Trenton Lee Stewart Quotes & Sayings

There was a unique pleasure in knowing a friend so well, Reynie reflected, rather like sharing a secret code. — Trenton Lee Stewart

No sooner had he thought this than he realized what was anchoring his happiness. It was purpose. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew the way he thought things should be, and Mr. Harinton was proving that other people
even adults
could feel the same way. Nicholas had something to aim for now. He might not know what he wanted to be when he grew up, but he knew with absolute certainty how he wanted to be. — Trenton Lee Stewart

If you like to tell stories and compose sentences, and if you work hard at being good at these things, then you are a writer even if you haven't published anything. — Trenton Lee Stewart

In other words, you are our last possible hope. You are our only hope. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Remember the White Knight. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I wanted to go to Sesame Street! I remember distinctly running through my neighborhood, thinking I knew how to get to Sesame Street, and then finally finding myself among some scrub trees and realizing I don't know where to go from here. I had to just mope back home. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Would you ever have thought I might choose a lie for the sake of my own happiness? The Whisperer's version of happiness is an illusion
it doesn't take away your fears, it only lies about them, makes you temporarily believe you don't have them. And I know it's a lie, but what a powerful one! Maybe I'm not who I always thought myself to be. Maybe I'm the sort of person who will do anything to hear what I want to believe ... — Trenton Lee Stewart

You know what i like about buttons? They're very small things that hold bigger things together. Awfully important, buttons - little but strong. — Trenton Lee Stewart

The missing aren't missing, they're only departed,
All minds keep all thoughts - so like gold - closely guarded, — Trenton Lee Stewart

The answer to this riddle has a hole in the middle,
And some have been known to fall in it.
In tennis it's nothing, but it can be received,
And sometimes a person may win it.
Though not seen or heard it may be perceived,
Like princes or bees it's in clover.
The answer to this riddle has a hole in the middle,
And without it one cannot start over. — Trenton Lee Stewart

When the time comes to face McCracken, I don't want you anywhere near."

"I agree with Milligan!" Sticky whispered.

Milligan winked at him and quickly ushered the children back to the double doors. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Children are capable of such open rudeness. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I was always interested in the possibility maybe of finding my way into a big adventure. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Books had been her means of escape; now they would be her refuge. — Trenton Lee Stewart

At this, Constance sat down on a rock and covered her face. She seemed smaller than ever now - so small the harbor breeze might catch her up like a scrap of paper and carry her away, carry her into nowhere. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Au contraire..."
"What?" Constance demanded.
Curtain blinked.
~ The Perilous Journey — Trenton Lee Stewart

And please don't call me that.
I didn't call you 'that', I called you George Washington. — Trenton Lee Stewart

For every exit, there is also an entrance. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Milligan! Come and tell us why you're so dreadfully glum!" ~ Constance, The Mysterious Benedict Society — Trenton Lee Stewart

So what's your team called?" asked Kate, twisting her legs into a pretzel-like configuration, "We're called the Winmates because we're inmates who win." Kate looked back and forth at Reynie and Constance, searching their expression for signs of delight.
"You gave yourselves a name?" asked Constance.
Now it was Kate's turn to be baffled. "You didn't? How can you have a team without a name? — Trenton Lee Stewart

There's a difference between remembering and thinking, — Trenton Lee Stewart

He knew many things now that he had not known only a short time earlier. He knew that despite all the good things happening now, John would still miss his parents, and Violet and her family would still miss her brother, and Nicholas would miss having John at the Manor, and when Viloet went away to art school, he would miss her, too.
'Nothing's easy,' Nicholas thought, sneaking glances at his friends, who were serving themselves more pie. 'But some things help. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I hope you haven't given up on the S.Q.'s of the world, Reynie. As you see, there are a great many sheep in wolves' clothing. If not for S.Q.'s good nature, we'd never have escaped. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I'm an orphan!" Constance cried gleefully. "I'm an orphan!" ~ The Prisoner's Dilemma — Trenton Lee Stewart

