---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back at his chair he cannot remember what…"
description: "\"Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading. He feels the books beside him to find the one that is warm.\" — Thomas Harris"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png"
---

#  Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading…

![“Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading. He feels the books beside him to find the one that is warm.” quote by Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png)

> “Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading. He feels the books beside him to find the one that is warm.”

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character forgets his reading, feels the books for warmth, suggesting a need for comfort and familiarity in knowledge.

**In simple terms:** He seeks warm books when he forgets reading.

Key Takeaway

Find comfort in familiar sources when confused.

Themes

memory comfort reading search

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- library visits
- study habits
- comfort objects

Key Concepts

tactile learning emotional connection

Questions to Reflect On

- What does warmth symbolize for you?
- How do you balance comfort with novelty?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on comfort may limit exploration of new ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [“The brother shivers. The woman weeps. And the girl goes on reading, for that's why she's there, and it feels good to be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/the-brother-shivers-the-woman-weeps-and-the-girl-goes-on-reading-for/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“ Books — the warm, leather-skinned weight of them in your hands, the way they smelled when you lifted them close to your face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/books-the-warm-leather-skinned-weight-of-them-in-your-hands-the-way/)

[Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/)

> [“I was walking up and down the rows of books at the antiquarian bookseller's in Karlova Street. Now and then I would take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wieslaw-mysliwski/i-was-walking-up-and-down-the-rows-of-books-at-the-antiquarian/)

Wieslaw Mysliwski

> [When most people come in from work, 95 percent of them reach for the remote control. Then they read before they go to sleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/when-most-people-come-in-from-work-95-percent-of-them-reach-for-the/)

[Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/)

> [The Catcher in the Rye had such a deep impact on me, because it felt like it was just Holden and me. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-blanchard/the-catcher-in-the-rye-had-such-a-deep-impact-on-me-because-it-felt/)

[Rowan Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-blanchard/)

> [Books can warm the heart with friendly words and counsel, entering into a close relationship with us which is articulate and alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petrarch/books-can-warm-the-heart-with-friendly-words-and-counsel-entering/)

[Petrarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petrarch/)

> [I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird when I was 12. What I liked about it is that it was all seen through a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-remember-reading-to-kill-a-mockingbird-when-i-was-12-what-i-liked/)

[Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/)

> [“Remember, you're reading for pleasure. If you pick up a book and don't like it, put it down. Never read what you think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-riley/remember-you-re-reading-for-pleasure-if-you-pick-up-a-book-and-don-t/)

Philip Riley

> [“I think we should always remember that reading -- the experience of a book -- is a very private, very personal kind of thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/i-think-we-should-always-remember-that-reading-the-experience-of-a/)

[Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/)

> [It is well to remember that reading books about the Bible is a very different thing to searching the Word for oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/it-is-well-to-remember-that-reading-books-about-the-bible-is-a-very/)

[Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/)

> [I remember when I was reading 'The Bear,' I was reading as a kid. All these years later, one returns to that for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milch/i-remember-when-i-was-reading-the-bear-i-was-reading-as-a-kid-all/)

[David Milch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milch/)

> [I remember reading about the Marie Celeste when I was a kid and becoming obsessed with what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-remember-reading-about-the-marie-celeste-when-i-was-a-kid-and/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

> [From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/from-my-foster-parents-the-deans-i-received-the-love-that-was/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

> [I remember reading the book in high school and always thinking of Gatsby as this strong, stoic, suave, mysterious man who had everything under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-remember-reading-the-book-in-high-school-and-always-thinking-of/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [“But remember that reading provides nourishment for hungers we might not even be aware of. How often have I chosen a book at random…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ann-fennelly/but-remember-that-reading-provides-nourishment-for-hungers-we-might/)

[Beth Ann Fennelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ann-fennelly/)

## More by Thomas Harris

> [“Don't think you can persuade me with appeals to my intellectual vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/don-t-think-you-can-persuade-me-with-appeals-to-my-intellectual-vanity/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“He liked the Leedses. He was sorry that he had been to the morgue. He thought the madman who visited them might have liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/he-liked-the-leedses-he-was-sorry-that-he-had-been-to-the-morgue-he/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [On a related subject, Signore Pazzi, I must confess to you: I'm giving serious thought to eating your wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/on-a-related-subject-signore-pazzi-i-must-confess-to-you-i-m-giving/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [ “\[T\]here is no consensus in the psychiatric community that Dr. Lecter should be termed a man. He has long been regarded by his professional… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/t-here-is-no-consensus-in-the-psychiatric-community-that-dr-lecter/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“And then, the last words Raspail ever said: 'I wonder why my parents didn't kill me before I was old enough to fool them.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/and-then-the-last-words-raspail-ever-said-i-wonder-why-my-parents/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/one-can-only-see-what-one-observes-and-one-observes-only-things-which/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“She found Starling in the warm laundry room, dozing against the slow rump-rump of a washing machine in the smell of bleach and soap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/she-found-starling-in-the-warm-laundry-room-dozing-against-the-slow/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [He moves smoothly and slowly, carrying his concentration like a brimming cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/he-moves-smoothly-and-slowly-carrying-his-concentration-like-a/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [God's creatures who cried themselves to sleep stirred to cry again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/god-s-creatures-who-cried-themselves-to-sleep-stirred-to-cry-again/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“The emperor counsels simplicity. First principles. Of each particular thing, ask: What is it in itself, in its own constitution? What is its causal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/the-emperor-counsels-simplicity-first-principles-of-each-particular/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [What do you look at while you’re making up your mind? Ours is not a reflective culture, we do no raise our eyes up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/what-do-you-look-at-while-you-re-making-up-your-mind-ours-is-not-a/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“I have no plans to call on you, Clarice, the world being more interesting with you in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/i-have-no-plans-to-call-on-you-clarice-the-world-being-more/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“To write a novel, you begin with what you can see and then you add what came before and what came after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/to-write-a-novel-you-begin-with-what-you-can-see-and-then-you-add/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [“Every person is worth your time, Hannibal. If at first appearance a person seems dull, then look harder, look into him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/every-person-is-worth-your-time-hannibal-if-at-first-appearance-a/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

> [What he has in addition is pure empathy and projection,” Dr. Bloom said. “He can assume your point of view, or mine – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/what-he-has-in-addition-is-pure-empathy-and-projection-dr-bloom-said/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

[Explore all 197 Thomas Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

## 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": "Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading. He feels the books beside him to find the one that is warm.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Harris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-what-he-was-reading-he-feels-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-what-he-was-reading-he-feels-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/thomas-harris-1874_book_back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-wha_2343271.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Back at his chair he cannot remember what he was reading. He feels the books beside him to find the one that…” — Thomas Harris",
                "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": "Thomas Harris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Back at his chair he cannot...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-what-he-was-reading-he-feels-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/back-at-his-chair-he-cannot-remember-what-he-was-reading-he-feels-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
