--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes he spent hours together in the…" description: "\"Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg" --- # Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries… ![“Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsolete works in quest of food for his unhealthy appetite. He was, in a manner, a literary ghoul, feeding in the charnel-house of decayed literature.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg) > “Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsolete works in quest of food for his unhealthy appetite. He was, in a manner, a literary ghoul, feeding in the charnel-house of decayed literature.” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer can become obsessed with obscure, forgotten works, treating them like a feast of hidden knowledge. **In simple terms:** Obsession with rare books fuels creative hunger. Key Takeaway Explore forgotten texts for fresh inspiration. Themes literature obsession creativity Mood curious introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research projects - writing retreats - academic study Key Concepts bibliophilia intellectual curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What value do obscure works add to modern ideas? - How balance niche research with mainstream relevance? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on obscure sources may limit broader relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Departed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departed/) [Ghouls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghouls/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolete/) [Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris/) ## Related quotes > [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [The film director, in many instances, has to swallow somebody else's decision about the final form of something. It's so hard as to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/the-film-director-in-many-instances-has-to-swallow-somebody-else-s/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) > [Through the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber, Past the wan-mooned abysses of night, I have lived o'er my lives without number, I have sounded all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/through-the-ghoul-guarded-gateways-of-slumber-past-the-wan-mooned/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Isn't that an odd philosophy for a vampire?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-quinn-yarbro/isn-t-that-an-odd-philosophy-for-a-vampire/) [Chelsea Quinn Yarbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-quinn-yarbro/) > [“Ghouls," I heard Archer say. His voice was low and tense, like a person who's being confronted by a wild animal. "Reanimated human flesh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/ghouls-i-heard-archer-say-his-voice-was-low-and-tense-like-a-person/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [A human hires a hit man to kill his cousin for money, boring. That same hit man botches the job twice, funny. Then �the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/a-human-hires-a-hit-man-to-kill-his-cousin-for-money-boring-that-same/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [The dead man is on the trolley and the woman collapses across his chest. That's what the ghouls want a shufti at, like at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-dead-man-is-on-the-trolley-and-the-woman-collapses-across-his/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“He’d once had to fight off a pack of ghouls in below-zero weather with nothing on but a pair of socks, and it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-friedman/he-d-once-had-to-fight-off-a-pack-of-ghouls-in-below-zero-weather/) [C.S. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-friedman/) > [“Some sample lyrics I think I catch: "My engine races up to seventh gear; wrap your legs around my engine, dear . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-fischer/some-sample-lyrics-i-think-i-catch-my-engine-races-up-to-seventh-gear/) [Rusty Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-fischer/) > [But honestly... I just don't know what anyone's thinking. To me, that's scarier than any half-rotten ghoul trying to eat my flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkman/but-honestly-i-just-don-t-know-what-anyone-s-thinking-to-me-that-s/) [Robert Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkman/) > [I think the situation in Toronto is such that there are funding organizations which make it easy for a film to raise more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atom-egoyan/i-think-the-situation-in-toronto-is-such-that-there-are-funding/) [Atom Egoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atom-egoyan/) > [If you were a warrior, you would know that the worst thing one can do is confront human beings directly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/if-you-were-a-warrior-you-would-know-that-the-worst-thing-one-can-do/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“HPL inadvertently created an open source fantastic universe unlike any other, ultimately grounded in the modern world, but enriched by secret histories and weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-e-lockhart/hpl-inadvertently-created-an-open-source-fantastic-universe-unlike/) [Ross E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-e-lockhart/) > [And we've read scary books and watched scary movies and TV shows together. He's met monsters, ghouls, and demons on the page and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-we-ve-read-scary-books-and-watched-scary-movies-and-tv-shows/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Vampires are sexy to a woman perhaps because the fantasy is similar to that of the man on the white horse sweeping her off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/vampires-are-sexy-to-a-woman-perhaps-because-the-fantasy-is-similar/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) ## More by Washington Irving > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) [Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsolete works in quest of food for his unhealthy appetite. He was, in a manner, a literary ghoul, feeding in the charnel-house of decayed literature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Washington Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the-great-libraries-of-paris/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the-great-libraries-of-paris/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/washington-irving-1386_adventure_sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the_582345.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors…” — Washington Irving", "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": "Washington Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes he spent hours together in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the-great-libraries-of-paris/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/sometimes-he-spent-hours-together-in-the-great-libraries-of-paris/#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 } } ] } ```