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Emily Bronte: Any relic of...

Emily Bronte: Any relic of...

Any relic of the dead is precious, if they were valued living.

Source: Ellen Dean,...

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George Eliot: It is only...

George Eliot: It is only...

It is only a poor sort of happiness that could ever come by caring very much about our own pleasures. We can only have...

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Mary McCarthy: There are no...

Mary McCarthy: There are no...

There are no new truths, but only truths that have not been recognized by those who have perceived them without...

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Mary McCarthy: I am putting...

Mary McCarthy: I am putting...

I am putting real plums into an imaginary cake.

Source: On The Group,, her 1963...

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Olive Schreiner: [Finishing schools] are...

Olive Schreiner: [Finishing schools] are...

[Finishing schools] are nicely adapted machines for experimenting on the question, Into how little space a human...

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Pearl Buck: Self-expression must pass...

Pearl Buck: Self-expression must pass...

Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.

Source: The...

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Elizabeth Bowen: Silences have a...

Elizabeth Bowen: Silences have a...

Silences have a climax, when you have got to speak.

Source: The House in Paris,...

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Ayn Rand: Creation comes before...

Ayn Rand: Creation comes before...

Creation comes before distribution -- or there will be nothing to distribute.

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Natalia Ginzburg: As soon as...

Natalia Ginzburg: As soon as...

As soon as we see our dreams betrayed we realize that the intensest joys of our life have nothing to do with reality,...

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Jessamyn West: A rattlesnake that...

Jessamyn West: A rattlesnake that...

A rattlesnake that doesn't bite teaches you nothing.

Source: The Life I Really...

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Pearl Buck: I don't wait...

Pearl Buck: I don't wait...

I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to...

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Annie Dillard: No child on...

Annie Dillard: No child on...

No child on earth was ever meant to be ordinary, and you can see it in them, and they know it, too, but then the times...

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Agatha Christie: It is ridiculous...

Agatha Christie: It is ridiculous...

It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City -- New York City is itself a detective...

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George Eliot: Blows are sarcasms...

George Eliot: Blows are sarcasms...

Blows are sarcasms turned stupid.

Source: In Correct Quotes for DOS, WordStar...

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Virginia Graham: Be blind. Be...

Virginia Graham: Be blind. Be...

Be blind. Be stupid. Be British. Be careful.

Source: Say Please, ch. 24,...

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Virginia Graham: It is not...

Virginia Graham: It is not...

It is not done to let anybody be too happy. The moment two people seem to be enjoying one another's company, a good...

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Gypsy Rose Lee: She is descended...

Gypsy Rose Lee: She is descended...

She is descended from a long line that her mother listened to.

Source: In An...

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Joan Baez: Action is the...

Joan Baez: Action is the...

Action is the antidote to despair.

Source: In The Speaker's Electronic Reference...

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Aretha Franklin: Trying to grow...

Aretha Franklin: Trying to grow...

Trying to grow up is hurting, you know. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don't, it hurts...

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Patti Smith: Those who have...

Patti Smith: Those who have...

Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand.

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