-a-genteel-black-hole-that-knows-how-to-read/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The bookshop of Kipps is on the left-hand side of the Hythe High Street coming from Folkestone, between the yard of the livery stable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-bookshop-of-kipps-is-on-the-left-hand-side-of-the-hythe-high/) [H.G. 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If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them. He was not unusual in this. In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand book seller, he used every means short of actual physical violence to prevent customers from making a purchase. 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