“Our house is old, and noisy, and full. when we moved into it we had two children and about five thousand books;… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“The question of belief is a curious one, partaking of the wonders of childhood and the blind hopefulness of the very old;… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“It was the first genuinely shining day of summer, a time of year which brought Eleanor always to aching memories of her… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
The idea of a series of items, following one another docilely, forms the only possible reasonable approach to life if you have… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
I wonder if I could eat a child if I had the chance.' 'I doubt if I could cook one,' said Constance. — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
Now, I have nothing against the public school system as it is presently organized, once you allow the humor of its basic… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
In ten years I will be a beautiful charming lovely lady writer without any husband or children but lots of lovers and… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more. — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?” — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer. — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image
“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you… — Shirley Jackson Copy Share Image