About this quote

Reading can be steady company when people and schedules fail you. Books let you try out feelings and ideas without asking anything back; they can make you laugh in one chapter and cry in the next. Want to notice the effect? Pay attention to the passages that stop you mid-page. A simple habit, like keeping a few dependable books within reach, gives you a reliable way to calm down or see yourself more clearly.

When to use it

• Finals week at the library — I whispered the line to myself when a chapter finally calmed my panic and helped me focus.
• After the layoff, sitting in my empty office, I thought of that sentence and read a novel to stop spinning.
• At 3 a.m. with a newborn, I reached for a short story and told myself the quote to remember I was still a person.
• In the chemo waiting room I muttered those words and laughed at a page that felt like a friend for the hour.