"[The woman] paused and seemed to take a deep breath. 'You see,' she declared. 'I am Tom Mallow's aunt.' Catherine's first instinct was to burst out laughing. She wondered why there was something slightly absurd about aunts; perhaps it was because one thought of them as dear, comfortable creatures, somehow lacking in dignity and prestige."

--

Source : Barbara Pym (1982). “Less than angels”, HarperCollins Publishers

Barbara Pym

#Aunt Quotes #Laughing Quotes #Firsts Quotes

“Regret is pointless. I never do anything without first deciding to do it based on facts and feelings, and if it doesn't work out how I hoped, oh well - there's another notch on my experience belt.”
“Benjamin Franklin went through life an altered man because he once paid too dearly for a penny whistle. My concern springs usually from a deeper source, to wit, from having bought a whistle when I did not want one.”
“I've been to Japan but I've never been to China, I'd love to go to China. I don't know, I like to go to places that are remote. So, I think I'd like to do that more. And just sort of also explore not having a structured work life someday, to have more free time to sort of see what happens.”
“Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.”

Source : to Edwin L James of the New York Times, 1928.
“The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation. At the head is a small group of banking houses... This little coterie...runs our government for their own selfish ends. It operates under cover of a self-created screen...seizes...our executive officers...legislative bodies...schools... courts...newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.”

Source : "David Rockefeller's Chilling 1991 Speech at a Bilderberg Meeting" by Kalee Brown, www.lewrockwell.com. March 24, 2017.
“I always hope for the better for the continent and what I know comes from Africa. Living in the West we feel like we're so removed from the continent that we can somewhat shut off.”

Source : Interview with Joe Utichi, editorial.rottentomatoes.com. January 24, 2007.
“Being given chances, and not taking them. That's what life is all about.”
“I've always wanted to work for, like, "Assume your audience is cleverer than you," rather than the other way around.”

You may also like:

Angela Thirkell
Novelist
Anita Brookner
Novelist
Beryl Bainbridge
Writer
E. M. Delafield
Author
Elizabeth von Arnim
Novelist
Ivy Compton-Burnett
Novelist
Miss Read
Novelist
Muriel Spark
Novelist
Philip Larkin
Poet