If books were Persian carpets, one would not look only at the outer side. . . . because it is the stitch that makes a carpet wear, gives it its life and bloom."

"The motto was "Pax," but the word was set in a circle of thorns."

The stitch of a book is its words.

"For a dyed-in-the-wool author, nothing is as dead as a book once it is written. . . . She is rather like a cat whose kittens have grown up."

"Pax: peace, but what a strange peace, made of unremitting toil and effort, seldom with a seen result. . ."