Quotes from The Night Gardener

“A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens 'em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Hester shook her head. 'Don't confuse what you do with who you are, dearie. Besides, there's no shame in humble work. Why, Aesop himself, the king of storytellers, was a slave his whole life. Never drew a free breath, yet he shaped the world with just three small words: there once was. And where are his great masters now, hmm? Rotting in tombs, if they're lucky. But Aesop - he still lives to this day, dancin' on the tip of every tongue what's ever told a tale.' She winked at Molly. 'Think on that, next time you're scrubbing floors.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Stories come in all different kinds." Hester scooted closer, clearly enjoying the subject at hand. "There's tales, which are light and fluffy. Good for a smile on a sad day. Then you got yarns, which are showy-yarns reveal more about the teller than the story. After that there's myths, which are stories made up by whole groups of people. And last of all, there's legends." She raised a mysterious eyebrow. "Legends are different from the rest on account no one knows where they start. Folks don't tell legends; they repeat them. Over and over again through history.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“We'll never know. And maybe that's the best. It's a bad tale that has all the answers." -Molly”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Nobody's too old for stories--not even God himself.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“To demand promises is to invite disappointment" -Hester”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens ’em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Runnin's not a bad thing, sir, so long as you're runnin' towards somethin' good.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Don't confuse what you do with who you are...”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“To stand in the shadow of this tree was to feel a chill run through your whole body.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“I think I figured it out." She sniffed, looking up at the stars. "Hester asked me what the difference between a story and a lie was. At the time, I told her that a story helps folks. 'Helps 'em do what?' she asked. Well, I think I know the answer. A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens 'em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“It’s no joke,” he insisted. “Something’s wrong with this whole place. You seen how pale they all are—it ain’t natural.” “That’s just how folks look in England.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“He reached under the bench to retrieve his crutch. His father had carved the crutch from the branch of a fallen wych elm on the farm back home. It was strong and thick and had just enough spring to be comfortable when he walked. Da named it 'Courage,' saying that all good tools deserved a good title. Kip had always liked the idea that courage was a thing a person could hold on to and use.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“To differing opinions: may they ever stay apart.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Kip had always liked the idea that courage was a thing a person could hold on to and use.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Don’t confuse what you do with who you are, dearie. Besides, there’s no shame in humble work. Why, Aesop himself, the king of storytellers, was a slave his whole life. Never drew a free breath, yet he shaped the world with just three small words: ‘There once was.’ And where are his great masters now, hmm? Rotting in tombs, if they’re lucky. But Aesop— he still lives to this day, dancing on the tip of every tongue that’s ever told a tale.” She winked at Molly. “Think on that, next time you’re scrubbing floors.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Hollow, melting the final bits of ice from the bare trees. Steam rose from the soil like a phantom, carrying with it a whisper of autumn smoke that had been lying dormant in the frosty underground.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“He shook the nerves from his hand and touched the root again. Again it moved. The tiny fibers at the end came alive, reaching for him, twining around his fingertip. He looked around the hole, and he could now see tiny roots everywhere, pushing gently through the soil. The tree was growing right before his eyes. “You’re alive,” he whispered. Just then, he felt a sharp pain. The root had tightened, choking the tip of his finger. Kip jerked his hand back, trying to pull himself free—but the root would not let go. He pulled harder. “Ow!” he cried out as his hand finally came away. A gust of wind howled overhead. Kip looked up and saw leaves and loose dirt blowing into the hole, piling up around his feet. He tried to pull himself out of the hole, but a strong gust knocked him backward. Dirt and leaves poured down over his body, burying him. “Help!” Kip shouted, but he knew no one could hear him. Molly and the family were inside the house. Even Galileo was gone. More and more tiny roots came out of the soil, grasping at his legs, his arms, his neck. Kip screamed again, straining against the roots. His voice came back to him, muffled and small. He could barely move beneath the weight of dirt and leaves—a rustling, choking darkness. Kip twisted his body and felt something hard against his face—”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Most trees invite you to climb up into their canopy. This one did not. Most trees make you want to carve your initials into the trunk. This one did not.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“But that’s how the tree works, ain’t it? It gives you what you wish for but not in a way that makes things better. I suppose that’s the difference between what you want and what you need.” Molly”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Don’t confuse what you do with who you are, dearie.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“There's what's smart and what's right." - Molly in the Night Gardener”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Courage, by J.M. Barrie..., is about a walking stick, a storyteller, and what it means to fight for peace...what young people are to do in a world in which adults have failed...them.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“Oh, where did you go, dear Gal-i-le-o? Your oats are a-ready, an’ we miss you so!” It”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

“My girl, we are on the cusp of a modern age-and with it comes modern medicine." He dug a fat hand through his bag and removed a small bottle. "Take this laudanum, for example. Wonderful stuff! I have a few drops in my tea each morning to calm the nerves.”
― Jonathan Auxier, quote from The Night Gardener

About the author

Popular quotes

“I'll say this one more time. I will be gentle. I will be slow. But you don't have the reins.”
― Joey W. Hill, quote from Ice Queen

“She wondered if her father had awakened yet, if he had missed her, if Jeweltongue would tell him she was only out in the garden, if Tea-cosy's wretchedness would give them all away immediately. She wondered if she had been right to guess that her father would not mend till she left--and that he would mend when she did. Had the Beast sent his illness? Did he watch them from his palace? What a sorcerer could and could not do could never quite be relied on--not even always by the sorcerer. She could hate him--easily she could hate him--for the misery of it if he had sent it. If he kept his promises like a man, did he suppose that they mere humans as they were, would keep theirs any less? The price was high for one stolen rose, but they would pay it. If he had sent her father's illness to beat them into acquiescence, she would hate him for it.

The bitterness of her thoughts weighted her down till she had to stop walking. She looked again at the beech trees and, not waiting for a gap this time, fought her way through to the nearest and leant against it, turning her head so that her cheek was against the bark. The Beast is a Beast, even if he keeps his promises; how could she guess how a Beast thinkds, especially one who is so great a sorcere? It was foolish to talk of hating him--foolish and wasteful. What had happened had happened, like anything else might happen, like a bit of paper giving you a new home when you had none finding its way into your hand, like a company of the ugliest, worst-tempered plants you'd ever seen opening their flowers and becoming rose-bushes, the most beautiful, lovable plants you've ever seen. Perhaps it was the Beast's near presence that made her own roses grow. Did she not owe him something for that if that were the case? It was a curious thing, she thought sadly, how one is no longer satisfied with what one was or had if one has discovered something better. She could not now happily live without roses, although she had never seen a rose before three years ago.”
― Robin McKinley, quote from Rose Daughter

“I’m already in the late stages of advanced detachment where my mother is concerned. With a little practice I could feel that way about everyone.”
― quote from Alice, I Think

“Hardly anybody is exactly normal in any way, just as one hundred tossed pennies will rarely come up exactly fifty heads and fifty tails.”
― quote from How to Lie with Statistics

“Hate the sin, not the sinner.”
― Julie Garwood, quote from Heartbreaker

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.