If books were Persian carpets, one would not look only at the outer side. because it is the stitch that makes a carpet wear, gives it its life and bloom.

You must remember garden catalogues are as big liars as house-agents.

if you think you know, you don't ask questions, or if you ask, you don't listen to the answers. Everyone, everything, each thing, is different, so that it isn't safe to know. You - you have to grope.

Wanting is the beginning of getting.

Drink very good tea out of a thin Wocester cup of colour between apricot and pink.

I don't know if I believe in God, but I know I believe in the devil. I have met him.

As one gets older being sad and miserable can become a bit of a habit. To counteract this, she suggests making a point of savoring such things as the tastiness of a piece of fruit, or other small things we might have been prone to overlook during our younger, busier days.