Mary Norton

“Out of sight is out of mind. That's what they say. But it's not true, is it?”

“Stories never really end... even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on.”

“Things were queer. It was a queer world. And she was a queer girl. But she was not going to be afraid.”

“It's so awful, not to be wanted.”

“Fear makes you quiet.”

“It's a funny thing... but people mostly have it backward. They think they live by what they want. But really, what guides them is what they're afraid of. What they don't want.”

“Human beans, for instance, are ever so useful. We couldn't get on without them.”

“It is so beautiful to be loved. It is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

“There are some things you can't learn from a book. You have to live them.”

“She wanted to be alone. She was not used to being with people.”

“A house is a place to be when it's raining.”

“Magic is a very tricky thing.”

“Borrowing's a mental state. Some people are borrowers and some are not.”

“I don't think human beans are all that big. They're just a bit clumsy, and they make a lot of noise.”