"I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to "I hate to read new books," and I hollered "Comrade!" to whoever owned it before me."
— Helene Hanff (84, Charing Cross Road)

"I have a fork and a spoon, but never a knife… as if I’m lacking manual skills or teeth. I have both, however. That’s why I’m not allowed a knife."
— Margaret Atwood (Surfacing/LIfe Before Man/The Handmaid's Tale)

"This is a fierce bad rabbit;
look at his savage whiskers,
and his claws and his turned-up tail."
— Beatrix Potter

"He dodged remarkably fast for a melancholy introvert."
— Lisa Mantchev (Eyes Like Stars)

"Holey? You have the the whole world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?"
— J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

"Amazing how being bathed in arterial blood can wash out any lingering romantic disappointments."
— Diana Peterfreund (Rampant)

"When I had to work Shea Stadium for a Mets-Braves game – Atlanta pitcher John Rocker had recently given an interview in which he denounced New Yorkers of all Colors and preferences – I was assigned to a parking lot, where numerous drivers asked me for directions to various highways. When my first answer – “I have no idea” – seemed to invite denunciation and debate, I revised it to “Take the first left.” For all I know, those people are still lost in Queens. "
— Edward Conlon (Blue Blood)

"There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from."
— Margaret Atwood

"What did it mean to be called “lord”? I’ll assume you’ve never had the honor, since I doubt any of you happen to be British royalty. (And, if by chance you are, then let me say, “Hello, Your Majesty! Welcome to my stupid book. Can I borrow some cash?”)"
— Brandon Sanderson

"Because we’ve been lied to and lied to, and it hurts to be lied to. It’s ultimately just about that complicated: it hurts. It denies you respect for yourself, for the liar, for the world. Especially if the lies are chronic, systemic, if hard experience seems to teach that everything you’re supposed to believe in’s really a game based on lies. Young Voters have been taught well and thoroughly. You may not personally remember Vietnam or Watergate, but it’s a good bet you remember ‘No new taxes’ and ‘Out of the loop’ and ‘No direct knowledge of any impropriety at this time’ and Did not inhale’ and ‘Did not have sex with that woman’ and etc. etc. It’s depressing and painful to believe that the would-be ‘public servants’ you’re forced to choose between are all phonies whose only real concern is their own care and feeding and who will lie so outrageously with such a straight face that you just know they have to believe you’re an idiot. So who wouldn’t fall all over themselves for a top politician who actually seemed to talk to you like you were a person, an intelligent adult worthy of respect?"
— David Foster Wallace (The Best American Essays 2007)

"The reason it's worth standing up for punctuation is not that it's an arbitrary system of notation known only to an over-sensitive elite who have attacks of the vapours when they see it misapplied. The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning."
— Lynne Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation)

"I found the hum of his computer rather soothing, but it was the complete lack of unicorn carcasses that really pulled the room together."
— Diana Peterfreund (Rampant)

"Of course I loved books more than people."
— Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale)

"Just because you are blind, and unable to see my beauty doesn't mean it does not exist."
— Margaret Cho

"The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it."
— Lynne Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation)

"Still in my coat and hat, I sank onto the stair to read the letter. (I never read without making sure I am in a secure position. I have been like this ever since the age of seven when, sitting on a high wall and reading The Water Babies, I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous.)"
— Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale)

"Repeat after me, Mr. Black: I do believe in commas. I do, I do."
— Jaida Jones

"What better way to get to know someone than through her choice and treatment of books? "
— Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale)

"Well Vin says that there's something behind all this, right? Some evil force of doom or whatever? Well, if I were said force of doom, then I certainly wouldn't have used my powers to turn the land black. It just lacks flair. Red. Now, that would be an interesting color. Think of the possibilities--if the ash were red, the rivers would run like blood. Black is so monotonous that you can forget about it, but red--you'd always be thinking, 'Why, look at that. That hill is red. That evil force of doom trying to destroy me certainly has style."
— Brandon Sanderson (The Hero of Ages)

"4/16/85: If I were thin, I’d never say “I am powerless over fudge.”
a) I can’t believe I actually ever said that. b) Which, of course, isn’t to say that I do have any power over fudge. Particularly if it has nuts.
"
— Camryn Manheim (Wake Up, I'm Fat!)

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
— Lisa Mantchev (Eyes Like Stars)