Whiskey in a Teacup Quotes

“Life isn't about perfection. There is no rule book. Life has many different chapters, and every chapter deserves celebrating.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“One historical note that I just love: When the suffragettes were marching, at one point they started wearing red lipstick so they would all be wearing the same bold color and stand in solidarity with one another. I love how this little thing many women had in their purses became a powerful political symbol. It's a reminder that we don't have to diminish ourselves as women to be seen as strong. You can push for societal change and you can love getting dressed up. You don't have to choose.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“Finding pleasure at home-whether in a family dinner or a book club or a backyard barbecue-can give us the strength to go out into the world and do incredible things.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“it was a combination of beauty and strength that made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“A lot of key moments in life are like that: You can be nervous as all get out. Just drink a beer and do it anyway.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“My grandma always said, “Pretty is as pretty does.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“People aren’t pretty if they act ugly.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“You won't meet a friend sitting on your couch.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“Now, this is my little public service announcement: If you get invited to something, it's incumbent upon you to RSVP as soon as possible. A quick “no” is better than a long “maybe.” People go to a lot of trouble to plan a party, and it's a big deal to open up your home. What's more, it's essential to show up if you say you will. I have a busy life, but I still don't cancel unless it's a superduper emergency – I'm talking hospital-visit, in-the-newspapers-the-next-day emergency. Being tired just isn't a good enough excuse. C'mon! Make an effort!

One trick I use to determine whether or not to say yes to an invite is: Would I want to go right then and there? If the party were that second, would I get dressed and rush out of the house to go to the party? If the answer is yes, I probably do want to go, but if the answer is no, I don't accept the invitation.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“We always say in the South that good manners are a kind of passport. If you have good manners, you can go everywhere and people are glad to have you around.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“We were taught manners by example. The older women in our families were unflappably polite. Southern women are strong and outspoken but also beautifully composed and always present their best selves to the world. They believe in character and the presentation of that character. They aren’t afraid to tell you how they really feel.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“A proper southern goodbye can take hours.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“Dorothea always said that it was a combination of beauty and strength that made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery. Our famous hospitality isn’t martyrdom; it’s modeling. True southern women treat everyone the way we want to be treated: with grace and respect—no matter where they come from or how different from you they may be.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“3. If you want love and companionship, buy a dog.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but my grandmother Dorothea always said that pearls are a southern girl’s best friend.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“If you don’t know which side the bread plate or drinks go on (or which bread plate or water glass is yours when you’re seated at the table), make the okay sign with each of your hands. Your left hand will make a lowercase b for bread. Your right hand will make a lowercase d for drink. I taught my kids this and they use it all the time.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“It’s important to me that my home feel welcoming. I want people to feel like they can sit on the furniture. You can have a beautiful house, very well decorated, but you have to be able to sit down or else it’s not a home.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“Whenever I see lifestyle magazines where everything’s so clean, I wonder, “Where’s all the junk?” The first thing I figure out when furnishing a room is where to put the junk. Two words: secret storage. The key to a harmonious and clutter-free living area, especially when you have kids, is to hide everything. I’m talking about closets everywhere, drawers on everything, and ottomans that are really storage chests. Baskets for Legos. Shelves for games. Just please don’t open any cabinets in my house . . . I’m afraid there might be a waterfall of toys coming at you!”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“That’s what I picture when I think about southern homes: lots of porches—and of course ceiling fans everywhere. It’s hot, y’all.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“I take the South everywhere I go,”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“I sat up straight, lifted my chin, and said, “Well, I’m a lady, and I’m going to handle it like a lady.” Where did that voice come from? I wondered. I’d never said those words out loud before. (Men in that room told me they’d never heard anyone say them before, either!) But in my voice that day, I heard all the women I knew growing up in the South—women for whom being a southern lady was a source of confidence and strength in times of trial and a source of joy in good t”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“You can be nervous as all get out. Just drink a beer and do it anyway.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“MAKES ABOUT 10 LARGE OR 15 SMALL BISCUITS Cheddar Biscuits Flecks of sharp cheddar cheese add flavor and color to these biscuits. I like to make them smaller, using a 11/2-inch biscuit cutter or small juice glass to cut them out. For a party, these are fantastic filled with ham, fig jam, or my favorite, tomato jam. (For biscuit-making advice, see “Biscuit-Making Tips” on page 259.) 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling 21/4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the cold”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“There’s a fabulous book, Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women’s Activism in the Beauty Industry by Tiffany M. Gill, about African American hair salons and their owners during the 1960s—women who changed the entire social landscape of the South.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“I always talked to him about how to write condolence letters and whether or not I should call the person's family. Jim always says, "Just make the call. Even if you don't know what to say, just pick up the phone, and make the call." Whenever I hear that someone's died, I always think about him saying that, and I just dial. It's an excellent rule of thumb. Just write the letter, do it promptly. Say something about the person that was meaningful to you. Something specific that would be a nice memory for the recipient. Yes, it's so hard to know what to say. I once read a book about how to have difficult conversations, and the most important thing that I learned from it was you don't have to say something extremely profound or absolutely perfect. The important thing is that you show you care. You can admit that you don't really know what to write, that's fine. You're showing that you care, and that's what's important.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“As a little girl, I was taught to answer the phone by saying, "Hello. Witherspoon residence, Reese speaking.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“One time when I was 11 years old, she heard me and my friend gossiping about a boy at school, and she told us we should never speak ugly about people who weren't present. I never forgot those words.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“Seating. The guest of honor is traditionally seated to the host's right and is served first. Try to mix up seating so couples aren't always together; they already see each other every day. And you want to give them something to talk about on the way home.

Serving. A buffet is considered a bit more casual. For a seated meal served at the table, plates are served from the guest's left side and taken away from the right side. Serving moves counterclockwise, with the host served last. For family-style service, platters are passed from left to right. Each guest should hold the platter for the guest on his or her right.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“For those who are curious, here are the traditional Southern ways to set a table. You use the acronym FOrKS, where the dinner plate is the O. Fork, O for plate, Knife, Spoon.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

“If there’s a wedding or a new baby on the way, don’t stand between a southern woman and a monogram store; you’ll get knocked down. We have a saying in my family: If it’s not moving, monogram it.”
― Reese Witherspoon, Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits