Cynthia Rylant Quotes & Sayings

It is odd how we sometimes deny ourselves the very pleasure we have longed for and which is finally within our reach. — Cynthia Rylant

But those with an evil heart seem to have a talent for destroying anything beautiful which is about to bloom. — Cynthia Rylant

When the wicked want to bring down the innocent, they aim for a loving heart. — Cynthia Rylant

God turns clouds inside out to make fluffy beds for the dogs in Dog Heaven, and when they are tired from running and barking and eating ham-sandwich biscuits, the dogs find a cloud bed for sleeping. God watches over each one of them. And there are no bad dreams. — Cynthia Rylant

It is a grace that comes, unexpected, after tragedy- this reminder that most hearts are good. — Cynthia Rylant

I learned to write from authors. I didn't know any, but I read their books. — Cynthia Rylant

They say that to be a writer you must first have an unhappy childhood. I don't know if unhappiness is necessary, but I think maybe some children who have suffered a loss too great for words grow up into writers who are always trying to find those words, trying to find a meaning for the way they have lived — Cynthia Rylant

Drop some of them bricks you keep hauling around with you. Life just ain't that heavy. — Cynthia Rylant

And I love being a writer because I want to leave something here on earth to make it better, prettier, stronger. I want to do something important in my life, and I think that adding beauty to the world with books like The Relatives Came or Waiting to Waltz or Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea really is important. Every person is able to add beauty, whether by growing flowers, or singing, or cooking luscious meals, or raising sweet pets. Every part of life can be art. I am so grateful to be a writer. I hope every child grows up and finds something to do that will seem important and that will seem precious. Happy living and, especially, happy playing. — Cynthia Rylant

And, finally, I know, too. That throwing away this mess doesn't mean I'm giving something up. Or losing something I can't get back. It's just that there are too many pieces and too much dust. I'm just ready for something whole.
- Pete Cassidy — Cynthia Rylant

I love being a writer because I want to leave something here on earth to make it better, prettier, stronger. — Cynthia Rylant

[May] understood people and she let them be whatever way they needed to be. She had faith in every single person she ever met, and this never failed her, for nobody ever disappointed May. Seems people knew she saw the very best of them, and they'd turn that side to her to give her a better look. — Cynthia Rylant

But he finally saw
how pain caused
one of two things:
A reverence for life.
Or killing.
Both grew from the same seed. — Cynthia Rylant

But what is it that makes a person want to stay here on this earth anyway, and go on suffering the most awful pain just for the sake of getting to stay? I used to think it was because people fear death. But now I think it is because people can't bear saying goodbye. — Cynthia Rylant

It is almost impossible for a parent to hold a secret from a child. Children, without the skills of language, spend years developing instead an intuition. By the time they are fifteen, as I was, they are masters of a kind of clairvoyance that tells them, He is depressed, He is frightened, He is pleased. — Cynthia Rylant

Every person is able to add beauty, whether by growing flowers, or singing, or cooking luscious meals, or raising sweet pets. Every part of life can be art. — Cynthia Rylant

We wanted a family so bad, all of us. And we just grabbed each another and made us one. Simple as that. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures. — Cynthia Rylant

I want to do something important in my life, and I think that adding beauty to the world with books ... really is important. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still. — Cynthia Rylant

One morning she happened upon a bit of cloth decorated with pictures of little red squirrels carrying small, brown,nutsacks,and she nearly fainted away. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other's homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings - for the food on their tables and the babies in their arms. — Cynthia Rylant

A remarkable fact of nature is that problems almost always get solved just when they are meant to. And those who can help solve the problems almost always show up at the right time. — Cynthia Rylant

A lot of people think they can write poetry, and many do, because they can figure out how to line up the words or make certain sounds rhyme or just imitate the other poets they've read. But this boy, he's the real poet, because when he tries to put on paper what he's seen with his heart, he will believe deep down that there are no good words for it, no words can do it, and at that moment he will have begun to write poetry. — Cynthia Rylant

It is when we are most lost that we sometimes find our truest friends. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year. — Cynthia Rylant

Writing stories has given me the power to change things I could not change as a child. I can make boys into doctors. I can make fathers stop drinking. I can make mothers stay. — Cynthia Rylant

That's got to be at least one of the benefits of heaven - never having to act normal again. — Cynthia Rylant

In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets. — Cynthia Rylant

But I know now that you can't expect anything from anybody. If somebody loves you, it's because he wants to. And it's never because it's what he's supposed to do.
- Pete Cassidy — Cynthia Rylant

The war was just a mile or so away, and I wondered at my simply walking to it, as I might walk to the market or to school. Today I will walk to the war. — Cynthia Rylant