Top 93 Quotes & Sayings by Barbara Mertz - Page 2

Since I am not as stupid as my children believe I am, I had immediately realized this might be a ruse, but I was not at all averse to a confrontation. In fact, I had been hoping for some such thing.

There are too many people in the world as it is, but the supply of ancient manuscripts is severely limited.

...Nefret said with a gusty sigh, 'Well, that's done it. We may as well join in, Ramses, family arguments are the favorite form of amusement here and this looks like being a loud one.

I disapprove of matrimony as a matter of principle.... Why should any independent, intelligent female choose to subject herself to the whims and tyrannies of a husband? I assure you, I have yet to meet a man as sensible as myself! (Amelia Peabody)

Humor is an excellent method of keeping a tight rein on unproductive displays of emotion.

There was no warning, not even a knock. The door flew open, and he forgot his present aches and pains in anticipation of what lay in store. The figure that stood in the door was not that of an enemy. It was worse. It was his mother.

Marriage, in my view, should be a balanced stalemate between equal adversaries.

Spring is always cruel, with its false promise of resurrection.

Sekhmet crawled onto Ramses's lap and began to purr. 'The creature oozes like a furry slug,' said Ramses, eyeing it without favor.

It may take us a little longer to reach the summit, but never fear, we will get there!

I do hope you have some money. I'm getting tired of hitting people.

The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal - or even better, as the superior it knows itself to be.

Children, I feel, are as much entitled to privacy as human beings.

The cat Horus shot out from under the table and headed for the door, his ears flattened and his tail straight out. There he encountered Abdullah, who had been waiting for us on the verandah and who had, I supposed, been alarmed by Emerson's shouts and hurried to discover what disaster had prompted them. The cat got entangled in Abdullah's skirts and a brief interval of staggering (by Abdullah), scratching (by Horus) and swearing (by both parties) ensued before Horus freed himself and departed.

Nefret had always had an uncanny ability to read his thoughts. 'Did she cry?' she asked sweetly. 'And then you kissed her? You shouldn't have done that. I'm sure you meant well, but kissing someone out of pity is always a mistake.

stereotypes are awfully misleading. There are typical librarians, but not all librarians are typical.

It is much more sensible to be an optimist instead of a pessimist, for if one is doomed to disappointment, why experience it in advance?

Writing is like a bird-watcher watching for birds: the stories are there: you just have to train yourself to look for them.

Superstition has its practical uses.

Ramses had always been fond of Helen, in his peculiar fashion, but if he had looked at me as he was looking at her, I would have sent for a constable.

Giving other people advice is one of the most irritating and useless activities known to man.

Cats always made up to the people who hated them the most. Depending on how you chose to look at it, it was a touching manifestation of trust, or a malicious pleasure in human discomfort.

Nothing looks as self-satisfied as a contented cat.

It is easier to counterfeit old age than youth.

I don't think she realized how much she cared for him, or he for her, until the end. Hasn't someone said a woman may be known by the men who love her enough to die for her? (If they haven't, I claim the credit myself.)

I would never have supposed that inexperienced girl was capable of such cold-blooded, calculating manipulation!

The only people who are not in awe of Emerson's powerful voice and well-nigh superhuman strength are the members of his own family. He is aware of this, and often complains about it; so from time to time I like to put on a little show of being intimidated. 'Proceed, my dear,' I said apologetically.

There is nothing sadder than the cheerful letters of the dead, expressing hopes that were never fulfilled, ambitions that were never achieved, dreams cut off before they could come to fruition.

I will tell you a little secret about archaeologists, dear Reader. They all pretend t be very high-minded. They claim that their sole aim in excavation is to uncover the mysteries of the past and add to the store of human knowledge. They lie. What they really want is a spectacular discovery, so they can get their names in the newspapers and inspire envy and hatred in the hearts of their rivals.

If someone lies down and invites you to trample upon him, you are a remarkable individual if you decline the invitation.

If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask. -Emerson

Husbands do not care to be contradicted. Indeed, I do not know anyone who does.

You are softening toward the young rascal because he is ill, and because he says he likes cats." "It is an engaging quality, Emerson." "That depends," said Emerson darkly, "on how he likes them.