Did the men steal the papers?" Reynie asked, fearing her response.
No, because they are fools," Sophie said bitterly. "They demanded to see the papers, and when I did not answer fast enough
they were very frightening, you see
they hurt me so that I was not awake ... When I opened my eyes they were still trying to find the papers. They did not understand how we organize the library, you see. They were angry and creating a bad mess ... The police were coming and the men decided they must leave. I shouted at them as they left: 'It is a free and public library! All you had to do was ask! — Trenton Lee Stewart

Kate seemed to have doubled in size. She had drawn back her broad shoulders and set her jaw, and something in the stance called to mind the contained ferocity of a lioness. But it was the fierceness in Kate's bright blue eyes that had the most striking effect. The sort of look that made you thankful she wasn't your enemy. "It's not going to be over," Kate said firmly "Until we say so. — Trenton Lee Stewart

So began one of the fiercest and strangest battles ever fought, a battle that involved all manner of business supplies, elegant clothing and accessories, and no shortage of trickery and taunts. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Remember, children. For every exit, there is also an entrance. ~ Milligan, The Mysterious Benedict Society — Trenton Lee Stewart

A lie stands on one foot but the truth stands on 2. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Now listen, we need to be quiet as mice. No, quieter than that. As quiet as ... as ... "
"Dead mice?" Reynie suggested.
"Perfect," said Kate with an approving nod. "As quiet as dead mice. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Why, then, do you think the white player might have done it?"
Reynie considered. He imagined himself moving out his knight only to bring it right back to where it started. Why would he ever do such a thing? At last he said, "Perhaps because he doubted himself. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Listen, just do what you think is right, and we'll support it." ~ Sticky Washington, The Prisoner's Dilemma — Trenton Lee Stewart

But you have said it too often, Mr. Benedict!" said Mrs. Perumal in an imperious tone that was quite out of character. "And if you continue in this vein, I'm afraid we'll be compelled to cut our visit short. Surely there are other establishments that would host an entire troup of guests - indefinitely and without reward - and not feel obliged to apologize for it! — Trenton Lee Stewart

Have you ever had a dream in whig, having spied a deadly snake at your feet, you suddenly begin to see snakes everywhere - suddenly realize, in fact, that you're surrounded by them?"
Reynie was surprised. "I have had that dream. It's a nightmare."
"Indeed. And it strikes me as being rather like when a person first realizes the extent of wickedness in the world. That vision can become all-consuming - and in a way, it, too, is a nightmare, by which I mean that it is not quite a proper assessment of the state of things. For someone as observant as you, Reynie, deadly serpents always catch the eye. But if you find that serpents are all you see, you may not be looking hard enough. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Somhow those Ten Men
at the time they were called Recruiters, of course
discovered that Constance had been at the library. Most likely one of their informants saw her come out, because it was on that very day that the brutes showed up and threatened the librarians. Who told them nothing, incidentally.'
'The same thing happened in Holland,' Kate reflected. 'You'd think these guys would learn their lesson
librarians know how to keep quiet.'
'It helps to ask politely,' said Mr. Benedict — Trenton Lee Stewart

Something about this made Reynie uneasy. Had he done so badly? Was this meant to test his courage? He did as he was told, closing his eyes and bracing himself as best he could.
"Why are you flinching?" the pencil woman asked.
"I don't know. I thought maybe you were going to slap me."
"Don't be ridiculous. I could slap you perfectly well with your eyes open. I'm only going to blindfold you. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I tend to find characters who lack vulnerability dull. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Grow the lawn and mow the lawn
always keep the TV on,
brush your teeth and kill the germs,
poison apples, poison worms. — Trenton Lee Stewart

If we're just trying to be accurate, then how about 'The Doomed to Fail Bunch'?" said Constance.
"Honestly! We can't even name ourselves. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Was it worse for him, Reynie wondered, to have felt loved and then rejected? Or was it worse to have always felt alone? — Trenton Lee Stewart

You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I've only just arrived, Kate. It may surprise you to learn that you were my top priority. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Oh, here's a clever one. Do you remember this question from the first test? It reads, 'What's wrong with this statement?' And do you know what Constance wrote in reply? She wrote, 'What's wrong with you? — Trenton Lee Stewart

