Inspirational Historical Fiction Quotes

The best way to take our minds off our own troubles is to help someone else with theirs. ~ Karen Witemeyer

He made a glorious picture. Tall in the saddle. Valiant. Unafraid of the dangers that lurked ahead. A hero on a noble quest. A rather romantic notion for a woman who'd packed away dreams of handsome knights long ago in favor of the reality of a career in medicine. ~ Karen Witemeyer

Choosing a husband was much like choosing a good baguette. One looked for a strong outer shell, a tender interior, and most importantly, a tractability of dough to hold whatever shape the baker deemed appropriate. Abigail needed a good baguette by the end of the weeek ~ Karen Witemeyer

You can't undo the past, but you can learn from it. ~ Karen Witemeyer

If we want the Lord to accomplish mighty deeds in our own lives, the first step is to put what we have in His hands.~ pg 111 ~ Karen Witemeyer

He hated the their first kiss was up for public consumption, but if she expected him to give her a polite buss on the cheek, she was fixin' to be disappointed. He wanted no doubt in anyone's mind, especially his new wife's, that this marriage was real. ~ Karen Witemeyer

How often had he wanted to believe that he was created for some higher purpose? ~ Karen Witemeyer

He'd felt God's gentle urging in his life before, but never had it been so overt. It was as if a general had ridden onto the battlefield to direct the operation himself instead of leaving it in the hands of his officers. ~ Karen Witemeyer

Selflessness need to be mutual if a relationship's going to work, don't you think?~Corinne ~ Melissa Jagears

God always provides other options for His people when they are tempted to take an unrighteous path. But if we depend only on ourselves to solve our problems, we narrow our vision and see none of those options. ~ Karen Witemeyer

You don't want to miss the love that's perfect for you because you're too busy searching for a fairy tale. ~ Rachel Fordham

She couldn't let the fear of reliving past disappointments keep her from the chance of discovering a joy she'd never known. ~ Melissa Jagears

There was only Matthew. The rugged, straightforward captain, with his square jaw and horseshoe mustache, looking at her with an intensity that made her believe cardiac somersaults were anatomically possible. ~ Karen Witemeyer

What matters now, is what you choose to do in the next hour, what you choose to do tomorrow. If your past decisions didn't get you where you wanted to be, figure out what decisions will. Beating yourself up over the past won't change a thing. ~Annie ~ Melissa Jagears

If only being a damsel in distress--and having a hero sweep in and save her--were a sensible plan. ~ Melissa Jagears

Even in the the dark times, He is there. And in the good times we need to be good stewards of the blessing.~ pg 219 ~ Nancy Moser

I'll pray for you, as well, Logan, that you won't lay burdens on yourself that only God is meant to carry. ~page 106 ~ Karen Witemeyer

If you can lean from your mistakes, then you're better off for it. It might not be something you can look back on proudly, but you can use what you've learned to make your future something to be proud of. ~ Melissa Jagears

No matter how many people reject or betray you, if you have even one person in your life you can count on--really, truly count on--you can overcome any obstacle. Trusting the wrong person might lead to temporary heartache, but trusting the right one provides a strength that can fuel you for a lifetime.~ page 56 ~ Karen Witemeyer

Don't shove away a lifetime of blessing because you fear trials. You'll have them no matter what you do.~ Marianne Lister ~ Melissa Jagears

Don't touch me. Don't tell me how beautiful my eyes are, how
soft my hair is, how you love to hear my voice. Don't. Don't pretend
you are falling in love with me. I know you are lying, and every
word you say hurts even more. Let us just be friends, if we can start
there. Can't we? Can't we at least be friends? Get to know each
other a little? Before the wedding, and the bedding, when I will
have to take you as my lord and husband? ~ Melissa De La Cruz

Discourses, which are mostly wrapped in spurious religious and patriotic ideologies that ignite the enthusiasm of the ignorant masses ~ Aziz Hamza

The appearance of the mountain changes, according to when in the day you beheld it and which side you approached it from. Our intellect is thus limited, so it is best not to judge others, for they may also be gazing upon the same mountain but simply viewing it from a different angle - Huja ~ Rehan Khan

He searched his mind for something more to say, something to take away her pain, but he could find nothing. There were no words to ease such a pain. He knew because the ache in his heart was as great as hers. ~ Bette Lee Crosby

Durand smiles. There is nothing behind the smile except perhaps another smile, repeating ad infinitum into the distance.
'Of course,' he says. ~ Beatrice Hitchman

I wanted to be a novelist from a very early age - 11 or 12 - but I don't think I ever thought I would write historical fiction. I never thought I might write academic history because I simply wasn't good enough! ~ Pat Barker

The Day of Trouble is Near ~ P.J. Parker

Love is an elusive fantasy that torments maidens and confounds young men. ~ Padraic Connelly

Vera had also hated lipstick, Marzipan and Lutherans - excluding her husband, but not her late mother-in-law. Most of all she hated being governed by anyone or anything. ~ Victoria Dougherty

She was not the type of woman to keep a lover. A man would have to work hard day and night to even gain her notice. She was intelligent, strong, interesting, and even a little bit mysterious. ~ Lina J. Potter

