Quotes from Elizabeth von Arnim

Scrap looked up at the pine-tree motionless among stars. Beauty made you love, and love made you beautiful.

I was determined to find you first, he said, before I go to Rose. And he added quickly, I want to kiss your shoes. Do you? said Scrap, smiling. Then I must go and put on my new ones. These aren't nearly good enough.

and there were days last winter when I danced for sheer joy out in my frost-bound garden, in spite of my years and children.

and knew that here I might read or dream or idle exactly as I chose with never a creature to disturb me, how grateful I felt to the kindly Fate that has brought me here and given me a heart to understand my own blessedness

But while admiring my neighbour, I don't think I shall ever try to follow in her steps, my talents not being of the energetic and organising variety, but rather that of that order which makes their owner almost lamentably prone to take up a volume of poetry and wander out to where the kingcups grow, and, sitting on a willow trunk beside a little stream, forget the very existence of everything but green pastures and still waters, and the glad blowing of the wind across the joyous fields.

The people round about are persuaded that I am, to put it as kindly as possible, exceedingly eccentric, for the news has traveled that I spend the day out of doors with a book...

If one believed in angels one would feel that they must love us best when we are asleep and cannot hurt each other; and what a mercy it is that once in every twenty-four hours we are too utterly weary to go on being unkind. The doors shut, and the lights go out, and the sharpest tongue is silent, and all of us, scolder and scolded, happy and unhappy, master and slave, judge and culprit, are children again, tired, and hushed, and helpless, and forgiven. And

Oh well, I'll be sure to pick you up again somewhere. It isn't a very big island, and you are a conspicuous object, driving round it.' This was true. So long as I was on that island I could not hope to escape Charlotte. I entered Binz in a state of moody acquiescence. Every

I suppose you never wanted to be a woman," she said, considering this phenomenon with apparent interest. Axel laughed. "The mere question makes you laugh," she said, looking up quickly. "I never heard of a man who did want to. But lots of women would give anything to be men." "And you are one of them?" "Yes." He laughed again.

This is great fun,' she said as he gripped her hand, and she successfully hid the agony caused by her fingers and her rings being crushed together. 'It's heaven,' said Christopher. 'No, no, that's not nearly such fun as—just fun,' she said, furtively rubbing her released hand and making a note in her mind not to wear rings next time her strong young friend was likely to say how do you do.

Si, d'aventure, il prenait à mes meubles la fantaisie de se faire épousseter le jour où j'aurais quelque chose de plus intéressant à faire, je revendique hautement le droit de les précipiter tous dans le feu de joie le plus proche, de m'établir près du brasier et d'y réchauffer gaiement mes pieds glacés après avoir vendu tous mes chiffons au premier chineur venu.

Rien ne répugne plus à un Allemand que de sentir qu'on a plaisir à le rencontrer. Soyez déplaisant, revêche, cassant, et vous le verrez de minute en minute se faire plus aimable.

Many a time have I wondered at the unworthy ways of Fate, at the pettiness of the pleasure it takes in frustrating plans that are small and innocent, at its entire want of dignity, at its singular spitefulness, at the resemblance of its manners to those of an evilly-disposed kitchen-maid....

but here was the world wide awake and yet only for me, all the fresh pure air only for me, all the fragrance breathed only by me, not a living soul hearing the nightingale but me, the sun in a few moments coming up to warm only me, and nowhere a single hard word being spoken, or a single selfish act being done, nowhere anything that could tarnish the blessed purity of the world as God has given it us.

Lewes was waiting, always Lewes, making profound and idiotic comments on everything, and wanting to sit up half the night and reason. Reason! He was sick of reason. He wanted some one he could be romantic with, and sentimental with, and poetic, and—yes, religious with, if he felt like it, without having to feel ashamed.

For, after he had affectionately embraced her, so affectionately that she was sure that one of her tendons had snapped..

but the greater part of my spring happiness is due to the scent of the wet earth and young leaves.

Die perfekte Frau bemüht sich darum, das verhalten von Streichhölzern und Aschenbechern nachzuahmen, indem sie Nützlichkeit mit Schweigen verbindet.

That was a strange thing, the death of Coco. Not that he should die, for owing to the unexpected folly of the concierge it was inevitable that he should, but his manner of doing it. Even at this distance of time, the remembrance agonises me. There

shall do my best in the years at my disposal to train them so to love the garden, and out-door life, and even farming, that, if they have a spark of their mother in them, they will want and ask for nothing better.

Um auf Dauer gesund zu bleiben, sollte man nie ganz gesund sein

I can't any longer— I've come to the end-" The end? thought old Mrs. Bott. Which end? There were so many ends to life, and in one's younger years one was always coming to them, and then finding that they weren't ends at all.

and there were days last winter when I danced for sheer joy out in my frost-bound garden, in spite of my years and children. But I did it behind a bush, having a due regard for the decencies.

May 2nd.—Last night after dinner, when we were in the garden, I said, I want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life. I want to be as idle as I can, so that my soul may have time to grow. Nobody shall be invited to stay with me, and if any one calls they will be told that I am out, or away, or sick.