Good grief! They're going to call us inside soon, and Sticky hasn't even met Madge yet!"
"Who's Madge?" Sticky asked.
"Her Majesty the Queen! — Trenton Lee Stewart

Sometimes, Reynie, trouble itself is the key. - Mr. Benedict — Trenton Lee Stewart

Browsing the first editions at my local independent bookstore, I came across 'Pastoralia,' a collection of stories by George Saunders. I'd read one of the stories in it already, and several other Saunders stories in magazines and anthologies, and liked them all. — Trenton Lee Stewart

She announced her age right away, for children consider their ages every bit as important as their names. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Is this what family is like: the feeling that everyone's connected, that with one piece missing, the whole thing's broken? — Trenton Lee Stewart

Everything is as it should be. — Trenton Lee Stewart

You must understand something, George. The world's leaders create catastrophes and resolve them
all at their own whimsy
every single day. It is how the world runs. Lacking anything else to believe in, common people need to believe in their leaders' abilities to save them. It's true! Their emotional well-being
and yes, their fate
depends on the intelligence and skill of those who manipulate the days' disasters. And it should go without saying that the one who succeeds in taking the reins of leadership
by whatever means
is the most intelligent and skillful, and therefore most qualified to lead. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Go on, Kate. I don't want to have fallen four stories for nothing. - Milligan — Trenton Lee Stewart

You are the smartest children i know. You just don't beleive it. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Kate laid her hand against his cheek. "Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep getting hurt?"
"Bad habit," Milligan mumbled. — Trenton Lee Stewart

One problem with being a leader, is that even among your friends you are alone, for it is you
and you alone
to whom the others look for final guidance. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Every great thinker keeps a journal, you know. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Rules and school are tools for fools! I don't give two mules for rules. — Trenton Lee Stewart

It's not going to be over until we say so. — Trenton Lee Stewart

... I see that something's are hard to do, but that you can't live with yourself if you don't do them. I see that the best way to help myself is to help the people I care about. The rest will sort itself out. It has to, right? — Trenton Lee Stewart

Out from behind the desk where he'd been sitting, hidden by the piles of books, appeared a bespectacled, green-eyed man in a green plaid suit. His thick white hair was shaggy and mussed, his nose was rather large and lumpy like a vegetable, and although it was clear he had recently shaved, he appeared to have done so without benefit of a mirror, for here and there upon his neck and chin were nicks from a razor, and occasional white whiskers that he'd missed altogether. This was Mr. Benedict. — Trenton Lee Stewart

'Is that really the best you can say? An average-looking boy? An awful lot of boys are average-looking, S.Q.!' And poor S.Q., he just kept arguing that 'this boy was especially average-looking.' " ~ Kate Wetherall, The Mysterious Benedict Society — Trenton Lee Stewart

May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Mr. Harinton was real.
There were adults in the world who would actually make sacrifices for others - not just for their own families but for anyone who needed help.
Nicholas had always had the impression that families looked after one another, and he had come to understand that, on rare ocassions, children would do the same ... But this was different.
What Mr. Harinton was doing certainly helped Nicolas - but it also simply felt right to Nicholas. It made him want to be exactly like Mr. Harinton himself. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Daddy, will you take me to the mill, again? — Trenton Lee Stewart

That summer morning in the Lower Downs began as usual for Reuben Pedley. He rose early to have breakfast with his mom before she left for work, a quiet breakfast because they were both still sleepy. Afterward, also as usual, he cleaned up their tiny kitchen while his mom moved faster and faster in her race against the clock (whose numerals she seemed quite unable to read before she'd had coffee and a shower). Then his mom was hugging him goodbye at the apartment door, where Reuben told her he loved her, which was true - and that she had no reason to worry about him, which was not. His — Trenton Lee Stewart

Enter at the exit — Trenton Lee Stewart

And when I do crave privacy, I have only to flip the "Closed" sign on my shop door until I'm feeling sociable again. Everyone should have such signs on their doors, don't you think? — Trenton Lee Stewart

They stared out their window at night enough to know where the darkest shadows lay, and it was to the darkest shadows they kept. — Trenton Lee Stewart

What is life without laughter? — Trenton Lee Stewart

Oh dear,"cried Rhonda just then, for Mr. Benedict, awash in strong emotion, has gone to sleep.with a sudden loud snore he toppled forward into the attentive arms of Rhonda and Number Two, who eased him to the floor.
"What's wrong with him?" Constance asked.
"He has narcolepsy," said Kate.
"He steals a lot?"
"That's kleptomania," Sticky said. "Mr. Benedict sleeps a lot. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Don't thank me,' Mr. Curtain called as the door slid closed. 'Impress me! — Trenton Lee Stewart

The gym is always open, except when it's closed. — Trenton Lee Stewart

It just supports my personal opinion that he's a wacko — Trenton Lee Stewart

In the candle's flickering light, the library's thousands of books emerged from the shadows, and for a moment Nicholas could not help admiring them again. During free time he had almost never looked up from the pages he was reading, but now he saw the books anew, from without rather than from within, and was reminded of how beautiful they were simply as objects. The geometrical wonder of them all, each book on its own and all the books together, row upon row, the infinite patterns and possibilities they presented. They were truly lovely. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Mr. Benedict: "After I woke up and composed myself, however, I realized the flowers must certainly be yours, Constance, to do with as you please. At any rate
"
Mr.Benedict broke off, for just then Constance jumped to her feet, snatched the bouquet from his desk, and hurled it into the wastebasket with all the force she could muster
so hard that flower petals flew up out of the wastebasket like tiny pink butterflies. Then placing her hands against the wall to steady herself, she stomped one foot repeatedly into the wastebasket as if trying to put out a fire.
"I see we are of the same opinion," said Mr. Benedict as Constance returned to her seat, and the others congratulated her on her judgment. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Even if he did explain it, no one would believe him because no one would understand him. That's the downside to being a genius - just because you understand something doesn't mean anyone else will. — Trenton Lee Stewart

You've read half the books in this house? This whole house?"
"Well, approximately half." Sticky said. "To be more accurate, I suppose I've read more like" - his eyes went up as he calculated - "three sevenths? Yes, three sevenths."
"Only three sevenths?" said Kate, pretending to look disappointed. "And here I was prepared to be impressed. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Poor Kate," said Constance, "she's lost her marbles. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Sights, smells, temperature changes - all sorts of stuff. We notice it without consciously thinking about it. He says we may not be paying attention, but our brains are recording and processing it all the same, and these ... these observations, or whatever you want to call them, make up a pattern. So if you're good with patterns, the way Mr. Benedict says I am, you can sometimes predict things. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie's fce fell. 'It's not funny, Kate.'
For a moment - a fleeting moment - Kate looked desperately sad. 'Well, of course it's not funny, Reynie Muldoon. But what do you want me to do? Cry? — Trenton Lee Stewart

Nicholas Benedict did have an exceptional gift for knowing things (more exceptional, in fact, than most adults would have thought possible), and yet not even he could know that this next chapter was to be the most unusual-and most important-of his entire childhood. Indeed, the strange days that lay ahead would change him forever, though for now they had less substance than the mist through which he ran. — Trenton Lee Stewart

I think when I started to write 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' that I had that kind of thing in mind - the notion of having to be able to solve puzzles and riddles because enormous stakes rode upon your ability to do that. — Trenton Lee Stewart

She was a thin woman in a mustard-yellow suit, with a yellowish complexion, short-cropped rusty red hair, and a stiff posture. She reminded Reynie of a giant walking pencil. — Trenton Lee Stewart

No one seems to realize how much we are driven by FEAR, the essential component of human personality. Everything else - from ambition to love to despair - derives in some way from this single powerful emotion. — Trenton Lee Stewart

The power itself comes from the fact that you can do something and people can't see you do it and what kind of responsibility do you have when you can do it. What kind of good things can you do or can you do good things from being invisible in this way? — Trenton Lee Stewart