And the wicked thing is, that when we're really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.

They will come, not to paint the bay and the sea and the boots and the moors, but the warmth of the sun and the colour of the wind. A whole new concept. Such stimulation. Such vitality.

Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches is making the most of what you've got.

I wasn't good enough. I had a little talent but not enough. There is nothing more discouraging than having just a little talent.

Grief was like a terrible burden, but at least you could lay it down by the side of the road and walk away from it. Antonia had come only a few paces, but already she could turn and look back and not weep. It wasn't anything to do with forgetting. It was just accepting. Nothing was ever so bad once you had accepted it.

It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Arrival often brings nothing but a sense of desolation and disappointment.

Other people's houses were always fascinating. As soon as you went through the door for the first time, you got the feel of the atmosphere, and so discovered something about the personalities of the people who lived there.