--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The book itself is a curious artifact…" description: "\"“The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often ve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg" --- # The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its… ![“The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries. It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine…” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg) > ““The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries. It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind. It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral. It lasts. It is reliable. If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you're fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you're reading a whole new book." ( Staying Awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading , Harper's Magazine, February 2008)”” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books endure as durable, low‑tech vessels of knowledge that survive without power, relying only on light, eyes, and mind. **In simple terms:** Books last long, needing only light and a reader. Key Takeaway Value timeless media. Themes longevity knowledge technology reading Mood reflective nostalgic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Education - personal growth - library curation - intergenerational learning Key Concepts Durability human cognition information preservation Questions to Reflect On - How can we preserve physical books in a digital age? - What value does tactile reading add? A Different Perspective Physical books can be less accessible than digital formats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell you it again when you're fifty, though you may understand it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-a-book-told-you-something-when-you-were-fifteen-it-will-tell-you/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The Dog was a different matter. She was new, or so old that any book that told of her was long since dust. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/the-dog-was-a-different-matter-she-was-new-or-so-old-that-any-book/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [The decision for me was whether to have 'The Father' be a book that told a story - from the point of view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/the-decision-for-me-was-whether-to-have-the-father-be-a-book-that/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Whenever I was encouraged by my elders to pick up a book, I was often told, 'Read so as to know the world.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/whenever-i-was-encouraged-by-my-elders-to-pick-up-a-book-i-was-often/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [“How to read this book: Even after I was told my father was dead, I believed (I still believe) that I could fix everything-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-boucher/how-to-read-this-book-even-after-i-was-told-my-father-was-dead-i/) [Christopher Boucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-boucher/) > [“Karl opened his eyes wider, and Wells questioned: “Why, you don’t suppose the Bible will be taken to Heaven, do you?” Mr. Keith laughed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pansy/karl-opened-his-eyes-wider-and-wells-questioned-why-you-don-t-suppose/) [Pansy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pansy/) > [“Once I finish a book, especially a good one, it's very hard for me to start reading a new one right away. It almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitrios-spyridon-chytiris/once-i-finish-a-book-especially-a-good-one-it-s-very-hard-for-me-to/) Dimitrios Spyridon Chytiris > [It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-good-rule-after-reading-a-new-book-never-to-allow-yourself-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been to Oculus a few times to do book signings and things there, and they tell me 'Ready Player One' is, like, required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/i-ve-been-to-oculus-a-few-times-to-do-book-signings-and-things-there/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [In times of storm and tempest, of indecision and desolation, a book already known and loved makes better reading than something new and untried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/in-times-of-storm-and-tempest-of-indecision-and-desolation-a-book/) [Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/) > [“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius/it-is-a-good-rule-after-reading-a-new-book-never-to-allow-yourself/) [Athanasius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athanasius/) > [I use an e-reader when I'm traveling: I love carrying dozens of books on a small lightweight device, and I'm still amazed every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-use-an-e-reader-when-i-m-traveling-i-love-carrying-dozens-of-books/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Whenever I begin reading a new book, I am embarking on a new, uncharted journey with an unmarked destination. I never know where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/whenever-i-begin-reading-a-new-book-i-am-embarking-on-a-new-uncharted/) [Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/) > [“Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/do-you-know-the-feeling-when-you-start-reading-a-new-book-before-the/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I'm barely reading the 'New York Times!' But I do try to keep abreast of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-diamantopoulos/i-m-barely-reading-the-new-york-times-but-i-do-try-to-keep-abreast-of/) [Chris Diamantopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-diamantopoulos/) ## More by Ursula K. Le Guin > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/translation-is-entirely-mysterious-increasingly-i-have-felt-that-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." I said cautiously, "Venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/aeneas-mother-is-a-star-no-a-goddess-i-said-cautiously-venus-is-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-fantasy-is-true-of-course-it-isn-t-factual-but-it-is-true/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“If both you and your plane are on time, the airport is merely a diffuse, short, miserable prelude to the intense, long, miserable plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-both-you-and-your-plane-are-on-time-the-airport-is-merely-a/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The author is not impartial. Dystopia is not tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-author-is-not-impartial-dystopia-is-not-tragedy/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-did-a-lot-today-that-is-i-did-something-the-only-thing-i-have-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Hector had no virtue?” “Of course he did. He won all his battles, till the last one.” “We all do,” Aeneas remarked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hector-had-no-virtue-of-course-he-did-he-won-all-his-battles-till-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I was willing to believe him that most modern writing was trash, on the evidence that so much old writing was trash; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-was-willing-to-believe-him-that-most-modern-writing-was-trash-on/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Can women operate as women in a male institution without becoming imitation men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/can-women-operate-as-women-in-a-male-institution-without-becoming/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) [Explore all 1,114 Ursula K. Le Guin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## 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 book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries. It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind. It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral. It lasts. It is reliable. If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you're fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you're reading a whole new book.\" ( Staying Awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading , Harper's Magazine, February 2008)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula K. Le Guin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-not-showy-in-its-technology-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-not-showy-in-its-technology-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/ursula-k-le-guin-138_book_the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-no_488379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a…” — Ursula K. Le Guin", "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": "Ursula K. Le Guin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The book itself is a curious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-not-showy-in-its-technology-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-book-itself-is-a-curious-artifact-not-showy-in-its-technology-but/#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 } } ] } ```