115 Quotes by Tracy Chevalier

When I left the room, Maria Thins was still standing in front of the painting.

I didn’t move. I’ve learned from years of experience that dogs and falcons and ladies come back to you if you stay where you are.

There is a difference between Catholic and Protestant attitudes to painting,” he explained as he worked, “but it is not necessarily as great as you may think. Paintings may serve a spiritual purpose for Catholics, but remember too that Protestants see God everywhere, in everything. By painting everyday things-tables and chairs, bowls and pitchers, soldiers and maids-are they not celebrating God’s creation as well?

Jane Austen easily used half a page describing someone else’s eyes; she would not appreciate summarizing her reading tastes in ten titles.

Nance is funny that way. She likes women her own size – like your sister. She knows where she is with a woman like Martha. Whereas Molly – she’s so – well, so full of life, she makes Nance feel even sicker.

I heard voices outside our front door – a woman’s, bright as polished brass, and a man’s, low and dark like the wood of the table I was working on. They were the kind of voices we heard rarely in our house. I could hear rich carpets in their voices, books and pearls and fur.

I find that when I come out of the library I’m in what I call the library bliss of being totally taken away from the distractions of life.

James found the talk by the wagons tiring after a while. He liked to listen, and he had thoughts of what he’d like to say about the weather, or the corn crop, or the road being macadamized, or the rascals in Congress. But he never quite had the courage to speak them aloud. By the time he had formed words to his liking, the conversation had moved on.

I have always admired most those who lead with their eyes, like Mary Anning, for they seem more aware of the world and its workings.