Do," said Louisa finally, "whatever you can't not do.

Strip back the beliefs pasted on by governesses, schools, and states, you find indelible truths at one's core.

Teachers're always using that "in your own words." I hate that. Authors knit their sentences tight. It's their job. Why make us unpick them, just to put it back together more shonkily? How're you s'posed to say Kapellmeister if you can't say Kapellmeister?

I think the story is the most ancient form of human entertainment.

Secrets affect you more than you’d think. You lie to keep them hidden. You steer talk away from them. You worry someone’ll discover yours and tell the world. You think you are in charge of the secret, but isn’t it the secret who’s actually using you?

I think words operate like musical notes that the eyeball hears.

A weapon men use against women is the refusal to take them seriously.