Quotes by Diana Wynne Jones

If you must know, I-I had never in my life kissed a young lady, and you are far too beautiful to me to want to get it wrong!

I hate dialect. It gets in the way. If there is a need for dialect, you can render it quite easily by reproducing the rythm of that form of speech. Then you dont need to bother with silly spellings

You owe me. You roasted my father.

But most dragons seem to have interesting personalities--besides probably having quite good reasons for what they do, if only one could understand them

Being a hero means ignoring how silly you feel.

Im going to bed, where I may die.

Controller Borasus sighed with relief. Libraries were not places of danger. It had to be a hoax.

Nobody can buy a hat without gossiping.

I mean one of the things about being alone is that youve no people to define yourself off, I mean, people are like all-round mirrors, because lets face it, we dont often see ourselves all round in a mirror anyway, do we.

“The truth between two people always cuts two ways.”

“He held out his hand to Sophie, just like Mrs. Pentstemmon, but a little less royally. Sophie levered herself up, wondering if she was meant to kiss this hand or not. But since she felt more like raising her stick and beating the King over the head with it, she shook the Kings hand and gave a creaking little curtsy.”

“Happiness isnt a thing. You cant go out and get it like a cup of tea. Its the way you feel about things.”

“Tell me of this Wizard Howl of yours. Sophies teeth chattered but she said proudly, Hes the best wizard in Ingary or anywhere else. If hed only had time, he would have defeated that djinn. And hes sly and selfish and vain as a peacock and cowardly, and you cant pin him down to anything.”

“To love someone enough to let them go, you had to let them go forever or you did not love them that much.”

“I think we ought to live happily ever after.”

“You have an instinct, Sophie, thats how, said Howl. Nothing is safe from you. If I were to court a girl who lived on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean, sooner or later—probably sooner—Id look up to see you swooping overhead on a broomstick. In fact, by now Id be disappointed in you if I didnt see you.”