Standards are always out of date. That's what makes them standards.
Alan BennettRead
It was the kind of library he had only read about in books.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a sense of wonder and appreciation for an extraordinary library experience.
Alan Bennett's quote captures the enchantment and fascination one can feel when encountering a place that embodies the idealized version of a library, one that surpasses imagination. It highlights how literature and knowledge can transport us to realms we have only dreamt of, making the experience of being in such a library feel like a magical moment straight out of a story.
Themes
LibraryBooksImaginationWonderKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of reading, one might use this quote to emphasize the magical experiences that libraries can offer.
More from Alan Bennett
All quotes βTo begin with, it's true, she read with trepidation and some unease. The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her and she had no idea how to go on; there was no system to her reading, with one book leading to another, and often she had two or three on the go at the same time.
Alan BennettRead
A book is a device to ignite the imagination.
Alan BennettRead
Those who have known the famous are publicly debriefed of their memories, knowing as their own dusk falls that they will only be remembered for remembering someone else.
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To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish.
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The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours
Alan BennettRead
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