27 Reasons Books Are Food For The Soul

My parents always told me that New York City was for the very rich and the very young. The very rich could take advantage of the city’s luxuries, and the very young could put up with all the sh*t.

Because New York is the city that has everything to offer, but if you can’t afford any of it, then it’s the city of sacrifices.

Being young in the city means being poor and being poor means making sacrifices. Every day becomes a collection of a million small sacrifices. It’s choices, decisions and lots of stretching dollars. It’s crappy apartments, sh*tty wine and a few dollars to spare.

What you give up and what you spend your money on starts to define your life. Your life is suddenly defined by your scraping and your splurges.

Once you pay rent there’s little left for many of the luxuries you took for granted during the time you were on your parents' bill, so how you choose to spend what little money you have is usually according to what's most essential to your livelihood.

For me, books have become a necessity in the same way that food has always been in my life. As much as I need to drink and eat, I need to be reading lines and browsing used book stores. In the same way that I need to fuel my body, I need to fuel my mind. I need to read for the same reason I need to eat, so I won't waste away.

In a city that has the ability to drain you and leave you hungry for so much more, I've found that books feed me in a different way than food, and have kept me full in my hardest hours.

Books have become my salvation, my extra piece of bread and that delicious decadent dessert I can't always have. They have become my life supply, my relief and my favorite part of the day.

I find myself craving a good read the same way I do water. Thirsty, deprived and completely defeated until I can quench my thirst.

Because it's our passions that feed us. It's the things we love that absorb into our lives, which become as much a part of us as the grains and proteins we ingest.

It's the collection of pages, characters and anecdotes that make up our DNA. It's books that will feed you long after dinner is over and the last cookie is taken.

It's books that will fill you up and leave you wanting more. It's why I will always choose a good book when I don't have extra helpings, because they feed me so much more.

Food is for surviving, books are for living.

Food satisfies your cravings, books satisfy your hunger.

Food has nutrients, books have anecdotes, lessons and truths.

Food feeds you for a few hours, books feed you for a lifetime.

Food adds pounds, books add value.

Food fills your stomach, books fill your soul.

Food keeps you alive, books make you want to live.

Food is for strength, books are for courage.

Food is passed through your stomach, books are passed between generations.

Food goes bad, books never get old.

Food is for when you’re hungry, books are for any occasion.

Food is kept in the kitchen, books are kept everywhere.

Food is prepared, books are created.

Food binges make you sick, book binges make you smarter.

Food is over too quickly, books are satisfying endings.

Food is for everyone, books are for readers.

Food is digested, books are absorbed.

Food is organic, books are pure.

Food is about the calories, books are about the perfect lines.

Food runs out, books last centuries.

Food can poison you, books can only heal you.

Food is for filling yourself up, books are for opening yourself up.

Food is forgotten, books never leave your mind.

Food is processed, books are all-natural.

Food is for the living, books are for the spirited.

Food is for survival, books are for liberation.

Food is for lunch, books are for afternoons.

Photo via We Heart It