In Spite of Myself Quotes

“It was like quaffing gallons of champagne.”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“She wanted me to be just as fortunate, so with a determination that would have reduced Boadicea to a mere wallflower, she took me to everything that she could and could not afford!”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“She introduced us to a strange pastime called jip-norring…She would carry a sort of pogo stick, dig it in the earth and then catapult herself all over the grounds. Hard to describe —it was a mixture of skipping and pole vaulting, and she insisted it got her places far sooner than other more normal modes of travel.”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“It took me some time to realize this was my family— this stoic, forthright little regiment of women, all exceptionally well read, well spoken, each one a skilled athlete —all staunch and devout members of the Audubon Society. Most weekends became, from dawn to dusk, one long bird-watching expedition as, armed to the teeth with picnic bas-kets, cameras and field glasses, they made their reverent way into the deep woods, treading as softly as Indians with me in tow. Not too much fun for yours truly. In spite of what the poets say, youth is not always the happiest of seasons. None of my aunts ever bothered to conceal their displeasure at my ignorance on the subject of ornithology and remained for the most part coolly disapproving. Until one day when I petulantly ran from an unfinished lunch to seek relief in the great outdoors —there, on top of a spruce which was bent over from the weight of it, sat an enormous bird with strange claws the likes of which I'd never seen. Forgetting all unsettled scores, I ran back inside and announced my discovery.”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“As the elder statesman crumbled, so did the farm, the stone walls, the fort, the boats and Boisbriant itself, the ceilings flaking, the colours fading from the rooms, the aviaries empty of birds. The once impeccable gardens were now wildly overgrown, but that sad and sorry state was not prolonged, for to the rescue with a welcome reprieve hot in their hands came the Cloustons — may their tribe increase!”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“If you looked through the oaks and the balm of Gilead across the bay from our country house on the shore, you could just see the island. You couldn't always quite make it out, not all at once, and sometimes it simply decided in its mischievous way to hide behind a fog —but from my earliest infancy, I knew it was there. It seemed to float on its own, just a little above the water, not too permanent a thing as if, free of its moorings, it would drift away at any moment. I just hoped it wouldn't forget me but beg me to follow.”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

“Mummies and dogs! You can beat 'em, kick 'em, treat 'em as shabbily as you like--they will eternally forgive you and still come back for more. Such degree of devotion is as hard to grasp as it is unshakable. Being a child, I had no comprehension of it. It embarrassed me. I regularly ran away from it; in fact, I still do.”
― Christopher Plummer, In Spite of Myself: A Memoir