Quotes from Madeline L'Engle

That's something I've noticed about food: whenever there's a crisis if you can get people to eating normally things get better.

In reading we must become creators. Once the child has learned to read alone, and can pick up a book without illustrations, he must become a creator, imagining the setting of the story, visualizing the characters, seeing facial expressions, hearing the inflection of voices. The author and the reader know each other; they meet on the bridge of words.

Prayer was never meant to be magic,' Mother said. 'Then why bother with it?' Suzy scowled. 'Because it's an act of love,' Mother said.

Many waters cannot quench the thirst for love,nor can the floods drown it.

Of course. I am well aware that the streets of New York are not safe, but then there is no longer any place in the world which is safe. One cannot live in perpetual fear, one has to be as prudent as possible, and get on with life. - A Severed Wasp

They've never known a time when people drank rain water because it was pure, or could eat snow, or swim in any river or brook. The last time I drove to Washington the traffic was so bad that I could have made better time with a horse.

Being alive hurts. I have found it best not to rush for the aspirin bottle. - A Severed Wasp

But that's exactly what we have on Camazotz. Complete equality. Everybody exactly alike. For a moment her brain reeled with confusion. Then came a moment of blazing truth. No! she cried triumphantly. Like and equal are not the same thing at all!...Like and equal are two entirely different things.

Peace is the center of the atom, the core of quiet within the storm. It is not a cessation . . .

I saw two beings in the hues of the youth Standing upon a hill, a gentle hill... And both were young-- and one was beautiful -The Dream, Canto II Lord Byron

Whenever there is unity in diversity, then we are free to be ourselves; it cannot be done in isolation; we need each other.

Fiction, in a less direct way, will teach me, teach me things I would never learn had I not opened myself to them in story.

Idiot, Proginoskes said, anxiously rather than crossly. Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do. I've never had a feeling in my life

Flip! Are you all right! Paul! Are you all right! They spoke simultaneously and then they both laughed and Paul came over to the bed and kissed Flip and then stood looking down at her. Flip smiled at him and strangely her eyes filled with tears. I thought he'd killed you, Paul said. No, I'm fine, Paul. Are you all right?

There is nothing to fear except fear itself

Jesus was more forgiving to those who made mistakes in love than to those who judged each other harshly and were cold of heart.

It's all right, Meg assured the Medium earnestly. Truly it is, Mrs. Medium, and we thank you very much. Are you sure? the Medium asked, brightening. Of course! It really helped me ever so much because it made me mad, and when I'm mad I don't have room to be scared.

Is it that bad, Mrs. Bowen? Clement asked. Emily shook her head. Gertrude's been hurt and so she's generalizing. It's a pretty good country on the whole, and the people in it, too. We have our faults and they may be glaring, and we have individuals we may not be proud of, but take us by and large we'll stick our necks our for something we believe in, and that in itself may be a fault, but it's one I like. Bravo, Abe said.

One thing I have discovered since I've been ill, though, is that nobody ever knows anybody, and maybe least of all the people who are closest to them. Sort of a business of not being able to see the trees for the woods. We all live in isolated prisons of our own bodies and there's no real contact with any other human being. That's what sex is, in a way, isn't it, a desperate striving for contact? With which cheerful Thought for Today, I will bid you good afternoon.

Why does anybody do anything? Mimi asked impatiently. Most of the time we don't know--any of us.

Hate hurts the hater more'n the hated.

Because to take away a man's freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person.