The Moment of Tenderness Quotes

“And if God approves of people like Alicia, he doesn’t want me; and the devil does. It’s nice to be wanted, Mrs. Franklin. I haven’t been wanted for a long time now.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness

“I hope you don’t mean that,” I said finally. “But I do. Alicia represents our church. Therefore, I am against our church. But, like most thinking human beings, I feel the need of a god to worship and to go to for comfort and succor. Therefore I’m going to the devil.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness

“What happens when you swear?” “Nothing. Sometimes it makes me feel better. Not often. Not unless I can really shout.” “Oh. I thought maybe if I swore, God would strike me down.” “No,” Sunset answered sadly. “It doesn’t work that way. It’s too bad, isn’t it. But sometimes it does help if you shout. Would you like to try it?”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness

“Cecily moved her lips slowly, “Now I lay me,” and “Our Father,” and “God bless.” And then, defiantly, “Dear balloon man, please dear balloon man, Father says you know God personally, and maybe he wouldn’t hear me because I’m not very big or important, so would you please make Mother get well and come home and sing me the song about the king of the cannibal islands?”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness

“she was very frightened because the world had changed all of a sudden and it wasn’t hers anymore and she didn’t know who owned it.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness

“What did other people think? What did other children think when they weren’t with Cecily? And that was funny. Cecily had never realized that they thought at all when they weren’t with her.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, The Moment of Tenderness