Quotes from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Rules and school are tools for fools! I don't give two mules for rules.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Oh, here’s a clever one. Do you remember this question from the first test? It reads, ‘What’s wrong with this statement?’ And do you know what Constance wrote in reply? She wrote, ‘What’s wrong with you?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Is this what family is like: the feeling that everyone’s connected, that with one piece missing, the whole thing’s broken?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“And please don't call me that."

I didn't call you 'that', I called you George Washington.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Children are capable of such open rudeness.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Every great thinker keeps a journal, you know.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“The missing aren't missing, they're only departed,
All minds keep all thoughts - so like gold - closely guarded,”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Why, then, do you think the white player might have done it?”

Reynie considered. He imagined himself moving out his knight only to bring it right back to where it started. Why would he ever do such a thing? At last he said, “Perhaps because he doubted himself.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Poor Kate,” said Constance, “she’s lost her marbles.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“One problem with being a leader, is that even among your friends you are alone, for it is you -- and you alone -- to whom the others look for final guidance.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Grow the lawn and mow the lawn
always keep the TV on,
brush your teeth and kill the germs,
poison apples, poison worms.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Daddy, will you take me to the mill, again?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Reynie's fce fell. 'It's not funny, Kate.'
For a moment - a fleeting moment - Kate looked desperately sad. 'Well, of course it's not funny, Reynie Muldoon. But what do you want me to do? Cry?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Was it worse for him, Reynie wondered, to have felt loved and then rejected? Or was it worse to have always felt alone?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“She announced her age right away, for children consider their ages every bit as important as their names.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Milligan! Come and tell us why you're so dreadfully glum!" ~ Constance, The Mysterious Benedict Society”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Everything is as it should be.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Something about this made Reynie uneasy. Had he done so badly? Was this meant to test his courage? He did as he was told, closing his eyes and bracing himself as best he could.
"Why are you flinching?" the pencil woman asked.
"I don't know. I thought maybe you were going to slap me."
"Don't be ridiculous. I could slap you perfectly well with your eyes open. I'm only going to blindfold you.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“I can't say for sure, because I have no experience, but -- well, is this what family is like? The feeling that everyone's connected, that with one piece missing the whole thing's broken?”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“They stared out their window at night enough to know where the darkest shadows lay, and it was to the darkest shadows they kept.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“No one seems to realize how much we are driven by FEAR, the essential component of human personality. Everything else - from ambition to love to despair - derives in some way from this single powerful emotion.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“You are the smartest children i know. You just don't beleive it.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“For every exit, there is also an entrance.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Don't thank me,' Mr. Curtain called as the door slid closed. 'Impress me!”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“If we're just trying to be accurate, then how about 'The Doomed to Fail Bunch'?" said Constance.
"Honestly! We can't even name ourselves.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“At this, Constance sat down on a rock and covered her face. She seemed smaller than ever now - so small the harbor breeze might catch her up like a scrap of paper and carry her away, carry her into nowhere.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Oh dear,"cried Rhonda just then, for Mr. Benedict, awash in strong emotion, has gone to sleep.with a sudden loud snore he toppled forward into the attentive arms of Rhonda and Number Two, who eased him to the floor.
"What's wrong with him?" Constance asked.
"He has narcolepsy," said Kate.
"He steals a lot?"
"That's kleptomania," Sticky said. "Mr. Benedict sleeps a lot.”
― Trenton Lee Stewart, quote from The Mysterious Benedict Society

About the author

Popular quotes

“When somebody is a little bit wrong - say, when a waited puts nonfat milk in your espresso macchiato, instead of lowfat milk - it is often quite easy to explain to them how and why they are wrong. But if somebody is surprisingly wrong - say, when a waiter bites your nose instead of taking your order - you can often be so surprised that you are unable to say anything at all. Paralyzed by how wrong the waiter is, your moth would hang slightly open and your eyes would blink over and over, but you would be unable to say a word.”
― Lemony Snicket, quote from The Reptile Room

“i am a museum full of art
but you had your eyes shut”
― Rupi Kaur, quote from Milk and Honey

“A single day spent doing things which fail to nourish the soul is a day stolen, mutilated, and discarded in the gutter of destiny.”
― Michel Faber, quote from The Crimson Petal and the White

“Mr. Twit was a twit. He was born a twit. And, now at the age of sixty, he was a bigger twit than ever.”
― Roald Dahl, quote from The Twits

“It was the sort of bone deep emotion that made him want to hold her tighter with one hand, and draw a sword against the world with the other.”
― Jeaniene Frost, quote from First Drop of Crimson

Interesting books

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.