Quotes from Diana Wynne Jones

You don't like anything unpleasant, do you? You're a slitherer-outer, that's what you are! You slither away from anything you don't like!

Sophie got herself to the mirror, and found that she had to hobble. The face in the mirror was quite calm, because it was what she expected to see. It was the face of a gaunt old woman, withered and brownish, surrounded by wispy white hair. Her own eyes, yellow and watery, stared out at her, looking rather tragic. Don't worry, old thing, Sophie said to the face. You look quite healthy. Besides, this is much more like you really are.

Me encuentro mal, como si tuviera un gran peso en el pecho. - Un corazón es una pesada carga.

I love Wales, but it doesn't love me.

By now it was clear that Calcifer did all the strong magic in the castle and Michael did all the hackwork, while Howl gadded off catching girls and exploiting the other two just as Fanny had exploited her.

Dead?" said Sophie. She had a silly impulse to add, But she was alive an hour ago! And she stopped herself, because death is like that: people are alive until they die.

She realized Howl was going out then. "You'll make your cold worse," she said. "I shall die and then you'll all be sorry," the red-bearded man said, and went out through the door with the knob green-down.

FORSEEING: Foreseeing is done by those MAGIC USERS with the GIFT of looking into the future, quite often MYSTICAL MASTERS. It is done unasked. Indeed, most people would rather not know. But unlike the other forms of PROPHECY, this is usually very obscure, although quite accurate. Tourists should not lose sleep over it. Whatever is Foreseen is going to happen anyway.

In fact, Cat was fairly sure Tonino was feeling just the way Cat had felt himself when he first came to Chrestomanci Castle, and Cat could not get over the annoyance of having someone have feelings that were his.

So you eat them. And don't try chucking them away. I'll know. I empty the bins.

He was standing holding the door to the stairs open with an arm that was entirely hidden inside an immense blue-and-silver sleeve. His feet, on the bottom stair, were standing inside the top half of a gigantic blue-and-silver jacket. Howl's other arm did not come anywhere near the other huge sleeve. Sophie could see that arm in outline, making bulging gestures under a vast frill of collar. Behind Howl, the stairs were full of blue-and-silver suit trailing back all the way to his bedroom.

I like you, too! she blubbered at the top of her voice. I do, I do. You're a lovely Goon. You're my favourite Goon in all the world!

It's silly to let the bad things come out on top! The good, happy things are just as important. They just don't seem to last. You want to catch them at their best and keep them if you can.

I feel ill," he announced. "I'm going to bed, where I may die." He tottered piteously to the stairs. "Bury me beside Mrs Pentstemmon," he croaked as he went up them to bed.

Pero quería hacer algo, no estaba segura de qué, algo que fuera un poco mas interesante que adornar sombreros.

I don't know, Your Majesty. He's a mess.

What made me think I wanted life to be interesting?

Oh, how your ears flap and your long nose twitches!

Tell me, do you sometimes find yourself unaccountably sad on some days?

Estoy aquí para limpiar! -le gritó Sophie. -Entonces vaya encontrándole otro sentido a su vida. -dijo Howl.

But what call has he to be walking around in a charmed suit?

Don't think I can't see your point of view — you're a young fellow, disappointed in love, impatient — naturally you think Fate's against you. Take it from me, Fate doesn't care either way most of the time.

But what call has he to be walking around in a charmed suit? It is a dazzling attraction charm, directed at ladies—very well done, I admit, and barely detectable even to my trained eye, since it appears to have been darned into the seams—and one which will render him almost irresistible to ladies. This represents a downward trend into black arts which must surely cause you some motherly concern, Mrs. Pendragon.

I feel ill. I'm going to bed, where I may die. - Howl