Nina Stibbe > Quotes

“I’ll think about going (to yoga). But I’m not sure I want to be that relaxed. I am who I am and I might not do so well as a relaxed person.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home

“No one wants to set foot outside unless it's to go somewhere”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“We all love to know what other people have for tea”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“It looked like the basket of someone keen to live life to the full”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“They don't need judging, they self judge”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“Me: What will I do?

MK: What you always do--only in Switzerland.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“Some friendships are formed by a commonality of interests and ideas: you both love judo or camping or making your own sausage. Other friendships are forged in alliance against a common enemy. David Sedaris
To Make a Friend, Be a Friend”
― Nina Stibbe, One Day I Shall Astonish the World

“Remember what I said. There's always a lot of autobiography in fiction and fiction in autobiography. It has to be that way otherwise they'd be unreadable (except by the author).”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“Women have been ignored but have been their own worse enemy”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“People fiddle with worry beads a lot in Greece. They find it soothing. It’s instead of biting their nails.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina

“Played Scrabble. God, so lovely to play Scrabble in the pub with Eva and Alf. I just stared at them, proud that they could spell the odd word, and happy that they wanted to. Not everybody does. Many people never want to play Scrabble or Monopoly or even Guess Who? or anything, but my kids will drop everything for a game of Risk or Boggle or an on-the-spot quiz that I make up, hide-and-seek, even 20 questions, even an arm wrestle. Anything, they are ludic.”
― Nina Stibbe, Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary

“Will reads a lot. In various places. He looks serious (even worried) when he reads. Me: Is the book OK? Will: It’s hilarious. Me: But you look so serious. Will: I’m laughing on the inside. Sam: I hate it when people laugh out loud when they read. Will: Me too, that’s why I hide it. Sam: They’re showing off about reading a funny book. Will: About finding it funny. AB: (from kitchen table) I think you’re allowed to laugh if something amuses you. Sam: Not a book. AB: I think one’s allowed an involuntary snort … or two. MK: One.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“Beach disappointing and the whole place pleased with itself for no real reason.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina

“A man told us that every new building in Greece now is left slightly incomplete, usually the roof and plumbing, because when a building’s finished the owner pays some kind of tax.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina

“- Anyway, I don't believe every cloud has a silver lining.
- Why?
- They don't.
- But philosophically?
- No, some things are 100 percent total shit.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“Don't do that thing of making it an excuse to do less, do more”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“I looked at my little family all smiling and quite happy at the thought that Charlie had tried to maim or kill Mr. Lomax - or at least blow up his van - and I realized then that I was the only normal one.”
― Nina Stibbe, Man at the Helm

“I have a terrific yearning for breaded mushrooms,’ he said, which was about the worst thing I’d ever heard a man say.”
― Nina Stibbe, One Day I Shall Astonish the World

“I like/love it”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life

“AB is an admirer of Les Dawson. AB says that only an extremely accomplished pianist could to play as badly as Les Dawson (pretends to do). Maybe it's the same with S. Beckett. He could write a really good (sensible) play that everyone would get, but he doesn't.
Like Les Dawson, he's pretending to be crap. Which you can only do if you're a genius.”
― Nina Stibbe, Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life