Great Throughts Treasury

"Characters live to be noticed. People with character notice how they live."

"When I read a novel I am not here. I am transported to far-off places, my eyes unseeing of the words on the page, busy with a scene being played out in my mind's eye, with my ears engaged, hearing the voices carry from the pen to the present. What a lovely place to be—not here."

"That I have not seen does not mean I cannot appreciate."

"The meanderings of the heart and mind are fickle, and are often wont to be withdrawn or amended. "

""Express yourself, dear child" has always been an invocation in the Austen household, and my sister Cassandra (two years my elder) and my six brothers (all but one older than myself) have always been eager to embrace the unspoken possibilities enmeshed within our parents' entreaty. We do our best to be who we might be?in all our grace, geniality, and glib foolery. That some are more glib and fool than graceful and genial is also not considered a complete disgrace. A person content to be bland will never be anyone's first choice as a companion for an idle afternoon."

"A person content to be bland will never be anyone's first choice as a companion for an idle afternoon."

"And so... we prayed. And I added a silent prayer of my own, giving God thanks for the blessing of my father."

"And though many women might enjoy the offering of such compliments, I did not want him to love me based on temporal things like a smile or voice or presence, things that could vanish through mood or an unexpected cloud. He must love me for the sake of love alone . . ."

"And as for writing my poetry, he claimed the toil of it was too much strain. Toil? Writing is my life. It is not toil. And he cannot stop me."

"Better for my heart to be untested then to experience a counterfeit to this love we have between us."

"But his letters . . . I took them with me, let the ounces cry aloud. I tried to leave, and could not. They would not be left; it was not my fault. I will not be scolded."

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.' The list is long, Robert. Very long. And will grow longer still."

"For who would I be if I tried to be someone besides Jane? The poser of the world try so hard to be what they are not, and yet... how fatigued they must be Perhaps I am not smart enough to be one of them. Nor strong enough in constitution."

"I imagined an impulsive Robert taking Henrietta's hands and proclaiming, I love your sister dearly. Madly. We are betrothed."

"I held out my sisters' letters for him to read. Tears appeared in his eyes, and he kissed the letters and declared, I love your sisters! It shall be the object of my life to justify the trust shown in these letters. May God bless them."

"It is a true thing everyone knows that?I scratch out the words, dip my pen into the well of ink, and try again. It is not the first time I have scribbled and scratched, obliterating one word or phrase while searching for another. I long for the correct word, the indisputable one-and-only connection of words that will capture the essence of my intention. Yet these unfound words tease me by hiding in the shadows of my mind, just out of reach, being naughty and bothersome and?Aha! I quickly put pen to paper, eager to capture the phrase before it returns to hiding: It is a truth universally acknowledged... Yes, yes, that is the phrase that has eluded me. I dip the pen again, finally ready to complete the part of the sentence that has never been in question... that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. I sit back in my chair of walnut, feeling absurdly prideful I have completed this one line. And yet, it is an important line. The first line of a book. Actually, it is not a book yet. Would it ever by chance be a book?"

"It is said that without George Washington there would be no United States, but without Martha, there would no George Washington. In his eyes, she was truly the 'other self."

"I lifted my face to the sun and let its warmth and light caress me with its favor."

"I reached for the notebook which was always close by. All thoughts of composing epic poems of Greek heroes had left me. The words that often burst from my onto the paper in recent days would be considered mere nothings to the world, but they were everything to me . . . They were the pourings of my heart FOR my heart . . ."

"Swoon, Dora. Every young woman deserves to swoon over the love of her life."

"Robert walked faster than usual, and I had trouble keeping up with him, but I did not hold him back. I was pleased at his urgency. I understood it, for when inspired one does not amble, one runs toward the source."

"Oh, that God would have made His will ours! Giving us free will was not free; there were costs to consider and balance. The reward for our choices, for our belief in ourselves and our desire to do the right thing, were great. But along the way we had to take risks. We had to try."

"Tea no more! Down with bustles!"

"The room spun with a thousand threads of words and thoughts and senses invisibly interweaving a cloak around us, embracing us with a warmth that surpassed all previous comfort."

"There is much more to playing the clavier than playing written music. Do you realize with accompanying there is often nothing written out but the bass line--the left hand? There might be a few notations as to a suggested harmony, but it is up to me to fill in the music, at the proper volume, style, and harmony for the soloist--often instantly. I've heard it said that Bach questioned whether the soloist or the accompanist deserves the greatest glory."

"The meanderings of the heart and mind are fickle, and are often wont to be withdrawn or amended."

"What also excites me is that the artist attempts with the visual what I attempt to do with words: stop time, create a moment, and celebrate the process."

"When I read a novel I am not here. I am transported to far-off places, my eyes unseeing of the words on the page, busy with a scene being played out in my mind's eye, with my ears engaged, hearing the voices carry from the pen to the present. What a lovely place to be-not here."

"You wild, dear creatures!"