Quotes from Madeleine L'Engle

Power is what Satan offers us, whereas God keeps pointing out that we serve el best in our weakness, so that we can acknowledge that it is the Creator choosing to work through us, his fragile creatures. It is God who has made us, and not we ourselves. But because we enjoy feeling powerful, we accept Satan's offers.

In this fateful hour, it was herself she placed between us and the powers of darkness.

When we seek our own pleasure as the ultimate good we place ourselves as the center of the universe.

But, like all human beings, she still had unfulfilled longings. She could still be as lonely and frightened as a child, and with as little reason.

With all our human struggling for power we cannot heal ourselves, so God, with wondrous love, gives away power, gives away himself so that we may be healed.

Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do.

John looked up from where he was crouched beside the fire, feeding it little bites of driftwood, and said, 'We'd better decide who wants hot dogs and who wants hamburgers because we haven't got too much time.' Everybody began talking about food, and things were better. There's something I've noticed about food: whenever there's a crisis if you can get people to eating normally things get better.

The Greeks in their wisdom had four words for our one, love: there was charity, agapé; sexual love, eros; family love, storgé; friendship, philia.

Also there's something very matter-of-fact about pork chops. Heroines of mystery novels are never mentioned eating a dinner of pork chops just before something terrible is about to happen.

We are never satisfied with what we have done. We know that our best is never adequate. If I had to be satisfied with what I have written I'd still be on my first novel. But I wrote what was for me the best book I could write at that moment in time.

But I kept looking at that enormous sweep of [Texas] land, stretching out to eternity so you couldn't stay afraid because fears were so small they just lost themselves. The only other place I know where you can see that far and makes you feel the same way is the ocean

When a character wants to do one thing and I want him to do another, the character is usually right.

You human beings tend to want good things to last forever. They don't. Not while we're in time.

I've gone out alone and bellowed in rage at God at the top of my lungs. But the fact that I bellow at him I suppose proves that I think he's there, doesn't it? Go ahead and be mad at God if you feel like it, Vicky. [...] But remember when you're yelling at God, what you're doing is saying, Do it MY way, God, not YOUR way, but MY way

Until bitterness ans self-pity and anger are gone... the belief was that healing was not possible until the spirit was cleansed.

so often I need OUT; something will throw me into total disproportion, and I have to get away from everybody—away from all these people I love most in the world—in order to regain a sense of proportion.

Only obedience,' he said aloud to the room, as though to convince himself, 'is perfect freedom.

You're not responsible for how you feel. You're responsible for what you do

If someone knows who he is, really knows, then he doesn't need to hate. That's why we still need

What happens when you swear?" "Nothing. Sometimes it makes me feel better. Not often. Not unless I can really shout." "Oh. I thought maybe if I swore, God would strike me down." "No," Sunset answered sadly. "It doesn't work that way. It's too bad, isn't it. But sometimes it does help if you shout. Would you like to try it?

I love you. Charles Wallace, you are my darling and my dear and the light of my life and the treasure of my heart.

It's not right in the United States of America that a little kid shouldn't be safe in school.

I like here to think of another Fred, the eminent British scientist Fred Hoyle, and his theory of the universe, in which matter is continuously being created, with the universe expanding but not dissipating. As island galaxies rush away from each other into eternity, new clouds of gas are condensing into new galaxies. As old stars die, new stars are being born. Mr. Melcher lived in this universe of continuous creation and expansion.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.