19 Quotes by Pip Williams

Words are like stories ... They change as they are passed from mouth to mouth; their meanings stretch or truncate to fit what needs to be said.

Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us.

[Esme] 'And then I was born and then she [her mother Lily] died.'[Edith 'Ditte' Thompson, her godmother] 'Yes.''But when we talk about her, she comes to life.''Never forget that Esme. Words are our tools of resurrection.

I remember Lizzie apologizing to Mrs. Lloyd the first time she stayed to chat, for the chip in the cup.'A chip doesn't stop it from holding tea,' Mrs. Lloyd had said.[Esme Nicholl]

...convention [is] the most subtle but oppressive dictator.[Edith 'Ditte' Thompson]

We can't always make the choices we'd like, but we can try to make the best of what we must settle for.'[Lizzie Lester]

A vulgar word, well placed and said with just enough vigour, can express far more than its polite equivalent.

Was it more obscene to say it, to write it, or to set it in type? On the breath it could taken by a breeze or crowded out by chatter; it could be misheard or ignored. On the page it was a real thing. It had been caught and pinned to a board, its letters spread in a particular way so that anyone who saw it would know what it was.

[Esme] 'What exactly is a good family, Da?'...[Harry Nicholl] 'Well, I supposed for some it's about reputation. Others, money. For others it might be education or good works.''But what does it mean for you?...Well?'...'Love, Essy. A good family is one where there is love.