Keller describes her admiration for Shakespeare as something closely tied to her earliest experience of loving books. The statement presents this attachment as continuous rather than temporary, suggesting that Shakespeare’s works held a lasting place in her reading life from the time she became able to appreciate literature.

The quote is primarily about literary affection rather than critical judgement. Keller does not explain here which plays, characters or qualities she valued most; instead, she emphasises the duration and constancy of her response. It also reflects the importance of reading within her intellectual development, as books became a major means through which she encountered language, history and imaginative worlds. More broadly, the remark illustrates how particular writers can become enduring reference points in a reader’s life, shaping literary interests over many years without necessarily being reduced to a single work or period of study.