Your father, Jo. He never loses patience, never doubts or complains, but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him.

It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them.

books have been my greatest comfort, castle-building a never-failing delight, and scribbling a very profitable amusement.

…often between ourselves and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is very hard to overcome.

I like adventures, and I’m going to find some.

Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us - and those around us - more effectively. Look for the learning.

A quick temper, sharp tongue, and restless spirit were always getting her into scrapes, and her life was a series of ups and downs, which were both comic and pathetic.