Quotes from The Birth House

“No matter what you do, someone always knew you would.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“If women lose the right to say where and how they birth their children, then they will have lost something that's as dear to life as breathing.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“How a mother comes to love her child, her caring at all for this thing that's made her heavy, lopsided and slow, this thing that made her wish she were dead ... that's the miracle.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“Miss B. says, "It's a mama's faith what keeps her children right. I'm not talkin' 'bout the churchgoin' kind, neither. Miss Mabel's got faith in goodness. Tell me you can't help but believe in it too just by lookin' at her.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“It’s a disgusting mess we come through to be born, the sticky-wet of blood and afterbirth, mother wailing, child crying … the helpless soft spot at the top of its head pulsing, waiting to be kissed. Our parents and teachers say it’s a miracle, but it’s not. It’s going to happen no matter what, there’s no choice in the matter. To my mind, a miracle is something that could go one way or another. The fact that something happens, when by all rights it shouldn’t, is what makes us take notice, it’s what saints are made of, it takes the breath away. How a mother comes to love her child, her caring at all for this thing that’s made her heavy, lopsided and slow, this thing that made her wish she were dead … that’s the miracle.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“If women lose the right to say where and how they birth their children, then they will have lost something that’s as dear to life as breathing.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“Aunt Fran lowered her voice. "Her cold is just the start of a greater sickness. These 'stories,' as you call them, will only lead her to more pain."
"Fran, talk plain, will you?"
"I'm talking about derangement."
"Don't be silly!"
She wispered. "And deviant behaviours.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“No matter what you do—somebody, somewheres, knew that you would.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“Sin has many tools, but a lie has a handle to fit them all.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“Kissin’ the dirt’s the only way you’ll see heaven.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“Each morning you set your sights on the tasks ahead and hope that when the day is done you’re farther along than when you started.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“I ask myself, is it just a wild flight of imagination to conceive of a world without war … but someone must try … ” Julia Grace Wales”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

“How a mother comes to love her child, her caring at all for this thing that’s made her heavy, lopsided and slow, this thing that made her wish she were dead … that’s the miracle.”
― Ami McKay, quote from The Birth House

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Popular quotes

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“Hang there like a fruit, my soul, Till the tree die!

-Posthumus Leonatus
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― William Shakespeare, quote from Cymbeline

“I have often heard it said that cowardice is the mother of cruelty, and I have found by experience that malicious and inhuman animosity and fierceness are usually accompanied by weakness. Wolves and filthy bears, and all the baser beasts, fall upon the dying.”
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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.