About this quote

A long habit of living inside books shapes how you meet the world and how you avoid it. You pick up other people's ideas and feelings until they sit in your bones. That can give you a large inner life and a well of examples to borrow, but it can also keep you from testing things in the messy real world. Try naming one idea you can try this week instead of rereading it again; small experiments tell you what actually fits.

When to use it

• During finals week in the campus library, I told my roommate, "I spent my life folded between the pages of books," when they asked why I couldn't stop studying.
• When my editor criticized the novel for feeling sheltered, I said, "I spent my life folded between the pages of books," and then promised to write a scene where the character leaves the house.
• At a family dinner, when my sister complained that I skip outings, I admitted, "I spent my life folded between the pages of books," and agreed to join the next weekend hike.
• In a job interview about teamwork, I confessed, "I spent my life folded between the pages of books," then explained how I organize and lead study groups as proof of collaboration.