Margaret Powell Quotes & Sayings

They knew that you breathed and you slept and you worked, but they didn't know that you read. Such a thing was beyond comprehension. They thought that in your spare time you sat and gazed into space, or looked at Peg's Paper or the Crimson Circle. You could almost see them reporting you to their friends. 'Margaret's a good cook, but unfortunately she reads. Books, you know. — Margaret Powell

I used to wonder why ... Mum kept having babies ... that was the only pleasure poor people could afford . It cost nothing
at least at the time when you were actually making the children. The fact that it would cost you something later on, well, the working-class people never looked ahead in those days. — Margaret Powell

Well, every art requires appreciation, doesn't it? I mean people who paint, sculpt, or write books want an audience. that's the reason they're doing it for, and it's the same when you're a cook. You need somebody who savours it, not one who just says, 'Oh it's not bad. — Margaret Powell