Quotes from Diana Gabaldon

left me studying the birds, with the assurance that he would shortly

I am deeply indebted to many people who have shared their love of and insights into these remarkable books with me over the years, none more than Jessica Matthews of George Mason University.

You do not think I would take ye without offering you marriage!

I drew a deep breath, trying to think of something to say, then pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and gave it to him. Are you breathing, Ian? His mouth twitched a little. Aye, I think so. That's all you have to do, for now.

Not for the first time, I wondered just what kind of work Frank had done during the War. He certainly seemed to know a lot about maneuvering soundlessly in the dark.

May God make safe to me each step,             May God make open to me each pass,             May God make clear to me each road,             And may He take me in the clasp of His own two hands.

My niece's son, really," he confided. "Father shot down over the Channel, and mother killed in the Blitz, though, so I've taken him.

Colum's response came in a cutting tone. And while I've seldom found cause to thank the Lord, perhaps he's done better by me than I've thought. I've heard it said often enough that a man's brain stops workin' when his cock's standin', and now I think maybe I believe it.

we've had some luck, both good and bad.

together with an impact that

It may," the deeper voice agreed. "It may rain straight up tomorrow instead of down, as well. That doesna mean I'll stand waiting at the stairhead wi' my wee bucket turned upside down.

used for gathering. "I'll go and change my sark.

BILIOUS HUMOURS

I do not understand men." That made him chuckle, deep in his chest. "Yes, ye do, Sassenach. Ye only wish ye didn

I had noticed before that like some Protestants, Tom Christie regarded the Bible as being a document addressed specifically to himself and confided to his personal care for prudent distribution to the masses. Thus, he quite disliked hearing Catholics—i.e., Jamie—quoting casually from it. I had also noticed that Jamie was aware of this, and took every opportunity to make such quotes.

Not that my watching out was likely to do a lot of good, I thought; every second man on the dock looked like an assassin to me.

there was nothing frightening about the dead man; there never is. No matter how ugly the manner in which a man dies, it's only the presence of a suffering human soul that is horrifying; once gone, what is left is only an object.

Still less could I be afraid of those ghosts who touch my thoughts in passing. Any library is filled with them. I can take a book from dusty shelves, and be haunted by the thoughts of one long dead, still lively as ever in their winding sheet of words.

My life is yours. And it's yours to decide what we shall do, where we go next. To France, to Italy, even back to Scotland. My heart has been yours since first I saw ye, and you've held my soul and body between your two hands here, and kept them safe. We shall go as ye say.

All right. Where are we going?

My dear daughter, As you will see if ever you receive this, we are alive. . . .

Aye, I see. Aye well, I suppose if I shall be in Scotland, and still married to you—then maybe 'when' doesna matter so much.

It's Ã¢â'¬Â¦ difficult to explain. It's Ã¢â'¬Â¦ it's like Ã¢â'¬Â¦ I think it's as though everyone has a small place inside themselves, maybe, a private bit that they keep to themselves. It's like a little fortress, where the most private part of you lives—maybe it's your soul, maybe just that bit that makes you yourself and not anyone else.

Did the ancient Gaels not wear undergarments? Frank leered. You've never heard that old song about what a Scotsman wears beneath his kilts?