18 Quotes & Sayings By Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear is a British writer of crime fiction, best known for her series featuring Maigret. Born in London to a French father and English mother, she lived in France from the age of seven. After moving back to England she studied French and German at Exeter University, where she met her husband, a fellow student. They went on to have two daughters Read more

Winspear's first novel, A Taste for Death , was published in 2005 and won the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger Award for Best First Novel. Her other novels include The Last Detective , The League of St George , A Dangerous Mourning , and In the Woods . In 2012 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of East Anglia.

Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a...
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Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. Jacqueline Winspear
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She had always told herself that she did hti job because she wanted to help others; afterall, hadn't Maurice told her once that the most important question any individual could ask was, "How might I serve?" If her response to that question had been pure, surely she would have coninued with the calling to be a nurse.. But that role hadn't been quite enough for her. She would have missed the excitement, the thrill when she embarked on the work of collecting clues to support a case. Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie bit her lip. She had learned that sometimes it...
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Maisie bit her lip. She had learned that sometimes it was best to let words die of their own accord, rather than fight them. Jacqueline Winspear
... truth has a certain buoyancy - it makes its...
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... truth has a certain buoyancy - it makes its way to the surface, in time. Jacqueline Winspear
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The feeling inside that she experienced when she saw the books was akin to the hunger she felt as food was put on the table at the end of the working day. And she knew that she needed this sustenance as surely as her body needed its fuel. Jacqueline Winspear
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Though there had yet to be a victor in this great war that had begun almost three years ago, Maurice had written to her that they had, all of them, on all sides, lost their freedom. Freedom to think hopefully of the future. Jacqueline Winspear
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With a true masterpiece, there are no words required. Discourse is rendered redundant. That's why the work of a master transcends all notions of education, of class. It rises above the onlooker's understanding of what is considered good or bad, or right or wrong in the world of art. With the artist who has achieved mastery, skill, experience and knowledge are transparent, leaving only the message for all to see. Jacqueline Winspear
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The depression we find ourselves in here, and which is causing havoc in America, is allowing people to give weight to that which divides them, rather than to the shared experiences and elements of connection they see mirrored in their fellow man. Jacqueline Winspear
9
She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that would begin the healing of bereaved parents. She had seen, when she entered the kitchen, the chasm of sorrow that divided man and wife already, each deep in their own wretched suffering, neither knowing what to say to the other. She knew that to begin to talk about what had happened was a key to acknowledging their loss, and that such acceptance would in turn be a means to enduring the days and months ahead. Jacqueline Winspear
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Perhaps we shouldn't try to answer the questions now - let's just note them down. Maurice always said the power in a question is not in the answer, it's in the way the imagination gets busy when the question is at work. Jacqueline Winspear
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[Maisie] "Tell me, Dr. Dene, if you were to name one thing that made the difference between those who get well quickly and those who don't, what would it be?"[ Dr. Dene] "..In my opinion, acceptance has to come first. Some people don't accept what has happened. They think, 'Oh, if only I hadn't..' or.. 'If only I'd known..' They are stuck at the point that caused the injury.".. I would say that it's threefold: One is accepting what has happened. Three is having a picture, an indea of what they will do when they are better or improved. Then in the middle, number two is a path to follow. Jacqueline Winspear
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[Maisie]:...going out for luncheon with a gentleman is definitely not the same as going out to dine in the evening. [Billy]: You get more grub at dinner, for a start - Jacqueline Winspear
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Their love was thus seeded in the rich soil of mutual understanding. Jacqueline Winspear
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I’m not really interested in the black and white, the 'goodies and baddies.' I find the complexity of the gray areas more compelling, more intriguing. As I have said before, there are angels and demons in all of us, and I am interested in the relationship between the two within the ‘ordinary’ person. Jacqueline Winspear
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I've come to the conclusion that liking a person we are required to have dealings with is not of paramount importance. But respect is crucial, on both sides, as is tolerance, and a depth of understanding of those influences that sculpt a character. Jacqueline Winspear
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Fancy 'avin' to say you work for the Murder Squad, eh, Miss? Don't exactly warm folk to you, does it? Jacqueline Winspear
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My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to get myself a job where I could travel. I did it for two years and had great fun. Jacqueline Winspear