Mavis Gallant Quotes

“She and Marie were Montreal girls, not trained to accompany heroes, or to hold out for dreams, but just to be patient.”

“My purpose: to lift your spirit and to motivate you.”

“There are a great many opinions in this world and a good half of them are professed by people who have never been in trouble.”

“She was a pretty girl, with a pointed face and blue-black hair. But she was an untidy, a dusty sort of girl, and you felt that in a few years something might go wrong; she might get swollen ankles or grow a mustache.”

“Flora was in that state where the spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak and wishes to go on holiday - and where the flesh in most cases wins hands down with a packed suitcase. It did so now. So she did what many a researcher both great and insignificant does when they are stuck. She yawned while contemplating how to catch the Muse by surprising Her. Almost invariably, the Muse has seen it all before - and also yawns.”

“Spring had been the season for dying in the old days. Invalids who had struggled through the dark comfort of winter took fright as the night receded.”

“If you want to make a difference, the next time you see someone being cruel to another human being, take it personally. Take it personally because it is personal.”

“Be who you were meant to be and not what you've allowed yourself to become," Kate said to Mavis as she wavered over following her dream. from 'Lifesong”

“The vicar's handshake was warm and reassuring, but shaking hands with Mavis was like clutching a bunch of dead twigs.”

“Mavis' bear sailed through the air in Cassie's room, falling onto the bed. 'What's he in aid of?' 'He's reconnaissance expert. He wouldn't hear of me enterin' potential hostile ground without testin' for fire. Has his sacrifice been in vain?”