“What in the world would we do without our libraries?”

“Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually.”

James A. Michener (1907–1997) American author

“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.”

Dan Brown book The Lost Symbol

“But we're a university! Weto have a library!" said Ridcully. "It adds. What sort of people would we be if we didn't go into the library?"

"Students," said Senior Wrangler morosely.”

Terry Pratchett book The Last Continent

“No world is without sacrifices. But if we produce casualties, we would also sustain casualties of our own.”

Tite Kubo (1977) Japanese manga artist

“In my world there would be as many public libraries as there are Starbucks.”

Henry Rollins (1961) American singer-songwriter

“Our dignity is not in what we do, but in what we understand. The whole world is doing things.”

George Santayana (1863–1952) 20th-century Spanish-American philosopher associated with Pragmatism

“If we give what we treasure most to a Being we love with all our hearts, if we can do that without expecting anything in return, then the world becomes a beautiful place.”

Orhan Pamuk book The Museum of Innocence

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the worlds problems.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) pre-eminent leader of Indian nationalism during British-ruled India

“Is fine - as long as no one comes
And asks us what we do there…
We'd have to say, Without our toil,
Just who would know it grew there?”

Alan Brownjohn (1931) British writer