Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Book Quotes

This is my eighth Top Ten Tuesday post. Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.I love finding my favourite quotes on Goodreads and liking them, and I often remind myself of my favourite quotes whilst going about my life, so this is a fantastic one for me! Great quotes can remind me of great books, and inspire me or remind me of basic facts about life and other people.

Top Ten Favourite Book Quotes

1. “It is better to be alone, she figures, than to be with someone who can't see who you are. It is better to lead than to follow. It is better to speak up than stay silent. It is better to open doors than to shut them on people. She will not be simple and sweet. She will not be what people tell her to be. That Bunny Rabbit is dead.”
      ― E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Sometimes I pick up my copy, or I should say, one of my copies, of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and read this section and it makes me feel better about everything.

2.  “A woman knows very well that, though a wit sends her his poems, praises her judgment, solicits her criticism, and drinks her tea, this by no means signifies that he respects her opinions, admires her understanding, or will refuse, though the rapier is denied him, to run through the body with his pen.”
      ― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

In other words, people can want your attention even when they don't respect you or really care about you at all.

3. “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
      ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

This is such a perfect description.

4.  “Believe it or not, Dimple–and I would believe it–I am just a regular person who has decided to be who I am in life. That's all. That's how you make your life magical–you take yourself into your own hands and rub a little. You activate your identity. And that's the only way to make, as they say, the world a better place; after all, what good are you to anyone without yourself?”
      ― Tanuja Desai Hidier, Born Confused

I actually added this one to Goodreads myself, because I loved it so much.

5. “Meghan: Get over it, Roo. If you have friends who actually like you, you’re popular enough.”
      ― E. Lockhart, Real Live Boyfriends

I love how Meghan is the voice of loving reality and reason in Real Live Boyfriends and this is so true. As long as you have a few people who actually genuinely like you, I think you're doing okay. You don't need hundreds of Facebook friends or to get invited to cool parties.

6.  “Noel: Maybe a friend is someone who wants your updates. Even if they're boring. Or sad. Or annoyingly cutesy. A friend says "Sign me up for your boring crap, yes indeed"--because he likes you anyway. He'll tolerate your junk.”
      ― E. Lockhart, Real Live Boyfriends

Oh, Noel *sigh*. Real Live Boyfriends is full of such wisdom. Review in seven books time.

7. “14th September

What kind of stupid name is Veronique anyway? No one's called Veronique! No one except Dylan's new girlfriend! Yeah, that's how much he was missing me! He was so busy pining over me that he managed to cop off with some stupid posh girl from Cheshire. I mean, whatever.

      And she so dyes her hair.”

       ― Sarra Manning, Kiss and Make Up

Odd, but I love this bit! The first time I read it I burst out laughing at Edie's reaction to meeting Veronique, and every time I re-read it I remember my initial laughter and laugh again. The whole Veronique/Carter thing is so ridiculously over the top and yet real in its drama. 

8. “Little lies that make people feel better are not bad, like thanking someone for a meal they made even if you hated it, or telling a sick person they look better when they don't, or someone with a hideous new hat that it's lovely. Remember that writing is to put love in the world, not to use against your friends. But to yourself you must always tell the truth.”
       ― Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy

From Ole Golly's letter.

9. “Her room felt wonderful to her, as usual. She looked around with satisfaction… She imagined to herself that she would always live this way, even after she had grown up and moved away from her family. She planned to have exactly the same room wherever she was, because this room was her. No matter what happened out there in the rest of the world, she felt totally comfortable once she got into this room and closed the door.”
       ― Louise Fitzhugh, Nobody's Family Is Going to Change

This is why I love Louise Fitzhugh's writing. It just feels so true. The children in her stories think about things the way I remember thinking about things. And I love Emma so much, probably as much as I love Harriet.

10. “They were steaming out of the station before Maia asked, 'Was it books in the trunk?'

      'It was books,' admitted Miss Minton.

      And Maia said, 'Good.'”

      ― Eva Ibbotson, Journey to the River Sea

Maia's new governess is intimidatingly tall and gruff until Maia correctly guesses that Miss Minton is as obsessed with books as she, and after that they are bonded for life. I fell in love with Journey to the River Sea as soon as I read those lines! Review in two books time!