Before you're ready to tell that story well, you might have to study and learn the equivalent of an entire specialized college education on the society in which your story takes place, because all sorts of things were happening that you need to understand before you can even begin to tell a story in that milieu. ~ James Alexander Thom

Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are each so atomically numberous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms-up to a billion for each of us, it has been suggested-probably once belonged to Shakespeare. A billion more each came from Buddha and Genghis Khan and Beethoven, and any other historical figure you care to name. ~ Bill Bryson

When life disappoints, one must apply one's will, not crumple. ~ Orna Ross

We all take for granted things that come too easily.
That's why I can't let you go--you're always a challenge to me.
Here's my wow to you, here's all I believe:
For you, I'll stay invisble. I"ll be the air you breathe. ~ Frances De Pontes Peebles

Two murders. One bridge. And the truth as elusive as the fog. ~ Abigail Wilson

How can one fight for a love that acts as the enemy? ~ Katlyn Charlesworth

An act of kindness, be it a sweet word, or a supporting hand, is never wasted upon those with nothing in the world - Konjic ~ Rehan Khan

So that's how it was. Palaces, kings... and thugs like that, who, like locusts, move from one century to another. ~ Lina J. Potter

If you can't see the good man he is, you need to unscrew them eyeballs of yours and try on a different pair. ~ Karen Witemeyer

Science fiction is like a blender - you can put in any historical experience and take influences from everything you see, read or experience. ~ Joss Whedon

She says it is a school for bluestockings which, according to her, is really only a fashionable way of saying it is a school for ugly girls who cannot find suitable husbands. To tease her, for I believe it is one of his greatest pleasures in this life, my father bought a pair of blue silk stockings for me the day we received my letter of acceptance. That evening and the next, father and I dined alone. ~ Gwenn Wright

You don't know how to cuddle," she said.
"No," Tom had admitted. "I'm not sure what it's for. ~ Lisa Kleypas

I look up and watch the bad parts of me shrinking to dots in the wide blue. ~ Lauren Nicolle Taylor

As a writer of historical fiction, I believe you don't want to fictionalize gratuitously; you want the fictional aspects to prod and pressure the history into new and exciting reactions. ~ Matthew Pearl

No, It's not fair. But I was thinking more along the lines of the Pentagon and Washington itself. Sometimes I suspect that those who are running things might grow addicted to power. Secrecy's essential in wartime, but once in place, will it ever be removed? ~ Marge Piercy

Are you a traveling man he asked? ~ Nancy B. Brewer

Yet, the quest for knowledge will overcome us and we must know. And, at last, we must see where the road ends, even if it be the cliff. ~ Nancy B. Brewer

It's really important in any historical fiction, I think, to anchor the story in its time. And you do that by weaving in those details, by, believe it or not, by the plumbing. ~ Jacqueline Winspear

Sometimes you arrive in a place, not where you want to be, but where you need to be - Konjic ~ Rehan Khan

Could any mother amongst us even contemplate such actions? I appeal to all mothers here. ~ Margaret Anne MacLeod

If Mary's blood is Spanish, at least it is royal. And at least she can walk straight and has control of her bowels. ~ Hilary Mantel

I've always been drawn to historical fiction. ~ Karin Slaughter

You are intelligent, you are diplomatic, you are beautiful, and you are and always will be ... [he kisses her] ... MINE ... ~ Neil Jordan

It is dark and there are bad creatures in these woods."
"Yes, there are ... ~ Katlyn Charlesworth

For Alex to be enveloped into one of New York State's blue-ribbon families helped put to bed a lifetime of doubts and depression about his own dubious birthright. ~ Melissa De La Cruz

She smiled, and her smile was filled with all of the sweetness and forgiveness that she offered so freely - and that he didn't deserve. But maybe, as with God, it was time to finally stop condemning himself and accept the gift. ~ Jody Hedlund

Fairy tales only happen in movies.
-George Melies
from The Invention of Hugo Cabret ~ Brian Selznick

This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."
"Go astray?"
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. ~ Rick Riordan

Stay with me?" His fingers wound into my hair, and his arm tightened around me. "Always. ~ Amalia Carosella

One's child is always one's child no matter what age they might be. You worry when your child makes a noise, when he doesn't. It's a terrible kind of love. Terrible. ~ Chris Womersley

Historical novels are about costumery. I think that's the magic and mystery of fiction. I don't want to write historical fiction but I do want the story to have the feel of history. There's a difference. ~ Chang-rae Lee

We can best honor our dead by livin' well. Moving' forward dusna mean y love them any less. It just means ye're still alive. ~ Heather Blanton

I am German, yes, but I am not a Nazi. There is a difference, and one day I hope you understand that. ~ Caroline Leech

Maybe, now and then, we have to give up a portion of our kingdoms--the things we hold dearest--to find what it is God wants for us. ~ Heather Blanton

(The golden goose has died, my prince turned into a frog, the Kingdom is lost, everyone has turned into stone and I am locked in the tower) ~ Nancy B. Brewer