Nancy Atherton > Quotes

“Helplessness in the face of a child's suffering is the curse of parenthood.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Good Deed

“Fairy tales, as Nell had said, are always complicated.”
― Nancy Atherton

“Maybe, when all was said and done, that was where love began and what kept it alive: the simple, everyday act of paying attention.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Good Deed

“The Handsome Prince Handbook is mute on the subject of chronic workaholism—Prince Charming, apparently, knew how to delegate—and I didn't know where else to turn for help. What do you do when life begins to go wrong and you've used up all three wishes?”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Good Deed

“They were tales of commonplace courage and optimism, for I knew from my own experience that everyday virtues endure best, and that quiet courage is worth more than the grandest derring-do.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“A woman without a past is like a fruitcake without brandy—insipid!”
― Nancy Atherton

“…think of kindness as a ripple that spreads outward. If you wish to make the world a better place, send out as many ripples as you can.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse

“Jack made a pass at me, too. He thought my riding crop was alluring until I smacked him across the face with it."
"Good Grief," I said. "Is any woman safe from him?
"If I were Horace Malvern," said Emma, "I'd hide the cows.”
― Nancy Atherton

“If we look upon those we meet with the eyes of the Christ child, we will see the love that binds us and reject the poison of prejudice that binds us to God's light. We will see God's love shine forth from every face as brightly as the star that guided great kings and humble shepherds to the manger. We will love one another as God has loved us, and by doing so, we will keep faith with the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, the child born this day in the city of David, the savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold

“...the writing is writ large on the wall: Mother Earth will continue to punish us with floods, famines, and fires until we learn to behave as custodians of the natural world rather than as its conquerors.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom

“As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy. —Christopher Dawson, The Judgment of Nations (1942)”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Christmas

“When I learned of Aunt Dimity's death, I was stunned. Not because she was dead, but because I had never known she'd been alive.”
― nancy atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“knowing full well that I looked like something any self-respecting cat would refuse to drag in.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“Recognize your limitations and rejoice in them!”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon

“Tyrannical fathers, oppressed daughters, and repugnant suitors are scattered throughout English history.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom

“A decent world is built upon small acts of kindness.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Christmas

“The stories featured a heroine who was, like Beth, blessed with the gift of easy laughter. They were tales of commonplace courage and optimism, for I knew from my own experience that everyday virtues endure best, and that quiet courage is worth more than the grandest derring-do. Thus “Aunt Dimity” was born, a heroine for the common woman.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“It was a small thing, perhaps, but great changes begin with small things.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“God's heart is big enough to hold people of all faiths and races.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold

“He refuses to let bitterness poison his heart. He chooses instead to believe in the healing power of love.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon

“Oh,” I moaned, my headache vanishing, “how beautiful.” I sat in a high-backed armchair and gazed upward at the shelves, at the filmy cobwebs on the fine morocco, at the ancient, wheeled steps that would allow me access to the remotest corners of this precious and abandoned paradise.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil

“It’s possible. An appointment with the Grim Reaper tends to focus the mind on those things that are truly important. Perhaps she learned, in the end, that the only way to rest in peace is to live in it.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity: Snowbound

“Charlotte’s Jammy Biscuits Makes 5 dozen 1 cup shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs ¼ cup sour milk or buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 3½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Blackberry, raspberry, or strawberry jam Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, cream the shortening and the sugars. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla; mix till smooth. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; stir into the creamed mixture. Cover and chill. On a floured surface, roll the dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into 1½-inch rounds. Place 1 teaspoon of jam each on half the rounds; use the remaining rounds to top the jam-topped rounds. Lightly seal the edges with a fork. With a sharp knife, cut shallow crisscross slits in the tops of the cookies, to allow the steam to vent during baking. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity, Vampire Hunter

“When his dream proved to be more than he could handle, he didn’t become discouraged. He simply recognized his limitations and decided to live happily within them.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon

“It's pointless to defeat evil by destroying life.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea

“he concluded his traditional Christmas message with a heartfelt plea to stand fast against bigotry. “If we look upon those we meet with the eyes of the Christ child, we will see the love that binds us and reject the poison of prejudice that blinds us to God’s light. We will see God’s love shine forth from every face as brightly as the star that guided great kings and humble shepherds to the manger. We will love one another as God has loved us, and by so doing, we will keep faith with the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, the child born this day in the city of David, the savior, which is Christ the Lord.” I’d seldom been prouder of my vicar. He’d spoken the words I would have spoken, if I’d had his eloquence. A true man of God, his heart was big enough to hold people of all faiths and races.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold

“said doubtfully. Among many other things. My conversations with Badger inspired me to visit art galleries and museums, to attend plays and concerts, to broaden my cultural horizons. The war had shown me man’s capacity for destruction. Badger reminded me of man’s capacity to create. When I studied a painting or listened to a symphony or stood beneath St. Paul’s magnificent dome, I felt a renewed sense of hope for the future. Though much had been destroyed, much remained, and much would be restored. Civilization would endure.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Buried Treasure

“You cannot warm yourself at the fire of anger without chilling your soul.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

“Life moves so fast, so very fast, and we’re swept along like dried leaves in the wind.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree

“Ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds cruelty. It’s as true today as it was in Gamaliel’s time. Open any newspaper and you’ll find appalling instances of people railing against things they don’t understand.”
― Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch