Quotes from The Stepford Wives

“You're not going to get any true confessions out of me," she said. "I'm a Leo, and our thing is changing the subject.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“That’s what she was, Joanna felt suddenly. That’s what they all were, all the Stepford wives: actresses in commercials, pleased with detergents and floor wax, with cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants. Pretty actresses, big in the bosom but small in the talent, playing housewives unconvincingly, too nicey-nice to be real.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“I want you to know I won't always be here,' Fertility says, 'but I'll always find you.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“What’s the going price for a stay-in-the-kitchen wife with big boobs and no demands?”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“They never stop, these Stepford wives. They something something all their lives. Work like robots. Yes, that would fit. They work like robots all their lives.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“That green stuff outside is grass, and the yellow stuff coming down on it is sunshine.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“No, thanks, we’re not keen on cat pix.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“And you’ll put a deposit on the house tomorrow?”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“What’s wrong with Bill McCormick? Can’t he run a washer? I thought he was one of our aerospace brains.” “He’s taking care of Marge,” Kit said, folding the T-shirt. “These things came out nice and white, didn’t they?” She put the folded T-shirt into the laundry basket, smiling. Like an actress in a commercial. That’s what she was, Joanna felt suddenly. That’s what they all were, all the Stepford wives: actresses in commercials, pleased with detergents and floor wax, with cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants. Pretty actresses, big in the bosom but small in the talent, playing suburban housewives unconvincingly, too nicey-nice to be real.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“One great difference between good writing, that readers overlook, and bad writing, that they fail to notice, has to do with the number of rewrites and revisions usually required by the former. It isn’t at all easy to write clear, declarative prose—transparency evolves from ruthless cutting and trimming and is hard work—while lumpy, tangle-footed writing flows from the pen as if inspired by the Muse.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

“Today the combat takes a different shape; instead of wishing to put man in a prison, woman endeavors to escape from one; she no longer seeks to drag him into the realms of immanence but to emerge, herself, into the light of transcendence. Now the attitude of the males creates a new conflict: it is with a bad grace that the man lets her go.”
― Ira Levin, quote from The Stepford Wives

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Popular quotes

“Bear in mind closely that I did not see any actual visual horror at the end.”
― H.P. Lovecraft, quote from The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft

“No matter how often Kathryn observed the phenomenon, she found it hard to comprehend: the way nothing could remain as it had been, not a house that was falling down, not a woman's face that had once been beautiful, not childhood, not a marriage, not love.

You have to let this happen to you, he said quietly. It has its own momentum.

But how do you ever know that you know a person?

Aren't we enough? she asks again.

Odd she thought, how a fact, seen one way, was one thing. And then, seen from a different angle, was something else entirely. Or perhaps not so odd.

Of all people, he said, this should not have happened to you.

She thought about the impossibility of ever knowing another person. About the fragility of the constructs people make. A marriage, for example. A family.

To be relieved of love, she thought, was to give up a terrible burden.”
― Anita Shreve, quote from The Pilot's Wife

“I'm eighteen; I'm a princess; and I'm a virgin. You know what? At this point in my life, I might as well be a unicorn. Happy freaking birthday to me.”
― Meg Cabot, quote from Forever Princess

“The au pair was bug-eyed. "What happened back there?"
"It's not our fault!" Dan babbled. "Those guys are crazy! They're like mini-Darth Vaders without the mask!"
"They're Benedictine monks!" Nellie exclaimed. "They're men of peace! Most of them are under vows of silence!"
"Yeah, well, not anymore," Dan told her. "They cursed us out pretty good. I don't know the language, but some things you don't have to translate.”
― Gordon Korman, quote from One False Note

“I have no idea what you just said." I couldn't stop looking at her mouth. It was a little swollen, and I wanted to kiss her again and again, over and over until she couldn't breathe properly anymore. My libido had kicked into overdrive, and I was't having any problem imagining all the things I'd like to do.”
― Lacey Weatherford, quote from Crush

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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.