Quotes from Cornelia Funke

It's always like that in stories: bad things happen but then it all ends happily. And this is a story.

Outside, the lights of Moskva gave the night sky a grubby glow, and even the moons wore veils of human haze.

die Wahrheit ... ist ein hässliches Mädchen. Man schaut ihr nicht gern ins Gesicht.«

A strong and bitter book-sickness floods one's soul. How ignominious to be strapped to this ponderous mass of paper, print and dead man's sentiment. Would it not be better, finer, braver to leave the rubbish where it lies and walk out into the world a free untrammelled illiterate Superman? Solomon Eagle

Some come here to wait for death, others for life to begin at last, others again live only on the stories they are told.

Wake up, Dustfinger!" it said. "Come Back. The story isn't over yet.

Piper, beware, your end is near, The Adder's power dwindles. He writhes, he goes in mortal fear, Nothing his strength rekindles. Though you seek the Jay in country and town, No sword can wound him, no hound run him down, And when you think you'll succeed in your quest, You find that the bird has flown the nest.

The girl and the book?" Mo held Meggie close again. "Of course. Now Capricorn can be sure I'll do what he wants.

Ingen visste bättre vad som försiggick än de, som ingenstans hörde hemma

Don't let it worry you, not being able to speak,' Dustfinger had often told her. 'People tend not to listen anyway, right?

Why did his heart always insist on believing that there was light in all the darkness?

Sai bene quanto il fuoco sia facile a offendersi.

They were here already, all of them: Dustfinger and Capricorn, Basra and Roxane, Minerva, Violante, the Adderhead...you merely wrote their story, but they didn't like it, and now they're writing it for themselves.

Did you have to learn from your own parents how to love your child?

Didn't she feel, deep down inside, that her longing was sapping her strength and her appetite, even her pleasure in books? Longing.

Nonsense. If anyone around here needs his neck wrung it's Capricorn," said Elinor. "And that man Basta. My God, I'd never have thought the idea of strangling another human being would give me such enormous satisfaction. But I'm sure if I could just get my hands around that Basta's neck, I —

You just have to make a hero believe you're on the side of what's right and just, and he'll go trotting after you like a lamb to the slaughter.

Non sembrano luoghi pericolosi» constatò mentre superavano l'ennesima casetta rosa. «Perché guardi sempre a sinistra!» le disse Dita di Polvere. «Tutte le cose hanno un lato chiaro e uno scuro. Da' un'occhiata a destra».

It's the place that worries you," said Hazel. "I don't like it myself, but it won't go on forever." Richard Adams, Watership Down

Oh, er vermisste sein gemasertes Gesicht und seine heisere Stimme. Er vermisste ihn ganz besonders unter all diesen weichhäutigen weißen Gesichtern.

And then her voice could help this story to find a good ending at last.

C'era una volta... le fiabe non cominciano così per niente, Will. Ma il poi vissero per sempre felici e contenti ce lo si deve guadagnare.

She still believed in words so much. Farid believed in other things: his knife, in courage and cunning. And friendship.

You want me to write something about him? Heavens, it was confusing enough when I had only my own characters to worry about!