“We are rare and we are weird…there is nothing you can do to change us…Really, don’t try. We are so happy, in our own way…Be glad of all the benefits it will bring, rather than lamenting all the fresh air avoided, the friendships not made, the exercise not taken, the body of rewarding and potentially lucrative activities, hobbies, and skills not developed. Leave us be. We’re fine. More than fine. Reading’s our thing.”― Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading
“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.”―
“We read to know we're not alone.”― Shadowlands: A Play
Portrait of Duranty by Edgar Degas (1879)
“It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” ―
Bookworm by Karl Spitzweg (1850)
“I still find libraries astonishing; I still think they speak to our better instincts. The library remains one of the few places in the world where you don’t have to buy anything, know anyone, or believe anything to enter in.”―
In the Bookshop by Viktor Vasnetsov (1876)
“There's always a story. It's all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything's got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”― A Hat Full of Sky
Reading Girl by Gustav Adolph Hennig (1828)
“It's the secret we never, ever tell our children. No adult ever read a book because it's good for us. We read because it is fun.”―
The Girl Reading a Book by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1776)
OOh nice ones! Love the Nicholson one! Great picks!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Thanks for presenting these gems, Deb. Imagine - there are people who rarely read at all. What odd people they must be!
ReplyDeleteSplendid collection of words and images
ReplyDeleteLove those quotes from Baldwin and French! 😍 Great picks!
ReplyDeleteGreat quotes and photos. I think the portrait Girl reading a Book was on Nan's blog. Seems familiar :-)
ReplyDeleteI think it was (is?), Tina. Today (2/25) was her birthday. :(
DeleteI looked for paintings of people reading that are copyright-free.
DeleteHah! I like the Norman Rush one.
ReplyDeleteThese are all quite wonderful but the poignancy of the Baldwin quote especially touches my heart.
ReplyDeleteGreat quotes! Enjoyed them!
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ReplyDeleteA Hat Full of Sky was my first Patchett book. That series is SO wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAin't this the truth: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.”
ReplyDeleteI need to read more Joyce Carol Oates' books. I've only read one and it was a long time ago.
Good choices! Pratchett had so much wisdom...
ReplyDeleteLovely post with beautiful images and quotes, Deb.
ReplyDeleteThese are great, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete"We read to know we're not alone." is so real! Great quotes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, Deb. Not just wonderful quotes, but I love the paintings as well.
ReplyDeleteHa! “The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading.”― Norman Rush
ReplyDeleteYes!!
Thanks for sharing so many wonderful quotes.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I love that quote from Oates. It is so true, that's why readers tend to have more empathy than nonreaders.
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT post for the week: https://readbakecreate.com/the-ts-have-it-ten-titles-starting-with-t/
Wonderful quotes! “We read to know we're not alone.”― William Nicholson, Shadowlands: A Play SO True!
ReplyDeleteThe last one, especially, yes. How I wish I could do that!
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely quotes, Deb. I almost posted a couple of these. Rundell's and Pratchett's quotes are wonderful. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteMangan's quote is so true regarding how readers are often categorized as 'introverted.' We're not! Start a conversation with us about books and we come alive.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is wonderful to slip into another’s soul; it can be so healing. Rundell described libraries perfectly. I have always felt comfortable around librarians, from my school days to my local library today. As we traveled wherever the Air Force sent us, the library was always our first stop—often before we had even found a permanent home!
French's quote... gasp! I used to tell my students: 'If you're not enjoying a book, pick another. You'll soon find a new favorite author, and off you'll go into the magical world of reading!' Now that the clouds are lifting, I look forward to reading again. Thank you for such a special post! Happy reading to you!"
These are all wonderful! This is the one that particularly spoke to me:
ReplyDelete“We are rare and we are weird…there is nothing you can do to change us…Really, don’t try. We are so happy, in our own way…Be glad of all the benefits it will bring, rather than lamenting all the fresh air avoided, the friendships not made, the exercise not taken, the body of rewarding and potentially lucrative activities, hobbies, and skills not developed. Leave us be. We’re fine. More than fine. Reading’s our thing.”― Lucy Mangan, Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading
Excellent selections, I added Mangan’s to my favourites
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your #TTT
These are wonderful. Our library should have all these quotes made into posters and displayed.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best reading/books quotes ever. I must admit the one that is speaking to me the most, at this point in my life, is:
ReplyDelete“The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading.”
― Norman Rush
The JCO and Norman Rush quotes are fun!!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great, but the Jacqueline French one made me smile for sure. But the more I think about it, maybe that’s exactly the secret we should be sharing with children.
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of books.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite that you shared is “The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading.”― Norman Rush. If only I could follow this advice! Reading almost always takes a backseat to all the other requirements of life.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites is by President Truman - “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers” and this was someone who read every single book in his public library.
ReplyDeleteI love katherine rundell's quote! so true. And i am so glad our libraries keep on getting better all the time... our local public library is so popular with all ages.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these wonderful quotes. Love the paintings as well.
ReplyDeleteThese are so good! So many of them resonate deeply with me, thanks so much for sharing!
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