There are times when I think that the ideal library is composed solely of reference books. They are like understanding friends-always ready to change the subject when you have had enough of this or that. – J. Donald Adams

What is more important in a library than anything else – than everything else – is the fact that it exists. – Archibald MacLeish, "The Premise of Meaning," American Scholar, 5 June 1

I always imagined that Paradise would be a kind of library. – Jorge Luis Borges, translated from Spanish

Nutrimentum spiritus (food for the soul). – Berlin Royal Library, inscription