Emily of New Moon Quotes

“If it's IN you to climb you must -- there are those who MUST lift their eyes to the hills -- they can't breathe properly in the valleys.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“It had always seemed to Emily, ever since she could remember, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside-- but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond-- only a glimpse-- and heard a note of unearthly music.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Don't be led away by those howls about realism. Remember-pine woods are just as real as pigsties and a darn sight pleasanter to be in.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“To love is easy and therefore common - but to understand - how rare it is!”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Tell me this--if you knew you would be poor as a church mouse all your life--if you knew you'd never have a line published--would you still go on writing--would you?'
'Of course I would,' said Emily disdainfully. 'Why, I have to write--I can't help it at times--I've just got to.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Steal not this book for fear of shame

For on it is the owners name

And when you die the Lord will say

Where is the book you stole away

And when you say you do not know

The Lord will say go down below.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“She will love deeply, she will suffer terribly, she will have glorious moments to compensate.”
― L.M. Montgomery , Emily of New Moon

“I read the story of Red Riding Hood today. I think the wolf was the most interesting character in it. Red Riding Hood was a stupid little thing so easily fooled.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“When I read that the flash came, and I took a sheet of paper. . .and I wrote on it: I, Emily Byrd Starr, do solemnly vow this day that I will climb the Alpine Path and write my name on the scroll of fame.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Ten good lines out of four hundred, Emily—comparatively good, that is—and all the rest balderdash—balderdash, Emily."
"I—suppose so," said Emily faintly.
Her eyes brimmed with tears—her lips quivered. She could not help it. Pride was hopelessly submerged in the bitterness of her disappointment. She felt exactly like a candle that somebody had blown out.
"What are you crying for? demanded Mr. Carpenter.
Emily blinked away tears and tried to laugh.
"I—I'm sorry—you think it's no good—" she said.
Mr. Carpenter gave the desk a mighty thump.
"No good! Didn't I tell you there were ten good lines? Jade, for ten righteous men Sodom had been spared."
"Do you mean—that—after all—" The candle was being relighted again.
"Of course, I mean. If at thirteen you can write ten good lines, at twenty you'll write ten times ten—if the gods are kind. Stop messing over months, though—and don't imagine you're a genius, either, if you have written ten decent lines. I think there's something trying to speak through you—but you'll have to make yourself a fit instrument for it. You've got to work hard and sacrifice—by gad, girl, you've chosen a jealous goddess. And she never lets her votaries go—not even when she shuts her ears forever to their plea.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“If you've brains it's better than beauty - brains last, beauty doesn't.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“We'll never say good-bye to each other. We'll just smile and go.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“She asked me what made me do such a thing. That is an awkward question because I often can't tell what makes me do things. Sometimes I do them just to find out what I feel like doing them. And sometimes I do them because I want to have some exciting things to tell my grandchildren.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“We are both going to pray that we may live together all our lives and die the same day.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“I see you have a cat.” “Wrong.” Father Cassidy shook his head and groaned dismally. “A cat has me.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“This. This is exactly it.

"It had always seemed to Emily, ever since she could remember, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside — but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond — only a glimpse — and heard a note of unearthly music.

This moment came rarely — went swiftly, leaving her breathless with the inexpressible delight of it. She could never recall it — never summon it — never pretend it; but the wonder of it stayed with her for days. It never came twice with the same thing. Tonight the dark boughs against that far-off sky had given it. It had come with a high, wild note of wind in the night, with a shadow wave over a ripe field, with a grey bird lighting on her windowsill in a storm, with the singing of “Holy, holy, holy” in church, with a glimpse of the kitchen fire when she had come home on a dark autumn night, with the spirit-like blue of ice palms on a twilit pane, with a felicitous new word when she writing down a ‘description’ of something. And always when the flash came to her Emily felt that life was a wonderful, mysterious thing of persistent beauty.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“You make me believe in fairies, whether I will or no," he told her, "and that means youth. As long as you believe in fairies you can't grow old.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“I am teaching Perry grammar. He says he wants to learn to speak properly. I told him he should not call his Aunt Tom an old beast but he said he had to because she wasn't a young beast.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“But there is a destiny which shapes the ends of young misses who are born with the itch for writing tingling in their baby fingertips, and in the fullness of time this destiny gave to Emily the desire of her heart—gave”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“A proper Irishman always does what a lady asks him. Sure an' it's been the ruin av us. We're at the mercy av the petticoats.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“The happiest countries, like the happiest women, have no history.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“A suffering or tortured animal always filled her with such a surge of sympathy that it lifted her clean out of herself.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“I don't know whether it is any use forgiving people or not. Yes, it is, it makes you feel more comfortable yourself.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon:

“Never on painter's canvas lives
The charm of his fancy's dream.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Oh, Aunt Elizabeth," said Emily breathlessly, "when you hold the candle down like that it makes your face look just like a corpse! Oh, it's so interesting.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Folks say I've never been quite right since - but they only say that because I'm a poet, and because nothing ever worries me. Poets are so rare in Blair Water folks don't understand them, and most people worry so much, they think you're not right if you don't worry.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“We had a yelling contest there the other night to see which could yell the loudest. To my surprise I found I could. You never can tell what you can do till you try.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“Ilse and I hunted all over the old orchard today for a four-leaved clover and couldn't find one. Then I found one in a clump of clover by the dairy steps tonight when I was straining the milk and never thinking of clovers. Cousin Jimmy says that is the way luck always comes, and it is no use to look for it.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“But I don't want to be a different girl," said Emily decidedly. She had no intention of lowering the Starr flag to Aunt Ruth. "I wouldn't want to be anybody but myself even if I am plain. Besides," she added impressively as she turned to go out of the room, "though I may not be very good-looking now, when I go to heaven I believe I'll be very beautiful.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

“[...] Cousin Jimmy gave me a whole dollar on the sly last week. I wish he had not given me so much. It worrys me. It is an awful responsibility. It will be so diffikult to spend it wisely also without Aunt Elizabeth finding out about it. I hope I shall never have a million dollars. I am sure it would crush me utterly.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon