--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was one sure way to avoid being…" description: "\"“There was one sure way to avoid being assigned an impromptu chore in our house - be it taking out the trash or cleaning your room - and that was to ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/will-schwalbe-3101_books_there-was-one-sure-way-to-avoid-being-as_2144000.png" --- # There was one sure way to avoid being assigned an… ![“There was one sure way to avoid being assigned an impromptu chore in our house - be it taking out the trash or cleaning your room - and that was to have your face buried in a book. Like churches during the Middle Ages, books conferred instant sanctuary. Once you entered one, you couldn't be…” quote by Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/will-schwalbe-3101_books_there-was-one-sure-way-to-avoid-being-as_2144000.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/will-schwalbe-3101_books_there-was-one-sure-way-to-avoid-being-as_2144000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/will-schwalbe-3101_books_there-was-one-sure-way-to-avoid-being-as_2144000.png) > ““There was one sure way to avoid being assigned an impromptu chore in our house - be it taking out the trash or cleaning your room - and that was to have your face buried in a book. Like churches during the Middle Ages, books conferred instant sanctuary. Once you entered one, you couldn't be disturbed. They didn't give you immunity from prosecution if you'd done something wrong - just a temporary reprieve. But we quickly learned you had to both look and be completely engrossed - just flipping pages didn't count.”” [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books create a temporary safe space, shielding us from immediate duties, but true immersion requires active engagement. **In simple terms:** Reading offers a brief escape, but you must be fully absorbed. Key Takeaway Use reading to recharge, then re‑engage with responsibilities. Themes escape focus learning Mood calm contemplative Type motivational educational When to use this quote - study sessions - stress relief - parental duties - personal downtime Key Concepts psychology of immersion attention habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when reading is a refuge versus avoidance? - What strategies keep you present after reading? A Different Perspective Escapism can become avoidance if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-like/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Conferred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-conferred-4476699/) [Buried Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried-book-3180365/) [Instant Sanctuary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant-sanctuary-4476698/) [Middle ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ages/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sanctuary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuary/) [Sanctuary Entered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuary-entered-4476700/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I used to walk to school with my nose buried in a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-used-to-walk-to-school-with-my-nose-buried-in-a-book/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea. Some bottles drown, some come safe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/publishing-a-book-is-like-stuffing-a-note-into-a-bottle-and-hurling/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“To me; reading a book is like watching a movie. Once I start, I can't stop until it's over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-me-reading-a-book-is-like-watching-a-movie-once-i-start-i-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have read your book and much like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-hadas/i-have-read-your-book-and-much-like-it/) [Moses Hadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-hadas/) > [“A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brockmole/a-book-is-like-a-garden-carried-in-the-pocket/) [Jessica Brockmole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brockmole/) > [“you see book is like a machine if it don't have gas it can't start just like our brain without book we wouldn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-elysee/you-see-book-is-like-a-machine-if-it-don-t-have-gas-it-can-t-start/) [Kelly Elysee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-elysee/) > [My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/my-shorthand-answer-is-that-i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-book-that-i/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I always say that, for me, writing a book is like a wacky Greyhound bus trip - I know where I'm starting and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-always-say-that-for-me-writing-a-book-is-like-a-wacky-greyhound-bus/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Dear book, this is another day in my life. A life is like a book. A book is like a box. A box has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-carangi/dear-book-this-is-another-day-in-my-life-a-life-is-like-a-book-a-book/) [Gia Carangi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-carangi/) > [The Long Goodbye' is one book I like to read over and over again, and it was an enormous inspiration for 'All The Wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-long-goodbye-is-one-book-i-like-to-read-over-and-over-again-and/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [A big book is like a serious relationship; it requires a commitment. Not only that, but there's no guarantee that you will enjoy it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-big-book-is-like-a-serious-relationship-it-requires-a-commitment/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/reading-a-book-is-like-re-writing-it-for-yourself/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [“Reading a good book is like taking a journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-gulliford/reading-a-good-book-is-like-taking-a-journey/) [Emma Gulliford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-gulliford/) > [“A good book is like a stream, with which we can flow slowly, playfully, it lets us savor the joy of weaving the magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/a-good-book-is-like-a-stream-with-which-we-can-flow-slowly-playfully/) [Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/) > [Without sounding overly sentimental about the process, I'd say trying to describe how you tend to conceive of a book is like describing how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/without-sounding-overly-sentimental-about-the-process-i-d-say-trying/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) ## More by Will Schwalbe > [And my first item on each day's list is this: Wake up. If I can check that off, I've already done something and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/and-my-first-item-on-each-day-s-list-is-this-wake-up-if-i-can-check/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“You can truly miss characters. Not like you miss people, but you can still miss them. I don’t think I’ll ever get over Melanie’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/you-can-truly-miss-characters-not-like-you-miss-people-but-you-can/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“and sister and father and mother had. I was learning that when you’re with someone who is dying, you may need to celebrate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/and-sister-and-father-and-mother-had-i-was-learning-that-when-you-re/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“Hidden away, the people of the streets drift into sleep induced by alcohol or agitated by despair, into dreams that carry them back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/hidden-away-the-people-of-the-streets-drift-into-sleep-induced-by/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“If heathen prayers were indeed the best of all, then mine should count big time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/if-heathen-prayers-were-indeed-the-best-of-all-then-mine-should-count/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [In Gilead, the narrator's friend's son describes himself not as an atheist but in "state of categorical unbelief." He says, "I don't even believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/in-gilead-the-narrator-s-friend-s-son-describes-himself-not-as-an/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“I did manage to read some pages from a book that’s also about how people can find strength they didn’t know they had.” “What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/i-did-manage-to-read-some-pages-from-a-book-that-s-also-about-how/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“I'm not the same reader when I finish a book as I was when I started, brains are tangles of pathways, and reading creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/i-m-not-the-same-reader-when-i-finish-a-book-as-i-was-when-i-started/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“Connelly writes, “As long as there is paper, people will write, secretly, in small rooms, in the hidden chambers of their minds, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/connelly-writes-as-long-as-there-is-paper-people-will-write-secretly/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“When I think back on all the refugee camps I visited, all over the world, the people always asked for the same thing: books.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/when-i-think-back-on-all-the-refugee-camps-i-visited-all-over-the/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“asked: “And I was very surprised by the ending. Were you?” “Of course not—I’d read it first. I don’t think I could have stood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/asked-and-i-was-very-surprised-by-the-ending-were-you-of-course-not-i/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“A father and his son are in a terrible car crash. The father is killed instantly—but the son survives, barely, his life hanging in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/a-father-and-his-son-are-in-a-terrible-car-crash-the-father-is-killed/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [...in the eyes of her oldest friends and colleagues and extended family, she wasn't a painfully thin seventy-five-year-old gray haired woman dying of cancer-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/in-the-eyes-of-her-oldest-friends-and-colleagues-and-extended-family/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“I like books. I don't read them. But I like them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/i-like-books-i-don-t-read-them-but-i-like-them/) [Will Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) > [“Lahiri's characters, just like people all around us, are constantly telling each other important things, but not necessarily in words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-schwalbe/lahiri-s-characters-just-like-people-all-around-us-are-constantly/) [will schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) [Explore all 139 Will Schwalbe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-schwalbe/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There was one sure way to avoid being assigned an impromptu chore in our house - be it taking out the trash or cleaning your room - and that was to have your face buried in a book. Like churches during the Middle Ages, books conferred instant sanctuary. Once you entered one, you couldn't be disturbed. 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