Beverly Cleary Quotes

“Once more Jane sat staring at the telephone. This time she was filled with a confidence that was new to her. Stan Crandall. Stanley Crandall. He liked her! He had seen her once, and even though had been rumpled and grass-stained and having a terrible time with Sandra, he liked her well enough to go to the trouble of finding out her name and calling to ask her to go to the movies. Jane smiled at the telephone and gave a sigh of happiness”

“he had never been meant to be a spy; he was a soldier. a soldier kept his sanity by distancing himself from his enemies, making them something far away and almost inhuman; merely an idea that bled when you stabbed it.”

“I believe my using the talent He's given me is His will for my life. Why else would He have bothered giving it to me?”

“You just have too little faith, Estella...in yourself and in God. Don't assume that because He didn't give you one thing you wanted, He isn't ready to give you something else you might want more. He knows our desires better than we do, after all.”

“Insufferable man! But I grinned all the way back upstairs.”

“Only those with a conscience can find an action unconscionable.”

“She slammed down the phone. The sharp bang shattered my heart like a bottle hitting the sidewalk”

“A body can't run from what they done. They carry it with them inside. It fester and spread like poison if it's buried. It gotta be out in the air where it can heal.”

“Withstanding the cold develops vigor for the relaxing days of spring and summer. Besides, in this matter as in many others, it is evident that nature abhors a quitter.”

“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in real slow. I wanted it to hurt”