Quotes from Nancy and Plum

Betty MacDonald ·  160 pages

Rating: (579 votes)


“It was Christmas Eve. Big snowflakes fluttered slowly through the air like white feathers and made all of the Heavenly Valley smooth and white and quiet and beautiful.

Tall fir trees stood up to their knees in snow and their outstretched hands were heaped with it. Those that were bare of leaves wore soft white fur on their scrawny, reaching arms and all the stumps and low bushes had been turned into fat white cupcakes.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“Miss Appleby, her library books, and her story-telling sessions were very popular with all the children in Heavenly Valley. To Nancy and Plum they were a magic carpet that whisked them out of the dreariness and drudgery of their lives at Mrs. Monday's and transported them to palaces in India, canals in Holland, pioneer stockades during the Indian wars, cattle ranches in the West, mountains in Switzerland, pagodas in China, igloos in Alaska, jungles in Africa, castles in England, slums in London, gardens in Japan, or most important of all, into happy homes where there were mothers and fathers and no Mrs. Mondays or Marybelles.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“Nancy grabbed Plum's hand and together they ran around the last curve and then they were leaning against the old stone wall that marked Lookout Hill. Far, far down below them, a river was trying to wriggle its way out of a steep canyon. Over to the right, thick green hills crowded close to each other to share one filmy white cloud. To the left, as far as they could see the land flowed into valleys that shaded from a pale watery green, through lime, emerald, jade, leaf, forest to a dark, dark, bluish-green, almost black. The rivers were like inky lines, the ponds like ink blots.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“After splashing icy water on their faces and rubbing them fiery red with one of the rough sweet-smelling towels, they came in and took their places at the big kitchen table. This morning the table wore a bright red-and-white checked cloth and a pot of red geraniums. Mrs. Campbell handed the girls their plates, each with a slice of ham and half of a crisp, tan waffle.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“Shyly Nancy and Plum sat down at the table while Mrs. Campbell heaped pink-flowered plates with baked beans, sausage cakes ad salad, passed a steaming plate of brown bread, cut them off generous pieces of the pat of new butter and handed them big mugs of ice-cold milk.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum



“God is great and God is good,
And we thank Him for this food.
By His hand may we be led,
Give us Lord or daily bread.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“I never feel that the things I tell Mrs. Monday are lies. I think that lies are only when you want not to tell the truth. With Mrs. Monday I want to tell the truth but life is easier if I don't.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“Well, whatever you and Nancy decide to be when you grow up, I know that you'll be happy because you have discovered the comfort and joy of reading.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


“All of life is a contest. The weak against the strong - the stupid against the clever - the honest against the dishonest.”
― Betty MacDonald, quote from Nancy and Plum


About the author

Betty MacDonald
Born place: in Boulder, Colorado, The United States
Born date March 26, 1908
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“Dear Matthew-
There's one more thing I didn't get to tell you that night in my bedroom. Here it is: I love you. I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time. This might seem like a strange thing for me to say given the fact we aren't speaking to each other. But I've decided that it's possible to love someone for entirely selfless reasons, for all of their flaws and weaknesses, and still not succeed in having them love you back. It's sad perhaps, but not tragic, unless you dwell forever in the pursuit of their elusive affections.”
― Cammie McGovern, quote from Say What You Will


“Não sei se sou eu que vencerei as ilhas, ou elas que me vencerão a mim.”
― Miguel Sousa Tavares, quote from Equador


“Ignorance is bliss. Knowledge is often a responsibility nobody wants.”
― Cecelia Ahern, quote from Flawed


“I tug his head down to mine. “I need you, Reed. Don’t make me beg.”
And just like that, he gives in. One hand comes up to tangle in my hair while the other pulls me roughly against him. “You don’t ever have to ask again. I’ll give you anything you want.”
― Erin Watt, quote from Paper Princess


“We could be surrounded by walking dead in the zombie apocalypse and she’d look for the bright side.”
― Karen M. McManus, quote from One of Us Is Lying


Interesting books

The Broom of the System
(16.4K)
The Broom of the Sys...
by David Foster Wallace
Sky on Fire
(9.4K)
Sky on Fire
by Emmy Laybourne
Cross and Burn
(4.1K)
Cross and Burn
by Val McDermid
Treason
(6.4K)
Treason
by Orson Scott Card
Mona Lisa Overdrive
(30.3K)
Mona Lisa Overdrive
by William Gibson
If You Come Softly
(4.2K)
If You Come Softly
by Jacqueline Woodson

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.