A Dictionary of Scoundrels Quotes

“A funeral is supposed to be a way to say goodbye. You look inside yourself and find a place to put your grief, not somewhere hidden, not the top shelf or the back of a cupboard, but maybe by a window, where it can catch the light.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“It's important to note that neither British nor American English is the "correct" one, and in fact, there's no proper way to speak, or write, or spell. The thing about language is that it can't stay still. Restless and impatient, it races forward without waiting for our dictionaries to catch up. The changes made in this book are meant to make it easier for us to understand each other. That's the entire point of having language in the first place.

In fact, I would say that if a person is rude about the way you speak, write, or spell, they are showing a distinct lack of understanding, and it's perfectly reasonable to make up a creative word to describe them.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“A lie is a mischievous thing with a life of its own, and no matter how hard you try to keep it hidden, it will surface on your face, or through your hands, or in the way you shift from one leg to another.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“Murder's one thing, but you can't go around kicking cats.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“Murders one thing, but you can't go around kicking cats.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“Family was exhausting, and complicated, and everyone was their own person, which meant you had just as much chance of getting along with them as you did any stranger off the street. Just sharing blood wasn't enough to make someone proper family; she'd take Cook over most of her blood relatives, any day.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“According to Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, a funeral ought to look like a wedding upside down.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“A collective term is a special name given to a group of animals, like a herd of cows. Many animals have their own strange terms. She knew the collective term for starlings was a murmuration, and the collective term for owls was a parliament. And then it was a murder of crows. A gulp of swallows.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“That is the difficult part of growing up. It doesn't happen within the clear boundaries or landmarks set for it. Growing up happens whenever it wants to, in fits and starts and all over the place.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“A funeral is supposed to be a way to say goodbye. You look inside yourself and find a place to put your grief, not somewhere hidden, not the top shelf or back of a cupboard, but maybe by a window, where it can catch the light.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“A lie is a mischievous thing with a life on its own, and no matter how hard you keep it hidden, it will surface on your face, or through your hands, or in the way you shift from one leg to another.”
― Beth Lincoln, A Dictionary of Scoundrels

“If she will accept the title—though goodness knows why she would—then Fauna Swift is to be our new Matriarch.”
― Beth Lincoln, The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels