"“What civilization would be complete without a cat?” the Professor went on. “What greater blessing to the home than the kindly yet watchful eye of this tiger of the fireside?"

Lloyd Alexander Literature See all quotes by Lloyd Alexander →

React to this quote

More by Lloyd Alexander

“If I fret over tomorrow, I'll have little joy today.”

“If I do find pride, I'll not find it in what I was or what I am, but what I may become. Not in my birth, but in myself.”

“Evil cannot be conquered by wishing.”

“This is a place of peace," Medwyn said, "and therefore not suitable for men, at least, not yet.”

“The muse in charge of fantasy wears good, sensible shoes.”

““Llonio said life was a net for luck; to Hevydd the Smith life was a forge; and to Dwyvach the Weaver-Woman a loom. They spoke truly, for it is all of these. But you,” Taran said, his eyes meeting the potter’s, “you have shown me life is one thing more. It is clay to be shaped, as raw clay on a potter’s wheel.”

Resonant Thoughts

"Philosophy is in history, and is never independent of historical discourse. But for the tacit symbolism of life it substitutes, in principle, a conscious symbolism; for a latent meaning, one that is m…"

— Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Philosophy1908–1961

#history

"The biggest surprise, however, came during the procession around the church with the blessing of the water. When he would sprinkle the holy water, he would aim mostly at his altar boys, dousing them. …"

— Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco

1896–1966

#love

"Now that cricket has been put aside for some few months to come, and cricketers have assumed somewhat of the chrysalis nature , but at length again will burst forth in all their varied hues, rather th…"

— Tom Wills

Sports1835–1880

#justice

"Objectively speaking, the history of North Korean state has been one of an ambitious social if brutal experiment that ended in a very ugly disaster. Essentially, the 70 years of the Kim Family's rule …"

— Andrei Lankov

Entertainment1963

#history