--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Libraries have always been humanities'…" description: "\"Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving its collective wisdom\" — Umberto Eco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg" --- # Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving… ![“Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving its collective wisdom” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg) > “Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving its collective wisdom” [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Libraries safeguard humanity's accumulated knowledge for future generations, acting as custodians of cultural memory. **In simple terms:** Libraries keep our shared knowledge safe. Key Takeaway Support and use libraries to preserve wisdom. Themes knowledge preservation culture education Mood reflective optimistic Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - research - learning - community building - archival work - digitalization Key Concepts humanities collective memory information stewardship Questions to Reflect On - How can libraries stay vital in a digital world? - What responsibilities do we have to support them? A Different Perspective Libraries may struggle with funding and relevance in the digital age. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-wisdom/) [Humanities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanities/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The relationship between science and the humanities is two-way. Science changes our view of the world and our place in it. In the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/the-relationship-between-science-and-the-humanities-is-two-way/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Collective wisdom, alas, is no adequate substitute for the intelligence of individuals. Individuals who opposed received opinions have been the source of all progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/collective-wisdom-alas-is-no-adequate-substitute-for-the-intelligence/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Nothing is more senseless than to base so many expectations on the state, that is, to assume the existence of collective wisdom and foresight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/nothing-is-more-senseless-than-to-base-so-many-expectations-on-the/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [I think small groups have more collective wisdom than an individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/i-think-small-groups-have-more-collective-wisdom-than-an-individual/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [I also believe that at a critical point (more than six people?), that collective wisdom turns into group think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/i-also-believe-that-at-a-critical-point-more-than-six-people-that/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [The secret of literature, which conventional people don't guess, is that writers are forever looking for the surprising revelation - not for reinforcement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bly/the-secret-of-literature-which-conventional-people-don-t-guess-is/) [Carol Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bly/) > [The anchor of all my dreams is the collective wisdom of mankind as a whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-anchor-of-all-my-dreams-is-the-collective-wisdom-of-mankind-as-a/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Libraries can take the place of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/libraries-can-take-the-place-of-god/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Democracy's premise rests on the notion that the collective wisdom of the majority will prove right more often than it's wrong; that given sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/democracy-s-premise-rests-on-the-notion-that-the-collective-wisdom-of/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Democracies, as we know, are prone to every error from incompetence and corruption to misguided fetishes and gridlock. Therefore, it is astonishing, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-k-albright/democracies-as-we-know-are-prone-to-every-error-from-incompetence-and/) Madeleine K. Albright > [Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/democracy-is-a-pathetic-belief-in-the-collective-wisdom-of-individual/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Sirius is the Hidden God or "the sun behind the sun". As the moon reflects the sun, so does the sun reflect Sirius. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preston-nichols-and-peter-moon/sirius-is-the-hidden-god-or-the-sun-behind-the-sun-as-the-moon/) Preston Nichols and Peter Moon > [I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/i-do-not-believe-in-the-collective-wisdom-of-individual-ignorance/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I'm really lucky to have colleagues in the White House press corps who are both amazing mothers and amazing journalists. Their collective wisdom has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/i-m-really-lucky-to-have-colleagues-in-the-white-house-press-corps/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [Collective wisdom is about our capacity to recognize interdependence and to make decisions demonstrating that we have a stake in each other, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-briskin/collective-wisdom-is-about-our-capacity-to-recognize-interdependence/) [Alan Briskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-briskin/) ## More by Umberto Eco > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) [Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More Collective wisdom quotes > [The secret of literature, which conventional people don't guess, is that writers are forever looking for the surprising revelation - not for reinforcement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bly/the-secret-of-literature-which-conventional-people-don-t-guess-is/) [Carol Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bly/) > [I'm really lucky to have colleagues in the White House press corps who are both amazing mothers and amazing journalists. Their collective wisdom has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/i-m-really-lucky-to-have-colleagues-in-the-white-house-press-corps/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/i-do-not-believe-in-the-collective-wisdom-of-individual-ignorance/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/democracy-is-a-pathetic-belief-in-the-collective-wisdom-of-individual/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Democracy's premise rests on the notion that the collective wisdom of the majority will prove right more often than it's wrong; that given sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/democracy-s-premise-rests-on-the-notion-that-the-collective-wisdom-of/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [The anchor of all my dreams is the collective wisdom of mankind as a whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-anchor-of-all-my-dreams-is-the-collective-wisdom-of-mankind-as-a/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Democracies, as we know, are prone to every error from incompetence and corruption to misguided fetishes and gridlock. Therefore, it is astonishing, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-k-albright/democracies-as-we-know-are-prone-to-every-error-from-incompetence-and/) Madeleine K. Albright > [I also believe that at a critical point (more than six people?), that collective wisdom turns into group think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/i-also-believe-that-at-a-critical-point-more-than-six-people-that/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [I think small groups have more collective wisdom than an individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/i-think-small-groups-have-more-collective-wisdom-than-an-individual/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [“Sirius is the Hidden God or "the sun behind the sun". As the moon reflects the sun, so does the sun reflect Sirius. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preston-nichols-and-peter-moon/sirius-is-the-hidden-god-or-the-sun-behind-the-sun-as-the-moon/) Preston Nichols and Peter Moon > [Nothing is more senseless than to base so many expectations on the state, that is, to assume the existence of collective wisdom and foresight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/nothing-is-more-senseless-than-to-base-so-many-expectations-on-the/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Collective wisdom, alas, is no adequate substitute for the intelligence of individuals. Individuals who opposed received opinions have been the source of all progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/collective-wisdom-alas-is-no-adequate-substitute-for-the-intelligence/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Collective wisdom is about our capacity to recognize interdependence and to make decisions demonstrating that we have a stake in each other, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-briskin/collective-wisdom-is-about-our-capacity-to-recognize-interdependence/) [Alan Briskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-briskin/) > [If small groups are included in the decision-making process, then they should be allowed to make decisions. If an organization sets up teams and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/if-small-groups-are-included-in-the-decision-making-process-then-they/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/democracy-is-a-pathetic-belief-in-the-collective-wisdom-of-individual-2/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) [Browse all 31 Collective wisdom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-wisdom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving its collective wisdom", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Umberto Eco" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/libraries-have-always-been-humanities-way-of-preserving-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collective wisdom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/libraries-have-always-been-humanities-way-of-preserving-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/umberto-eco-313_collective-wisdom_libraries-have-always-been-humanities-wa_596151.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Libraries have always been humanities' way of preserving its collective wisdom” — Umberto Eco", "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": "Umberto Eco", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Libraries have always been humanities' way...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/libraries-have-always-been-humanities-way-of-preserving-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/libraries-have-always-been-humanities-way-of-preserving-its/#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 } } ] } ```