Books

21 Instagram Caption Ideas For Hardcore Bibliophiles On National Book Lovers Day

Show off your favorite read with your bookstagram.

Of all the fun national days to celebrate this month (National Roller Coaster Day, National S'Mores Day, National Prosecco Day, and Black Cat Appreciation Day are just a few), the one I'm most looking forward to is National Book Lovers Day, on August 9. I plan to spend it perched in my favorite chair with one of the several books I recently checked out of the library.

The holiday has only been observed since around 2012, said Heavy.com, and as of yet, it isn't yet a federal holiday that gives us a day off from work and deep discounts at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. But it's a perfect opportunity for bibliophiles like me to proclaim our love for the written word, and lots of us will post Instagram quotes about books and reading to show the world that the printed page is still worth discovering and cherishing.

As a mother and preschool teacher, I think it's especially important that we do everything we can to instill a love of books in our children. Movie adaptations and YouTube videos are fine for what they are, but they can't take the place of the wonder that occurs when you open the cover of a book and read to your child. Cats in hats, princesses losing shoes, toys in the Hundred Acre Wood, mischievous monkeys, misunderstood little sisters, academies of magic... these worlds and many more are ready to open the minds and spark the imaginations of the next generation. You may even be helping nurture a future writer when you show your children the joy of reading.

What better way to celebrate National Book Lovers Day today than by sharing one of these quotes about books on your social media feed? Then you can head out to the library or bookstore to indulge your passion.

"There Is No Frigate Like a Book to Take Us Lands Away"

The 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson brilliantly sums up the transformative power of reading.

"It Simply Isn't an Adventure Worth Telling If There Aren't Any Dragons"

Who else but The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien could have come up with this one?

"The Man Who Does Not Read Has No Advantage Over the Man Who Can Not Read"

Mark Twain, author of one of the greatest American novels of all time, knew the importance of books.

"Reading Is Dreaming With Open Eyes"

When you read, do the images seem to play themselves out for you like a movie? Then put this anonymous quote on your Instagram page.

"Any Book That Helps a Child Form a Habit of Reading, to Make Reading One of His Deep and Continuing Needs, Is Good for Him"

The late great Maya Angelou eloquently explains how books are just as important to a child's soul as food is to their body.

"You Can Find Magic Wherever You Look. Sit Back and Relax, All You Need Is a Book"

Leave it to Dr. Seuss to sum up the wonder of books in a rhyme. Another Instagrammable quote by the good Doctor: "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

"If a Book Is Well Written, I Always Find It Too Short"

Anyone who's ever sighed with regret after finishing the last page of a book will relate to this quote by Jane Austen.

"A Little Reading Is All the Therapy a Person Needs Sometimes"

At the end of a hard day, losing myself in a favorite book is a sure-fire mood-brightener. If you feel the same way, this is the quote for you.

"Reading Shaped My Dreams, and More Reading Helped Me Make My Dreams Come True"

I'm putting this one on my own Instagram feed — and I'm thinking of getting a poster with the quote for my wall. Thank you, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for helping us all dream.

"A Home Without Books Is a Body Without Soul"

Talk about ancient wisdom: This beautiful quote was uttered more than 2,000 years ago by the Roman statesman and orator, Cicero. He also said, "If you have a garden and books, you have everything you need."

"Chase [Knowledge] Through the Pages of a Book"

The beloved children's author Patricia Polacco struggled with learning disabilities as a child, until an insightful teacher noticed her frustration. He helped her see that she wasn't a "dummy," but a bright girl who just needed some expert help to open up the world of reading to her. Her book Thank You, Mr. Falker is her account of her journey, and it contains a wonderful, shareable quote: "[Knowledge is sweet as honey], but knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey; you have to chase it through the pages of a book."

"There Is No Friend as Loyal as a Book"

Ernest Hemingway read as much as he wrote, so this quote about the companionship of books is perfect for National Book Lovers Day.

"We Lose Ourselves in Books; We Find Ourselves There, Too"

A beautiful summary of the way books can change us.

"Books Are a Uniquely Portable Magic"

This distinctly un-scary quote comes courtesy of horror-meister Stephen King.

"My Workout Is Reading in Bed Until My Arms Fall Off"

Show the world that you're into, um, heavy reading with this pithy quote.

"Books Are Mirrors; You Only See in Them What You Already Have Inside You"

One of the amazing things about books is how much they touch us personally, and no two people look at the same book in the same way. Author Carlos Ruiz Zafon noted this in The Shadow of the Wind.

"You Don't Have to Burn Books to Destroy a Culture. Just Get People to Stop Reading Them"

In this era of electronic everything and the demonization of media, this quote by Ray Bradbury rings more true than ever.

"You Cannot Open a Book Without Learning Something"

If you're as fond of ancient wisdom as you are of reading, then this quote from the Chinese philosopher Confucius will inspire you.

"Books. Cats. Life Is Good"

The purr-fect quote for your Instagram feed if you're both a bibliophile and ailurophile (lover of books and cats). The quote's author, T.S. Eliot, should know: The poet wrote Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the poetry collection that inspired the musical Cats.

"If You Only Read the Books Everyone Else Is Reading, You Can Only Think What Everyone Else Is Thinking"

Do you steer clear of the bestseller lists in favor of lesser-known authors who spark your soul? Then this quote by Haruki Murakami is a perfect fit for National Book Lovers Day.

"I Think It's the Books That You Read When You're Young That Stay With You Forever"

This oh-so-very-true quote by J.K. Rowling will hit home especially strongly with the many parents whose children hated reading until they discovered the enthralling world of her Harry Potter books.