268 Quotes by Katherine Paterson

The thing I have learned through the years is that one idea ‘doth’ not a novel make. A novel must be several seemingly unrelated ideas that somehow magically come together to create the fabric of the story.

She had nothing against any of the other guests, but once she started she saw no way to stop. There was nothing to do but turn the hose against every arriving guest. No one coming out of the house to reason with her was safe either.

If life is so bad, how come you’re so happy?” “Did I say bad? I said it was tough. Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?

You don’t have to fight dragons to write books. You just have to live deeply the life you’ve been given.

Leslie named their secret land “Terabithia,” and she loaned Jess all of her books about Narnia, so he would know how things went in a magic kingdom – how the animals and the trees must be protected and how a ruler must behave.

The Municipal Councils in these areas excluded Chinese members, and the police and civil servants were foreigners. Even the names of the streets reflected foreign imperialism – such as Jessfield Road, on which St. Faith’s was located.

It seemed to Gilly that everything in this world that you can’t stand to wait one extra minute for is always late.

Civilization as well as education takes a downward spiral when it ceases to ask “What is truth?” and concerns itself primarily with what is measurable.

That was the rule that you never mixed up troubles at home with life at school. When parents were poor or ignorant or mean, or even just didn’t believe in having a TV set, it was up to their kids to protect them.