The Cat Who Sang for the Birds Quotes

“Small birds throw seeds out of the feeder; large birds pick them up off the ground, but the squirrels try to muscle in.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“He agreed with Francis Bacon: Old friends to trust, old wood to burn, old authors to read.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“Some of us are grown-up at age twelve; some of us never mature. It’s not a question of whether you’re old enough to make your own decision; are you old enough to take responsibility for the outcome if it turns out to be a bad decision?”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“In mid-morning, Qwilleran set out from the barn carrying a baker’s box tied with red plaid ribbon. He said goodbye to the cats, told them where he was going, and estimated when he would return. The more you talk to cats, he believed, the smarter they become. Koko was disturbingly smart. Qwilleran called him a fine fellow and had a great deal of respect for him. Yum Yum was a dainty little female with winning ways and a fondness for laps, the contents of wastebaskets, and small shiny objects she could hide under the rug. He gave them some parting instructions. “Don’t answer the phone. Don’t pull the plug on the refrigerator. Don’t open the door to poll-takers.” They looked at him blankly.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“How do you describe your style?” he asked as they drove back to the rocky beach. “Descriptive but not realistic. Makes viewers use a little imagination. That’s good for ’em. Imagination’s a muscle; needs exercise.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“What lofty subject are you addressing in Tuesday’s column?” she asked. “Pencils! I’ve just discovered a source for the fat yellow pencils with thick soft leads that were standard equipment on my first newspaper job. I’ve ordered a gross. More and more I draft my copy longhand while sitting with my feet up.” “Don’t I remember old movies in which reporters loafed around the office with their hats on and their feet on the desk?” “They weren’t loafing, Polly! They were thinking. Words and ideas flow more easily in that position. It has something to do with blood flow.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“Never before had he met anyone who knew, or cared, that it was Chesterfield who said: Let blockheads read what blockheads wrote.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

“Qwilleran, never an early riser by choice, now found himself routed out of bed at dawn when the birds convened for their morning singsong and the Siamese wanted to join them. Koko and Yum Yum would station themselves outside his bedroom door, the one yowling in an operatic baritone and the other uttering soprano shrieks until he got up and transported them to the gazebo. Yum Yum simply wanted to bat insects on the screens, but Koko was fascinated by the chorus of trills, chirrups, whistles, warbles, and twitters. The cacophony reminded Qwilleran of the Pickax high school band tuning up for Pomp and Circumstance.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Sang for the Birds