How the Light Gets In Quotes

“How much more courage it took to be kind than to be cruel.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Our lives are like a house. Some people are allowed on the lawn, some onto the porch, some get into the vestibule or the kitchen. The better friends are invited deeper into our home, into our living room.'

'And some are let into the bedroom,' said Gamache.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs. He believed the light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that goodness existed, even in the most desperate places. He believed that evil had its limits.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“But, like peace, comfort didn’t come from hiding away or running away. Comfort first demanded courage.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“While Henri had a huge heart, he had quite a modest brain. His head was taken up almost entirely by his ears. In fact, his head seemed simply a sort of mount for those ears. Fortunately Henri didn’t really need his head. He kept all the important things in his heart.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Matthew 10:36,” he’d said. “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. Never forget that, Agent Lacoste.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Do you know what I’ve learned, after three decades of death?” Gamache asked, leaning toward the agent and lowering his voice. Despite himself, the agent leaned forward. “I’ve learned how precious life is.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Sounds like being a therapist. People normally came into my office because something happened. Someone had died, or betrayed them. Their love wasn’t reciprocated. They’d lost a job. Gotten divorced. Something big. But the truth was, while that might’ve been the catalyst, the problem was almost always tiny and old and hidden.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Old sins have long shadows," said Gamache. "And this is an old sin.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“I think you might try leading your life as though it’s just you. If he comes back and you know your life will be better with him, then great. But you’ll also know you’re enough on your own.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Who hurt you once, / so far beyond repair / that you would greet each overture / with curling lip?”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“He'd seen it in others, the consequences of failing to choose companions wisely. One slightly immoral person was a problem. Two together was a catastrophe. All it took was a fateful meeting. A person who told you your meanest desires, your basest thoughts, weren't so bad. In fact, he shared them. Then the unthinkable was thought. And planned for. And put into action.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Our lives are like a house. Some people are allowed on the lawn, some onto the porch, some get into the vestibule or kitchen. The better friends are invited deeper into our home, into our living room.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Why do decent young men and women become bullies? Why do soldiers dream of being heroes but end up abusing prisoners and shooting civilians? Why do politicians become corrupt? Why do cops beat suspects senseless and break the laws they’re meant to protect?”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“But he realized Henri already knew all he'd ever need. He knew he was loved and he knew how to love.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“A therapist has to have clear boundaries, even with former clients. People already get into our heads—if they also get into our lives, there’s a problem.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“So that over time, clever became cunning. Dynamic became obsessed. Ambitious became ruthless.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“He'd seen it in others, the consequences of failing to choose companions wisely. One slightly immoral person was a problem. Two together was a catastrophe. All it took was a fateful meeting. A person who told you your meanest desires, your basest thoughts, weren't so bad. In fact, he shared them.

Then the unthinkable was thought. And planned for. And put into action.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“She took the long way home,” said Ruth. “Some do, you know. They seem lost. Sometimes they might even head off in the wrong direction. Lots of people give up, say they’re gone forever, but I don’t believe that. Some make it home, eventually.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Now there will be no more loneliness,” said the minister, as he gave his final blessing on the couple. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Do you know, Armand, I can’t remember the last time I felt safe.” “I know what you mean,” said Gamache. “It feels as though this has been going on forever.” “No, I don’t mean just this mess. I mean all my life.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Corruption and brutality are modeled and expected and rewarded. It becomes normal. And anyone who stands up to it, who tells them it’s wrong, is beaten down. Or worse.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Until the Quiet Revolution gave women back their bodies and Quebeckers back their lives. It invited the church to leave the womb and restrict itself to the altar. It almost worked.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“When senior officers start shooting each other, it’s time to leave,” said Gamache. “I’m sure it’s somewhere in the regulations.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Recruiters, for terrorist cells and police forces and armies, relied on this simple truth: if you got people young enough, they could be made to do just about anything.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Ruth whacked the seat beside her on the sofa, in what could only be interpreted as an invitation. It was like receiving a personalized Molotov cocktail. Gamache”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Four days. And she had two gay sons, a large black mother, a demented poet for a friend and was considering getting a duck. It was not what she’d expected from this visit.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“She’d arrived a self-sufficient city woman, and now she was covered in snow, sitting on a bench beside a crazy person, and she had a duck on her lap. Who was nuts now?”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

“Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs. He believed that light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that goodness existed, even in the most desperate places. He believed that evil had its limits. But looking at the young men and women staring at him now, who’d seen something terrible about to happen and had done nothing, Chief Inspector Gamache wondered if he could have been wrong all this time. Maybe the darkness sometimes won. Maybe evil had no limits.”
― Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In