Nancy Mitford Quotes

If one can't be happy, one must be amused ... ~ Nancy Mitford

If I had a girl I should say to her, 'Marry for love if you can, it won't last, but it is a very interesting experience and makes a good beginning in life. Later on, when you marry for money, for heaven's sake let it be big money. There are no other possible reasons for marrying at all. ~ Nancy Mitford

Madame de Pompadour excelled at an art which the majority of human beings thoroughly despise because it is unprofitable and ephemeral: the art of living. ~ Nancy Mitford

I think Linda realized there and then what it took me years to learn, that the behaviour of civilized man really has nothing to do with nature, that all is artificiality and art more or less perfected. ~ Nancy Mitford

People in towns are always preoccupied. 'Have I missed the bus? Have I forgotten the potatoes? Can I get across the road? ~ Nancy Mitford

There are worse things than poverty, though I can't for the moment remember what they are ... ~ Nancy Mitford

Isn't it lovely to be lovely me! ~ Nancy Mitford

They could not help loving anything that made them laugh. The Lisbon earthquake was "embarrassing to the physicists and humiliating to theologians" (Barbier). It robbed Voltaire of his optimism. In the huge waves which engulfed the town, in the chasms which opened underneath it, in volcanic flames which raged for days in the outskirts, some 50,000 people perished. But to the courtiers of Louis XV it was an enormous joke. M. de Baschi, Madame de Pompadour's brother-in-law, was French Ambassador there at the time. He saw the Spanish Ambassador killed by the arms of Spain, which toppled onto his head from the portico of his embassy; Baschi then dashed into the house and rescued his colleague's little boy whom he took, with his own family, to the country. When he got back to Versailles he kept the whole Court in roars of laughter for a week with his account of it all. "Have you heard Baschi on the earthquake? ~ Nancy Mitford

At this Linda gave up. Children might or might not enjoy air-raids actually in progress, but a child who was not thrilled by the idea of them was incomprehensible to her, and she could not imagine having conceived such a being. Useless to waste any more time and breath on this unnatural little girl. ~ Nancy Mitford

Irish gardens beat all for horror. With 19 gardeners, Lord Talbot of Malahide has produced an affair exactly like a suburban golf course. ~ Nancy Mitford

The kentish week-enders on their way to church were appalled by the sight of four great hounds in full cry after two little girls. My uncle seemed to them like a wicked lord of fiction, and I became more than ever surrounded with an aura of madness, badness, and dangerousness for their children to know. ~ Nancy Mitford

She was filled with a strange, wild, unfamiliar happiness, and knew that this was love. Twice in her life she had mistaken something else for it; it was like seeing somebody in the street who you think is a friend, you whistle and wave and run after him, but it is not only not the friend, but not even very like him. A few minutes later the real friend appears in view, and then you can't imagine how you ever mistook that other person for him. ~ Nancy Mitford

The charm of your writing," Evelyn Waugh once wrote to Mitford, "depends on your refusal to recognize a distinction between girlish chatter and literary language. ~ Nancy Mitford

Life itself, she thought, as she went upstairs to dress for dinner, was stranger than dreams and far, far more disordered. ~ Nancy Mitford

Chickens are cheerless birds, I advise you to keep geese which can be taught to follow like dogs, one needs all the companionship one can get in these days. ~ Nancy Mitford

In France that is the one rule, never make trouble. ~ Nancy Mitford

Sun, silence, and happiness. ~ Nancy Mitford

But I couldn't think it more hateful of them to have taken my fur tippet. Burglars never seem to realize one might feel the cold. How would they like it if I took away their wife's shawl? ~ Nancy Mitford

To fall in love you have to be in the state of mind for it to take, like a disease. ~ Nancy Mitford

Oh my past! It's such a long time ago now. ~ Nancy Mitford

You've no idea how long life goes on and how many, many changes it brings. Young people seem to imagine that it's over in a flash, that they do this thing, or that thing, and then die, but I can assure you they are quite wrong. ~ Nancy Mitford

She belonged to that rare and objectionable species, the intellectual snob devoid of intellect. ~ Nancy Mitford

Mother, of course, takes a lot of exercise, walks and so on. And every morning she puts on a pair of black silk drawers and a sweater and makes indelicate gestures on the lawn. That's called Building the Body Beautiful. She's mad about it. ~ Nancy Mitford

An aristocracy in a republic is like a chicken whose head has been cut off; it may run about in a lively way, but in fact it is dead. ~ Nancy Mitford

Children should be like waffles
you should be able to throw the first one away. ~ Nancy Mitford

Do you always laugh when you make love?' said Fabrice.
I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose I do. I generally laugh when I'm happy and cry when I'm not. Do you find it odd? ~ Nancy Mitford

Americans relate all effort, all work, and all of life itself to the dollar. Their talk is of nothing but dollars. ~ Nancy Mitford

Impotence and sodomy are socially O.K. but birth control is flagrantly middle-class. ~ Evelyn Waugh

Most people like reading about what they already know - there is even a public for yesterday's weather. ~ Nancy Mitford

As far as I am concerned, all reading is for pleasure. ~ Nancy Mitford

Friendship is something to be built up carefully, by people with leisure, it is an art, nature does not enter into it. ~ Nancy Mitford

(...) I was dreading the dinner because I knew that once I found myself in the dining-room seated (...), it would no longer be possible to remain a silent spectator, I should be obliged to try and think of things to say. It had been drummed into me all my life (...) that silence at meal times is anti-social.
-'So long as you chatter, Fanny, it's of no consequence what you say (...) ~ Nancy Mitford

I am sometimes bored by people, but never by life. ~ Nancy Mitford

Nothing makes people crosser than being considered too old for love ... ~ Nancy Mitford

Just at the moment he's writing a book on famine - goodness! it's sad - and there's a dear little Chinese comrade who comes and tells him what famine is like, you never saw such a fat man in your life. ~ Nancy Mitford

The people welcome a new da yas if they were certain of liking it, the shopkeepers pull up their blinds serene in the expectation of good trade, the workers go happily to their work, the people who have sat up all night in night clubs go happily to their rest, the orchestra of motor-car horns, of clanking trams, of whistling policemen tunes up for the daily symphony, and everywhere is joy. ~ Nancy Mitford

Greece is not a country of happy mediums: everything there seems to be either wonderful or horrible ... ~ Nancy Mitford

Sisters are a shield against life's cruel adversity. ~ Nancy Mitford

Nothing about human beings ever had the power to move me as a child. Black Beauty now ... ! ~ Nancy Mitford

Oh! How like a woman," Davey said. "Sex, my dear Sadie, is not a sovereign cure for everything, you know. I only wish it were. ~ Nancy Mitford

They flourished and shone with jewels, lovely clothes, brilliant hair and dazzling complexions; when they danced they really did seem to float, except when it was the Charleston, and that, though angular, was so accomplished that it made us gasp with admiration. Their conversation was quite evidently both daring and witty, one could see it ran like a river, splashing, dashing, and glittering in the sun. Linda was entranced by them, and decided then and there that she would become one of these brilliant beings and live in their world, even if it took her a lifetime to accomplish. ~ Nancy Mitford

It was furnished neither in good taste nor in bad taste, but simply with no attempt at taste at all ... ~ Nancy Mitford

Linda's presentation of the 'facts' had been so gruesome that the children left Alconleigh howling dismally, their nerves permanently impaired, their future chances of a sane and happy sex life much reduced. ~ Nancy Mitford

Surely a King who loves pleasure is less dangerous than one who loves glory? ~ Nancy Mitford

I love children, especially when they cry, for then someone takes them away. ~ Nancy Mitford

What is so nice & so unexpected about life is the way it improves as it goes along. I think you should impress this fact on your children because I think young people have an awful feeling that life is slipping past them & they must do something - catch something - they don't quite know what, whereas they've only got to wait & it all comes. ~ Nancy Mitford

Talk about what you know and you won't get so angry ~ Nancy Mitford

One's emotions are intensified in Paris - one can be more happy and also more unhappy here than in any other place. But it is always a positive source of joy to live here, and there is nobody so miserable as a Parisian in exile from his town. ~ Nancy Mitford

English doctors have killed 3/4 of my friends & the joke is the remaining 1/4 go on recommending them, so odd is human nature. ~ Nancy Mitford

Sonia's terribly fond of juggling with people's lives. I never shall forget when she made me go to her doctor ... I can only say he very nearly killed me. It's not her fault if I'm here today. She's entirely unscrupulous. She gets a hold over people much too easily, with her charm and her prestige, and then forces her own values on them. ~ Nancy Mitford

My dear Lady Kroesig, I have only read one book in my life, and that is 'White Fang.' It's so frightfully good I've never bothered to read another. ~ Nancy Mitford

It only shows, said Aunt Sadie, that nothing really matters the least bit, so why make these fearful efforts to keep alive?
Oh, but it's the efforts that one enjoys so much, said Davey... ~ Nancy Mitford

Indeed, with the Radletts, you never could tell. Why, for instance, would Victoria bellow like a bull and half kill Jassy whenever Jassy said, in a certain tone of voice, pointing her finger with a certain look, "Fancy?" I think they hardly knew why, themselves. ~ Nancy Mitford

It was the very worst kind of Banbury-Road house, depressing, with laurels. The front door was opened by a slut. I had never seen a slut before but recognized the genus without difficulty as soon as I set eyes on this one. ~ Nancy Mitford

They spoke as though these Princes are so remote from life as we know it that the smallest sign of humanity, the mere fact even that they communicated by means of speech was worth noting and proclaiming. ~ Nancy Mitford

I do love translating; it is the pure pleasure of writing without the misery of inventing. ~ Nancy Mitford

One thing about tourists is that it is very easy to get away from them. Like ants they follow a trail and a few yards each side of that trail there are none. ~ Nancy Mitford

It's a funny thing that people are always ready to admit it if they've no talent for drawing or music, whereas everyone imagines that they themselves are capable of true love, which is a talent like any other, only far more rare. ~ Nancy Mitford

The test of a cook is how she boils an egg. My boiled eggs are fantastic, fabulous. Sometimes as hard as a 100 carat diamond, or again soft as a feather bed, or running like a cooling stream, they can also burst like fireworks from their shells and take on the look and rubbery texture of a baby octopus. Never a dull egg, with me. ~ Nancy Mitford

I told Mama and Savannah about Ruben's proposal. That got us to talking about marriage and we laughed and cried some, and missed Papa, and it felt good to belong to each other. I don't feel as lonely today as I have in months. At least I know there are other women around me. ~ Nancy E. Turner

Make a Christmas Wish… But Only if You Know What Your Heart Really Wants. ~ Nancy Naigle

It's easy to act honorable when things are coming along and all your pastures are green.Sarah Agnes Prine ~ Nancy E. Turner

Things on the whole are faster in America; people don't stand for election, they run for office. If a person says he's sick, it doesn't mean regurgitating, it means ill. Mad means angry, not insane. Don't ask for the left-luggage; it's called a checkroom. ~ Jessica Mitford

Things only got worse as I packed on more pounds and the activitities I allowed myself to take part in became even more limited. It's not that I didn'T go on diets or try to control what I was eating many times over the years; I did. But the compulsion to overeat was to strong that the moments of weakness far overwhelmed the temporary victories I achieved. ~ Nancy Makin

If you think you already know what you're looking at, you might not see what's really there. ~ Nancy Werlin

Look, the justice system is made up of people. People have faults. It's not perfect. ~ Nancy Grace

You must learn to be three people at once: writer, character, and reader. ~ Nancy Kress

I had so much fun writing this book and I want readers to have fun also. A Passion for Prying is a feel-good, fun read. It's like eating a delicious, sinful hot fudge sundae--pure fun and indulgence. ~ Nancy Mangano

The universe is always speaking to us ... sending us little messages, causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more. ~ Nancy Thayer

where she might find David Morrison, who she wanted to interview ~ Nancy C. Davis

She heard irony in his tone and the bitter pain gliding, sharklike, beneath it. ~ Nancy Baker

How does a culture that prizes equality of opportunity explain, or indeed accommodate, its persistently marginalized people? ~ Nancy Isenberg

Music links us humans, heart to heart ... Across time and space, and life and death. ~ Nancy Werlin

Perhaps the phenomenon of synchronicity is serving to smooth the way from an age mired in the vibration of dense matter into an age that will flower in resonance with the vibration of the Soul. ~ Nancy Seifer

I wonder if it is possible to escape the clinches of despair; or would despair become the hunter and reclaim me as its prisoner. ~ Nancy B. Brewer

Oh," she said, putting her hand to her throat -- it was a suprisingly long, slender hand, in contrast to the roundness of her face. ~ Nancy Garden

The debt of gratitude we owe our mother and father goes forward, not backward. What we owe our parents is the bill presented to us by our children. ~ Nancy Friday

What did I want?
I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot wheels, the rust that never stained my sword,. I wanted raw red gold in nuggets the size of your fist and feed that lousy claim jumper to the huskies! I wanted to get u feeling brisk and go out and break some lances, then pick a like wench for my droit du seigneur--I wanted to stand up to the Baron and dare him to touch my wench! I wanted to hear the purple water chuckling against the skin of the Nancy Lee in the cool of the morning watch and not another sound, nor any movement save the slow tilting of the wings of the albatross that had been pacing us the last thousand miles.
I wanted the hurtling moons of Barsoom. I wanted Storisende and Poictesme, and Holmes shaking me awake to tell me, "The game's afoot!" I wanted to float down the Mississippi on a raft and elude a mob in company with the Duke of Bilgewater and the Lost Dauphin.
I wanted Prestor John, and Excalibur held by a moon-white arm out of a silent lake. I wanted to sail with Ulysses and with Tros of Samothrace and eat the lotus in a land that seemed always afternoon. I wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world to be what they had promised me it was going to be--instead of the tawdry, lousy, fouled-up mess it is. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

You cannot apologize for my feelings. You may apologize for your actions ~ Nancy E. Turner

I've criticized Republicans for their lack of fiscal discipline when they controlled Congress before 2007. However, that is no excuse to just continue with more of the same or, as the case is now, to make it worse. Under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's budget, we will double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10. ~ Erik Paulsen

Jobs mean freedom for workers to support their families. ~ Nancy Pelosi

The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask. ~ Nancy Wynne Newhall

A successful marriage is a decision. You decide it's going to work. You can't always be there, but you have to be there enough. And you have to make sure you are where you're needed most. ~ Nancy Pelosi

I'm so excited and honored to be part of 'Entertainment Tonight!' 'E.T.' was the show that started all the entertainment news, so I couldn't be more thrilled. ~ Nancy O'Dell

Jack explained. "Daisy, you were meant for me. Dane destroyed that. You're lucky I don't set you on fire right this minute. It's either you or him. Pick." Jack chewed on a tooth pick, took it out of his mouth and pointed it at her and then Dane. "Pick, pick, pick," he said, pointing back and forth. ~ Nancy Glynn

Frustration is the by-product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry. Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God's priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and abilities to do everything that He has called us to do. ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I went nearly 30 years without being able to really seriously entertain marriage or a family. In fact, the word 'marriage' would actually give me a shake when it was brought up. ~ Nancy Grace

It was probably my parents who inspired me most. My father was a scientist and answered my scientific questions, while my mother took me on walks and showed me birds and plants. She also took me out at night and showed me the constellations and the aurora. ~ Nancy Roman

Letting you go is not an option. Not ever.Stay here wth me and we'll finsh our date. If you're tired you can sleep on my shoulder. If you want to go I'll go with you and we can sleep together. I want to spend the night with you and wake up with you in the morning. For the rest of my life. ~ Nancy Gideon

Bess stepped back and looked at Nancy admiringly. 'Your hunches are so often right it startles me. ~ Carolyn Keene

His last 2 shows in the U.S. were in Chicago and St. Louis. I don't know what made me go on the trip with him, but I'm so very glad I did. They were two of the finest concerts I've ever seen. ~ Nancy Sinatra

I will write myself into well-being. ~ Nancy Mairs

If we have another 2,000 people killed, I want Nancy Pelosi and George Soros, John Conyers and Pat Leahy to go to the funeral and say, 'Your son was vaporized because we didn't want to dump some guy's head under water for 30 seconds.' ~ Peter T. King

In sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 1 in 5 girls make it to secondary school. ~ Nancy Gibbs

I think I am just tired. I am tired of fighting and tired of losing and tired of deceiving and tired of trying to swim against the ride. i am tired of trying to please a master who cannot be pleased; a ravenous hungry Voice which cannot be sated. I am sick and tired of being sick of tired. ~ Nancy Tucker

He stilled. "What did you say?" "A few years ago, Nancy took me to a store in New York to buy a vibrator." "Holy shit, Faith." "It's all right. Mom said it wasn't a sin." "You told your mother Nancy bought you a dildo?" "Of course. Wanna see it?" "God, no." "You know," she said, inching closer. "I can do it as many times as I want with that." "Faith, stop! ~ Kathryn Shay

It's a lie to sell a diet plan that includes fast and processed foods, then implement a points system. A big. fat. lie. ~ Nancy S. Mure

Jesus has revealed Himself in the Scripture. If we want to know Him, if we want to know the Truth, we must devote ourselves to the reading, study, and meditation of His Word ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

To know a British man is to understand accomplishment and the infinite purity of satisfaction. ~ The Awesome Nancy Harris

She slanted him a warning glance, but the corners of her mouth twitched. ~ Nancy Herkness