Quotes from Kate DiCamillo

How long are you supposed to wait? That was another question that Raymie wished she had asked Mrs. Borkowski. How long should you wait, and when should you stop waiting?

He had been so lonely, so desperately, hopelessly lonely for so long. He might very well spend the rest of his life in prison, alone. And he understood that what he wanted now was something much simpler, much more complicated than the magic he had performed. What he wanted was to turn to somebody and take hold of their hand and look up with them and marvel at the snow falling from the sky. "This," he wanted to say to someone he loved and who loved him in return. "This.

And he knew, suddenly and absolutely, that the baby he held in his arms was his sister, Adele. When

Sometimes the pain in her heart made her feel too terrified to go on. Sometimes it made her want to drop to her knees.

The most profound and difficult questions that could possibly be posed by the human mind or heart will be answered within for the price of one florit.

What you giving me them shifty-eyed looks for?

Magic is always impossible, said the magician. It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.

hygienist. But

If you want to be a writer, write a little bit every day. Pay attention to the world around you. Stories are hiding, waiting everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and your heart.

I decided a long time ago that I didn't have to be talented. I just had to be persistent.

I have no talents. But I do have hope. And wonder. And love. Maybe those are talents?

When I was 5 years old, I moved with my mother and brother from Philadelphia to a small town in Florida. People talked more slowly there and said words I had never heard before, like 'ain't' and 'y'all' and 'ma'am.' Everybody knew everybody else. Even if they didn't, they acted like they did.

I always wanted to be a character when I worked at Disney, but I wasn't short enough for certain characters, and I wasn't tall enough for others.

There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.

I have always been a reader. I was one of those kids desperate to learn. I would read anything.

How do you make your kids read more? It needs to be presented as a joy and a privilege to get to do it, and the kids should get to see you as a parent reading for your own pleasure. It's not something you send your kids off to do, 'Go into your room and read for 15 minutes or else.' It becomes a task then.

How do I feel when I look back at prior work? Hmmm. I think, 'I tried to do the best I could do. It's not perfect. It will never be perfect.' And then I think, 'I want to try again.'

We have this thing as human beings: we have a profound need for story. That's what kids need.

It wasn't until my fifth or sixth book where I realized I'm trying to do the same thing in every story I tell, which is bring everybody together in the same room.

I was a shy, terrified kid. But I was also a kid who was lucky enough to have friends. I laughed with those friends. I had adventures. We dreamed together. I relied on them.

It's such a potent thing, to be a kid. We grow up, and we don't want to remember how everything is so beautiful and terrifying when we're young. The older you get, the more you hope to muffle things.

I am busier now than I ever imagined I would be, but I feel blessed in that I have found what I am supposed to be doing with my life. It's wonderful to tell stories and have people listen to them.

Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is difficult. Life is wonderful.

Writing at home and then going out into the world to talk about why books matter to me feeds the writing. It's a good mix. It provides balance.