Umberto Eco

 

Umberto Eco, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:

"It is senseless to think that you have to read every book you buy, because it is senseless to criticize those who buy more books than they will never be able to read." It be like saying you should use all the cutlery, glass, screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before you buy new ones.

"There are things in life that we must always have a lot of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion."

“If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it’s good to have a lot at home rather than a few: when we want to feel better, we go to the “pharmacy cabinet” and pick up a book. Not random, but the right book for the moment. That's why you should always have a nutritional choice!

"Those who buy only one book, read only this one and get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they regard them as a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity."