P L Travers Quotes

He could smell her crackling white apron and the faint flavour of toast that always hung about her so deliciously. ~ P.L. Travers

So it was settled, and that was how the Banks family came to live at Number Seventeen, with Mrs. Brill to cook for them, ~ P.L. Travers

This is your new nurse, Mary Poppins. ~ P.L. Travers

I think that 'Mary Poppins' needs a subtle reader, in many respects, to grasp all its implications, and I understand that these cannot be translated in terms of the film. ~ P.L. Travers

The Irish, as a race, have the oral tradition in their blood. A direct question to them is an anathema, but in other cases, a mere syllable of a hero's name will elicit whole chapters of stories. ~ P.L. Travers

What I want to know is this: Are the stars gold paper or is the gold paper stars? ~ P.L. Travers

Could it be ... that the hero is one who is willing to set out, take the first step, shoulder something? Perhaps the hero is one who puts his foot upon a path not knowing what he may expect from life but in some way feeling in his bones that life expects something of him. ~ P.L. Travers

The eternal opposites meet and kiss. The wolf and the lamb lie down together, the dove and the serpent share one nest. The stars bend down and touch the earth and the young and the old forgive each other. Night and day meet here, so do the poles. The East leans over towards the West and the circle is complete. ~ P.L. Travers

Robertson Ay was sitting in the garden busily doing nothing. ~ P.L. Travers

She sounds like you, Mary Poppins,' said Michael. 'So terribly pleased with herself! ~ P.L. Travers

I'm the Waiter, you know! ~ P.L. Travers

And when, at last, ... I stood in London with ten pounds in my hand - five of which I promptly lost - the ancestors dwelling in my blood who, all my life, had summoned me with insistent eldritch voices, murmured together, like contented cats. ~ P.L. Travers

she wore so many brooches and necklaces and earrings that she jingled and jangled just like a brass band. ~ P.L. Travers

A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns. ~ P.L. Travers

You do not chop off a section of your imaginative substance and make a book specifically for children, for - if you are honest - you have no idea where childhood ends and maturity begins. It is all endless and all one. ~ P.L. Travers

When I was a child, love to me was what the sea is to a fish: something you swim in while you are going about the important affairs of life. ~ P.L. Travers

I hate being good.
-Mary Poppins ~ P.L. Travers

I cannot summon up inspiration; I myself am summoned. ~ P.L. Travers

My family didn't like me going on the stage, and they didn't much like my being a writer, either. ~ P.L. Travers

Nothing I had written before 'Mary Poppins' had anything to do with children, and I have always assumed, when I thought about it at all, that she had come out of the same wall of nothingness as the poetry, myth and legend that had absorbed me all my writing life. ~ P.L. Travers

it may be that to eat and be eaten are the same thing in the end. My wisdom tells me that this is probably so. We are all made of the same stuff, remember, we of the Jungle, you of the City. The same substance composes us - the tree overhead, the stone beneath us, the bird, the beast, the star - we are all one, all moving to the same end. Remember ~ P.L. Travers

There are worlds beyond worlds and times beyond times, all of them true, all of them real, and all of them (as children know) penetrating each other. ~ P.L. Travers

Michael, you shall have some syrup of figs. ~ P.L. Travers

The same substance composes us
the tree overhead, the stone beneath us, the bird, the beast, the star
we are all one, all moving to the same end. ~ P.L. Travers

You should trust the children; they can stand more than we can. ~ P.L. Travers

Children's books are looked on as a sideline of literature. A special smile. They are usually thought to be associated with women. I was determined not to have this label of sentimentality put on me so I signed by my intials, hoping people wouldn't bother to wonder if the books were written by a man, woman or kangaroo. ~ P.L. Travers

I'm not asleep," Jane reassured her. "I'm thinking about the story." "I heard every word," said Michael, yawning. The Park Keeper rocked, as if in a trance. "A Nex-plorer in disguise," he murmured, "sittin' in the midnight sun and climbin' the North Pole!" "Ouch! ~ P.L. Travers

More and more I've become convinced that the great treasure to possess is the unknown. ~ P.L. Travers

And here it is worth while remembering, since we are discussing Not Writing for Children, that neither the Sleeping Beauty nor Rumpelstiltzkin was really written for children. In fact, none of the fundamental fairy stories was ever written at all. They all arose spontaneously from the folk and were transmitted orally from generation to generation to unlettered listeners of all ages. ~ P.L. Travers

...it is the smallest house in the Lane. And besides that, it is the only one that is rather dilapidated and needs a coat of paint. But Mr. Banks, who owns it, said to Mrs. Banks that she could have either a nice, clean, comfortable house or four children. But not both, for he couldn't afford it. And after Mrs. Banks had given the matter some consideration she came to the conclusion that she would rather have Jane...and Michael...and John and Barbara, who were Twins and came last. So it was settled... ~ P.L. Travers

You can ask me anything you like about my work, but I'll never talk about myself. ~ P.L. Travers

And all the time he was enjoying his badness, hugging it to him as though it were a friend, and not caring a bit. ~ P.L. Travers

There! Come down! What are you doing up there? Come down! We can't have the girl walking through the air. It's not natural!"

But Maia was going up and up. ~ P.L. Travers

I never wrote my books especially for children. ~ P.L. Travers

A very excellent and worthy person, thoroughly reliable in every particular. ~ P.L. Travers

Tea is balm for the soul, don't you agree? ~ P.L. Travers

If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the Policeman at the cross-roads. ~ P.L. Travers

Sir Christopher Wren's Cathedral ~ P.L. Travers

Mary Poppins was very vain and liked to look her best. Indeed, she was quite sure that she never looked anything else. ~ P.L. Travers

Do you think that everything in the world is inside something else? My little Park inside the big one and the big one inside a larger one? Again and again? Away and away?" She waved her arm to take in the sky. "And to someone very far out there - do you think we would look like ants?" "Ants ~ P.L. Travers

Once we have accepted the story we cannot escape the story's fate. ~ P.L. Travers

I shouldn't wonder if you didn't wonder much too much! ~ P.L. Travers

This is the way the wheel turns, coming at last to full circle, with wild as well as tame at he crib; lion and turtle-dove together an barnyard beasts lying down with the fox. For wild and tame are but two hlaves and here, where all begins and ends, everything must be whole.
And always, among the sleepers, there must be somebody waking - somewhere, someone, waking and watchful. Or what would happen to the world..? ~ P.L. Travers

With the word creative we stand under a mystery. And from time to time that mystery, as if it were a sun, sends down upon one head or another, a sudden shaft of light - by grace, one feels, rather than deserving, for it always is something given, free, unsought, unexpected. ~ P.L. Travers

You can't expect two stars to drop in the same field in one lifetime ~ P.L. Travers

Mary Poppins never told anybody anything. . . . ~ P.L. Travers

Every child needs to have for itself not only its loving parents and siblings and friends of its own age, but a grown-up friend. ~ P.L. Travers

The Red Cow was very respectable, she always behaved like a perfect lady and she knew What was What. ~ P.L. Travers

Michael knew now what was happening to him. He knew he was going to be naughty. ~ P.L. Travers

My wisdom tells me that this is probably so. We are all made of the same stuff, remember, we of the Jungle, you of the City. The same substance composes us - the tree overhead, the stone beneath us, the bird, the beast, the star - we are all one, all moving to the same end. Remember that when you no longer remember me, my child." "But ~ P.L. Travers

Well, what is she, then? And where did she come from?" cried the Fledgling shrilly, flapping his short wings and staring down at the cradle.
"You tell him, Annabel!" the Starling croaked.
Annabel moved her hands inside her blanket.
"I am earth and air and fire and water," she said softly. "I come from the Dark where all things have their beginning."
"Ah, such dark!" said the Starling softly, bending his head to his breast.
"It was dark in the egg, too," the Fledgling cheeped.
"I come from the sea and its tides," Annabel went on. "I come from the sky and it's stars, I come from the sun and it's brightness - "
"Ah, so bright!" said the starling, nodding.
"And I come from the forests of earth."
As if in a dream, Mary Poppins rocked the cradle - to-and-fro, to-and-fro with a steady swinging movement.
"Yes?" whispered the Fledgling.
"Slowly I moved at first," said Annabel, "always sleeping and dreaming. I remembered all I had been and I thought of all I shall be. And when I had dreamed my dream I awoke and came swiftly."
She paused for a moment, her blue eyes full of memories.
"And then?" Prompted the Fledgling.
"I heard the stars singing as I came and I felt warm wings about me. I passed the beasts of the jungle and came through the dark, deep waters. It was a long journey. ~ P.L. Travers

were spilt on his bib, Jane and Michael could tell that the substance in the spoon this time was milk. Then Barbara had her share, and she gurgled and licked the spoon twice. Mary Poppins then poured out another dose and solemnly took it herself. "Rum punch," she said, smacking her lips and corking the bottle. Jane's eyes and Michael's popped with astonishment, but they were not given much time to wonder, for Mary Poppins, having put the miraculous bottle on the mantelpiece, turned to them. "Now," she said, "spit-spot into bed." And she began to undress them. They noticed that whereas buttons and hooks had needed all sorts of coaxing from Katie Nanna, for Mary Poppins they flew apart almost at a look. In less than a minute they found themselves in bed and watching, by the dim light from the night-light, the rest of Mary Poppins's unpacking being performed. From the carpet bag she took out seven flannel nightgowns, four cotton ones, a pair of boots, a ~ P.L. Travers

He knew, the moment he opened his eyes, that something was wrong but he was not quite sure what it was. ~ P.L. Travers

I'll stay till the wind changes. ~ P. L. Travers

I don't think that children, if left to themselves, feel that there is an author behind a book, a somebody who wrote it. Grown-ups have fostered this quotient of identity, particularly teachers. Write a letter to your favorite author and so forth. When I was a child I never realized that there were authors behind books. Books were there as living things, with identities of their own. ~ P.L. Travers

Oh, go away! You're in my eyes," said John in a loud voice.

"Sorry!" said the sunlight. "I must move from East to West in a day. Sorry! Shut your eyes and you won't see me. ~ P.L. Travers

I think the idea of 'Mary Poppins' has been blowing in and out of me, like a curtain at a window, all my life. ~ P.L. Travers

All right, indeed! That was hardly the word. All right, in her blue jacket with the silver buttons! All right with her gold locket round her neck! All right with the parrot-headed umbrella under her arm! ~ P.L. Travers

What is real and what is not? Can you tell me or I you? Perhaps we shall never know more than this - that to think a thing is to make it true. ~ P.L. Travers

Pooh, he's a ninkypoop!" "How do you know?" asked Jane, very interested. "I know because I heard Daddy call him one this morning!" said Michael, and he laughed at Andrew very rudely. "He is not a nincompoop," said Mary Poppins. "And that is that. ~ P.L. Travers

Do you thing, Mary Poppins ... Do you think that everything in the world is inside something else? My little Park inside the big one and the big one inside a larger one? Again and again? Away and away? ~ P.L. Travers

That's coral!" she cried in astonishment. "We must be down in the deeps of the sea!"
Well, wasn't that what you wanted?" said the trout. "I thought you wished you could see the sea!"
I did," said Jane, looking very surprised. "But I never expected the wish to come true."
Great oceans! Why bother to wish it then? I call that simply a waste of time. But come on! Mustn't be late for the party! ~ P.L. Travers

Carpet," said Mary Poppins, putting her key in the lock. ~ P.L. Travers

I've had quite a lot to conquer in myself apart from writing. Not that I've been a pure angel when I come to the end of it. ~ P.L. Travers

But at the very moment she was thinking these thoughts, adventure, as she afterwards told my Mother, was stalking her. ~ P.L. Travers

The old way of doing 'good business' was based on the principle, 'the ends justifies the means.' In the future, good business will invoke 'the means justifying the ends.' The E P&L can already serve as an important tool to help this shift in commerce from generating profits with collateral damages to profits with collateral benefits. ~ Jochen Zeitz

The Profit and Loss Statement tells you a lot about how your business is doing. It can also help you to determine ways that you can go about saving money so that you get to bring more money home! Basically, the P&L statement measures all of your income sources verses all your business expenses for any given period of time. ~ Darren L Johnson

I was given the task of I.P.L. Chairmanship which I tried to perform to the best of my abilities. The tournament was organised well despite all the controversies. The stadiums were jam-packed, which proved that I.P.L. was still popular. ~ Rajeev Shukla

For business owners, there are many important documents to learn to read. One of the most important is the profit and loss statement, known as the P&L, and the balance sheet. ~ Darren L Johnson

...he wondered dismally when his heart had been so thoroughly lost to an enemy. ~ P.L. Nunn

mind, this poor child must be from ~ P.L. Parker

We attacked selected military targets of the P.L.O. Around, civilians were hurt, I don't want to deny it. Very regrettable, very regrettable. We regret it deeply. ~ Menachem Begin

Corporate policies and procedures are designed with one aim: to harness a man to the plow and make him produce. But the soul refuses to be harnessed; it knows nothing of Day Timers and deadlines and P&L statements. The soul longs for passion, for freedom, for life. ~ John Eldredge

May your P&L account of deeds for humanity be in profits; for you have to present the your Balance Sheet on the Judgment Day. ~ Vikrmn

stop spending quality time with unqualified people! ~ P.L. Wilson

Dark perversions grow at the empty corners of the soul. ~ Sivan P.L.

The NeXT purchase is too little too late. The Apple of the past was an innovative company that used software and hardware technology together to redefine the way people experienced computing. That Apple is already dead. Very adroit moves might be able to save the brand name. A company with the letters A-P-P-L-E in its name might survive, but it won't be the Apple of yore. ~ Nathan Myhrvold

I felt his hand go to my cheek and wipe the tear that i hadn't realize was falling from eyes. I looked him in the eyes so he could see the hurt in min, and swiped his hand off. ~ P.L. Jenkins

It's statistically improbable and logically impossible, but why not try. ~ L.P.

From the Balance sheet of humanity, to the Profit & Loss account of emotions, I am all in good books. I am a Chartered Accountant. ~ Vikrmn

Home is where the heart is, and my heart needs a vacation. ~ P.L. Byrd

As I've progressed in my career, I've come to appreciate - and really value - the other attributes that define a company's success beyond the P&L: great leadership, long-term financial strength, ethical business practices, evolving business strategies, sound governance, powerful brands, values-based decision-making. ~ Ursula Burns

Misdeeds of a few players and certain people cannot and should not bring bad name to hundreds of players who participated in the I.P.L. with full honesty. The reputation of the I.P.L. cannot be tarnished by a few greedy individuals. ~ Rajeev Shukla

Even if only one guerilla cub survives the prolonged struggle, I am confident that he will raise the flag of Palestine overJerusalem ... Jerusalem is destined to be the eternal capital of our sovereign, independent Palestinian state under the P.L.O. leadership. ~ Yasser Arafat

Blood is thicker than water, but water is easier to swallow. ~ P.L. Byrd

[Bloodraven] fingered the cloth, marveling at the tightness of the weave. The things that the men of the lowlands were capable of never ceased to amaze him. Those few stolen items that trickled up to the northern tribes were bartered at high prices, for even the mountain humans who worked in fear of their lives for the tribes, did not create such clever things. But then again, perhaps they were capable, but chose not to share with the race that had hunted and oppressed them for generations. Understandable. If he were in the same position he'd have offered nothing more than the simplest tasks demanded of him. Not for the first time he considered the tribal chieftains of old fools for choosing to make war with the humans instead of ally with them. ~ P.L. Nunn

You all know what Class Seven does?" "You blow shit up," Travers supplied in a long-suffering voice that drew snickers from the rest of the group. "All kinds of shit," Everett growled with relish, the gleam returning to his eyes in full force. ~ Abigail Roux

I'm just gonna be doing stuff that I really enjoy doing. I'm not gonna attempt to be current in any way other than the fact that people will like what I'm doing currently. ~ Pat Travers

We got a little waylaid along the way. The whole problem started about 10 years ago with management and legal battles, then still trying to make albums while I was doing all of that. ~ Pat Travers

When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers. ~ Mary Travers

Folk music has a sort of a bubbling-under quality. The stream runs through the cultural consciousness, and whether or not it's on the radio is not the issue. Folk music is always there. ~ Mary Travers

The first of the telegrams arrived shortly after noon, and Jeeves brought it in with the before-luncheon snifter. It was from Aunt Dahlia, operating from Market Snodsbury, a small town of sorts a mile or two along the main road as it leaves her country seat.
It ran as follows:

Come at once. Travers.

And when I say it puzzled me like the dickens, I am understating it, if anything. As mysterious a communication, I considered, as was ever flashed over the wires. I studied it in a profound reverie for the best part of two dry Martinis and a dividend. I read it backwards. I read it forwards. As a matter of fact, I have a sort of recollection of even smelling it. But it still baffled me. ~ P.G. Wodehouse

No movie can be a downer that fills you with pure exhilaration. You leave WALL-E with a feeling of the rarest kind: that you've just enjoyed a close encounter with an enduring classic. ~ Peter Travers

Celida stood on the top step next to the door with Evers and his girlfriend Rachel. Bauer, three days post-op after his spinal surgery, was there too, talking to Zoe. The rest of his teammates were inside already, along with DeLuca and Travers. It meant the world to him that the guys had come out to pay their respects today. ~ Kaylea Cross

The Bay-man has made the worst and most worthless Transformers movie yet. I know, hard to believe, right? How could any summer blockbuster be as dull, dumb and soul-sucking as the first three Transformers movies? Step right up. ~ Peter Travers

If we are going to teach the world to stop hating the different, the other, then we're going to have to start with children. ~ Mary Travers

We've always been involved with issues that deal with the fundamental human rights of people, whether that means the right to political freedom or the right to breathe air that's clean. ~ Mary Travers

I said, 'Don't talk rot, Old Tom Travers."
"I am not accustomed to talk rot," he said.
"Then, for a beginner," I said, "you do it dashed well. ~ P.G. Wodehouse

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is beyond bad. It carves out its own category of godawfulness. And, please, you don't have to remind me that the original was a colossal hit ($700 million worldwide) and the sequel will probably do just as well. I know it's popular. So is junk food, and they both poison your insides and rot your brain. ~ Peter Travers

Pixar has outdone itself in visual magic and vivid storytelling. ~ Peter Travers