Philip Pullman · 405 pages
Rating: (19.3K votes)
“Finally, I’d say to anyone who wants to tell these tales, don’t be afraid to be superstitious. If you have a lucky pen, use it. If you speak with more force and wit when wearing one red sock and one blue one, dress like that. When I’m at work I’m highly superstitious. My own superstition has to do with the voice in which the story comes out. I believe that every story is attended by its own sprite, whose voice we embody when we tell the tale, and that we tell it more successfully if we approach the sprite with a certain degree of respect and courtesy. These sprites are both old and young, male and female, sentimental and cynical, sceptical and credulous, and so on, and what’s more, they’re completely amoral: like the air-spirits who helped Strong Hans escape from the cave, the story-sprites are willing to serve whoever has the ring, whoever is telling the tale. To the accusation that this is nonsense, that all you need to tell a story is a human imagination, I reply, ‘Of course, and this is the way my imagination works.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“The fairy tale is in a perpetual state of becoming and alteration. To keep to one version or one translation alone is to put robin redbreast in a cage.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“Princess, princess, youngest daughter,
Open up and let me in!
Or else your promise by the water
Isn’t worth a rusty pin.
Keep your promise, royal daughter,
Open up and let me in!”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“He sat down and collected his thoughts. They were quite easy to collect, because there weren't very many of them, and they all concerned the same subject--what a burden his life was.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“the particular plant longed for by the wife, which was originally parsley, was a well-known abortifacient.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“Much ingenious interpretation of story is little more than seeing pleasing patterns in the sparks of a fire, but it does no harm.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
“and she saw a bed of lamb’s lettuce, or rapunzel.”
― Philip Pullman, quote from Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
Philip Pullman
Born place: in Norwich, Norfolk, England, The United Kingdom
Born date October 19, 1946
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“Sophia looked down her long nose at the girl. “Who are you?”
“I’m Abigail, ma’am,” she said, curtsying. “This is my brother, Jamie. I apologize for him.”
Sophia arched an eyebrow. “I’ll wager you do that quite a lot.”
Abigail sighed, sounding world-weary. “Yes, I do.”
“Good girl.” Sophia almost smiled. “Younger brothers can be a chore sometimes, but one must persevere.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Abigail said solemnly.
“Come on, Jamie,” Alistair said. “Let’s go into dinner before they form a Society for Bossy Older Sisters.”
― Elizabeth Hoyt, quote from To Beguile a Beast
“-Quisiera recordarte de pequeño. Te quise entonces, porque en la juventud una madre debe querer a todos sus hijos. De viejos sabemos mejor. No hay por qué querer a nadie sin razón. La sangre natural no es una razón. La única razón es la sangre amada sin razón.”
― Carlos Fuentes, quote from The Death of Artemio Cruz
“So this is why I write. Because most times, your life isn’t funny the first time through. Most times, you can hardly stand it.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, quote from Stranger than Fiction
“Why do you have an unconscious female in your arms? I’m trying not to judge but she smells of fear. Did you scare her enough that she fainted and now you’re pulling a caveman stunt to carry her off to your room to kiss it all better”
― Laurann Dohner, quote from True
“When you decide it's time to up the ante on getting into deep shit, you don't mess around, do you? You're just like, hey, what's the worst that can happen? That's the worst that can happen? Great. Let's do that.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from Chimes at Midnight
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