Gail Mencini > Quotes

“My momma drilled basic manners into me when I was a young cub on the ranch. She was a good, hard-working, God-fearing woman. She vowed to make sure that no son of hers would be ignorant of manners and make a fool of himself.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“Sophie hated herself for how she changed when she was dating Russ. She struggled with trying to lose weight but did it to please him. She bought scores of sexy clothes that weren't her style. Sophie became the woman he wanted, even though it felt like a betrayal to herself.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“Respect love for the gift it is.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“It's all on me. The errands, looking for Francesca, and getting Will back to the U.S. healthy. Life has been that way for a long time. It's my responsibility to take care of myself and make all the decisions. Mine alone.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“The mission was more important than the men.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“Sophie pushed up from the table and walked to the door. She and Will held one thing in common. They were both alone in this world. For Will, his dream of finding Francesca gave him hope. Sophie had nothing.”
― Gail Mencini, It Happened in Tuscany

“It’s never too late to take stock of one’s work, relationships, and life. What dreams of yours are unfulfilled, and why have they been pushed aside? Sometimes circumstances or economics are the unavoidable roadblock to achieving your dreams.

When things are outside of a person’s control, all one can do is to evaluate how best to deal with these obstacles, and then take action. That was my personal approach when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The best thing about my cancer was that I realized how many people cared about me and wanted to help. I am not very good at asking for help and, unfortunately, many people are the same. Family and friends are a grossly underrated asset, which is why I centered my debut novel, To Tuscany with Love, on a group of friends who help each other save, and forgive, themselves.

A surprising occurrence is that sometimes we ourselves, like my characters, have become the obstruction to achieving our goals. Passionately investing in your relationships and dreams is the first step to molding yourself into the person you dream of being and in the process, achieving happiness and fulfillment.”
― Gail Mencini