Silence in Hanover Close Quotes

“We need our marks, our small illusions; few of us can bear to go naked into the world's gaze. And people will kill to keep their clothes.”
― Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close

“We all live our separate lives, in our own kitchens if we are poor, our withdrawing rooms if we are well-to-do; and we do not cooperate for anything, but see ourselves as rivals for the few eligible and well-financed men that are available. Men, on the other hand, work fairly well together, imagining themselves the protectors and providers of the nation, obliged to do everything they can to preserve the situation precisely as it is—in their control—on the assumption that they know best what is right for us and must see that we get it, come hell or high water.” Her head jerked up. “And there are only too many women who are happy to assist them, since the status quo suits them very well also, and they are invariably the people with power.”
― Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close

“Love that expects perfection—no past with mistakes, pain, learning—is only hunger. No one grows to maturity without acts to be ashamed of; in accepting that, we love not only the strengths but also the weaknesses, and real bonds grow between us.”
― Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close

“Many people desire no more than a convention— the sharing of a home, a social position, children, and the wider family; they do not wish to share their thoughts or their leisure, above all they do not wish to reveal their inner selves, where dreams are held, where they may be known, and thus wounded. They will not take risks. In the end there is no generosity of soul, only safety. There is no giving where there may be cost.”
― Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close

“Have you noticed how one condemns most self-righteously that which one has never had the opportunity to do?”
― Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close