Courage is feeling justly afraid and yet still doing what is right.

… fantasy is not practice for what is real—fantasy is the opiate of women.

The rewrites are a struggle right now. Sometimes I wish writing a book could just be easy for me at last. But when I think about it practically, I am glad it’s a struggle. I...

All I’ve ever wanted was to be near you.

You saw my leg?””How can a man help what he sees?” he said. “And, if I could add, you possess a very fine leg.

The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and started to read, pronouncing the words in a reverent whisper.

[Razo] knocked, peered inside, then jumped and shut the door, quiet as brushing two feathers together. He smiled at his own stealth, then swaggered right into a chair, banging it against the wall.You oaf. He...

Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul.

Courage is not fearlessness.

Clearly she was expected to say something, but panic at having to speak stole the thoughts from her head.

I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.

I know I would crumble if I lost you.

Razo hopped back up and adopted a posture that said he was completely unruffled, never had been, and in fact was ready to do something manly like lift boulders or swallow live worms.

Reading a book is like going on a great journey. You don’t know what’ll happen, but something is bound to change. And for me, that change has always been good.

Later, when they would spend straight hours conversing in the dark, Jane would realize that Henry kissed the way he talked- his entire attention taut, focused, intensely hers.

Look no farther than your hand,Make a choice and take a stand.

Jane Austen had created six heroines, each quite different, and that gave Charlotte courage. There wasn’t just one kind of woman to be.

Throwing herself into learning helped Miri ignore the painful chill of solitude around her.

To be powerful, a kiss should make a journey, be its own story–begin with hesitation, move to realization, then melt into bliss.

He smiled in a way that made me want to kiss him right on the spot. Or the lips. Whichever was closer.

I was thinking how you can’t tell if a person’s beautiful or not by her shadow…

Hey, times are tough, and thirty gold coins can do a lot of good. But I guess you wouldn’t know about needing money, since you grew up like a little princ…”(Rapunzel glares)”Prin… soner. I mean,...

There you go…let it all slide out. Unhappiness can’t stick in a person’s soul when it’s slick with tears.

Miri took genuine comfort in studying Mathematics that day. She could sort numbers into two simple ideas: true and not true. Unlike numbers, words were rarely just one thing. They moved and changed, camouflaging and...

The point of education is to learn other ways too. Don’t just assume that all you know is right. Learn more and then chose.

… If we don’t tell strange stories, when something strange happens we won’t believe it.

What are you doing?” “Ya!” said Jane, whirling around, her hands held up menacingly. It was Mr. Nobley with coat, hat, and cane, watching her with wide eyes. Jane took several quick (but oh so...

Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they’re gone and yet still mourn the good parts.

..giving into despair was like eating poisonous berries to keep from feeling hungry.

I’m a terrible prince. I should put my kingdom first and everything else second, but your first. I want you by my side every second, but I know I would crumble if I lost you.

That year, when the trees burned the fire of late summer into their leaves and the ground mist was a ghost of the river, long and wet and cold, the aunt looked from her windows...