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Rolling Stones quotes: Keith Richards on the importance of reading (2010)
KEITH RICHARDS ON WHY READING MATTERS In 2010 Keith Richards dropped one of his smartest most down-to-earth truths. Growing up, he says, two places really shape you: church and the public library. One hands you beliefs; the other hands you choice. For Keith, books weren’t homework or homework-adjacent—they were freedom. Libraries belonged to everyone, no permission required, no rules about what you should think. Coming from a Rolling Stone, it’s a reminder that curiosity, not rebellion, is where real independence starts.
“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you.”
From Colleen Collins Books: This will either surprise you or make you jealous: Keith Richards has extensive personal libraries in both of his Sussex and Connecticut homes. In fact, he has so many books that he once considered “professional training” to better manage his vast collection. Yes, dear reader, rock-n-roll bad-boy Keith Richards dreamed of becoming a librarian. Once upon a time, Keith was painstakingly arranging copies of rare books about the history of early American rock and World WarII. He was applying the standard Dewey Decimal classification system (possibly fortified with a glass of vino or a little ganja — although he no longer does “the hard stuff” Keith is quoted as saying he’s still fond of wine and weed). Whatever he might have been imbibing, he nevertheless felt overwhelmed with his massive book classification project, at which point he seriously considered becoming a librarian. Can you imagine being shushed by Keith Richards? Or what it would be like going to the reference desk…and there’s Keith Richards? He’d probably be very cool about books turned in late; after all he once owed libraries 50 years worth of fines.
From Library News Northeastern University: In his just-released autobiography, Life, Keith Richards apparently confesses that he has always had a passion for collecting books and secretly wanted to be a librarian. In addition to the incongruity, I loved that he went so far as trying to learn to organize his personal collection according to the Dewey Decimal system but gave it up as too much of a hassle. I suppose it’s a good thing for all concerned that he never came over to the dark side, and stayed in the world of music where he clearly belongs! Even as a child he loved books — here’s a quote via the (London) Times: When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.
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