--- title: "10 House Quotes By Shirley Jackson" description: "10 House quotes by Shirley Jackson. Plus more from Shirley Jackson and more House sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/shirley-jackson-1526_house_it-watches-he-added-suddenly-the-house-i_1919868.jpg" --- > [It watches," he added suddenly. "The house. It watches every move you make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-watches-he-added-suddenly-the-house-it-watches-every-move-you-make/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/shirley-jackson-1526_house_it-watches-he-added-suddenly-the-house-i_1919868.jpg) > [Hill House, she thought, You're as hard to get into as heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/hill-house-she-thought-you-re-as-hard-to-get-into-as-heaven/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/shirley-jackson-1526_heaven_hill-house-she-thought-you-re-as-hard-to_1515846.jpg) > [We moved together very slowly toward the house, trying to understand its ugliness and ruin and shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/we-moved-together-very-slowly-toward-the-house-trying-to-understand/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/433/shirley-jackson-1526_house_we-moved-together-very-slowly-toward-the_980299.jpg) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg) > [Gossip says she hanged herself from the turret on the tower, but when you have a house like Hill House with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/gossip-says-she-hanged-herself-from-the-turret-on-the-tower-but-when/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/shirley-jackson-1526_gossip_gossip-says-she-hanged-herself-from-the_2176562.jpg) > [Certainly there are spots which inevitably attach to themselves an atmosphere of holiness and goodness; it might not then be too fanciful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitably-attach-to-themselves-an/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/shirley-jackson-1526_atmosphere_certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitab_2623135.jpg) > [There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sounded-in-our-house-for-a-long/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/shirley-jackson-1526_house_there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sound_2466177.jpg) > [It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-meant-to-be-lived-in-not-a-fit/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/shirley-jackson-1526_countenance_it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-me_2458651.jpg) > [I was already doing a lot of splendid research reading all the books about ghosts I could get hold of, and particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-research-reading-all-the-books/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/shirley-jackson-1526_book_i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-re_1204783.jpg) > [No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/no-live-organism-can-continue-for-long-to-exist-sanely-under-2/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_no-live-organism-can-continue-for-long-t_2060828.jpg) ## Other authors on House ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/shirley-jackson/#itemlist", "name": "10 House Quotes By Shirley Jackson", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It watches,\" he added suddenly. \"The house. 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it might not then be too fanciful to say that some houses are born bad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitably-attach-to-themselves-an/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/shirley-jackson-1526_atmosphere_certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitab_2623135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/shirley-jackson-1526_atmosphere_certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitab_2623135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/shirley-jackson-1526_atmosphere_certainly-there-are-spots-which-inevitab_2623135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Certainly there are spots which inevitably attach to themselves an atmosphere of holiness and goodness; it…” — Shirley Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to clean them out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sounded-in-our-house-for-a-long/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/shirley-jackson-1526_house_there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sound_2466177.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/shirley-jackson-1526_house_there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sound_2466177.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/shirley-jackson-1526_house_there-had-not-been-this-many-words-sound_2466177.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to…” — Shirley Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for hope. Exorcism cannot alter the countenance of a house ; Hill House would stay as it was until it was destroyed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-meant-to-be-lived-in-not-a-fit/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/shirley-jackson-1526_countenance_it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-me_2458651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/shirley-jackson-1526_countenance_it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-me_2458651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/shirley-jackson-1526_countenance_it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-me_2458651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for…” — Shirley Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was already doing a lot of splendid research reading all the books about ghosts I could get hold of, and particularly true ghost stories - so much so that it became necessary for me to read a chapter of _Little Women_ every night before I turned out the light - and at the same time I was collecting pictures of houses, particularly odd houses, to see what I could find to make into a suitable haunted house.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-research-reading-all-the-books/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/shirley-jackson-1526_book_i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-re_1204783.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/shirley-jackson-1526_book_i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-re_1204783.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/shirley-jackson-1526_book_i-was-already-doing-a-lot-of-splendid-re_1204783.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was already doing a lot of splendid research reading all the books about ghosts I could get hold of, and…” — Shirley Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. 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