19 Quotes & Sayings By Merrie Haskell

Merrie Haskell, Ph.D., is a retired professor of English at St. John's University in Queens, New York, where she taught for thirty-one years. Dr. Haskell's first book, The Joy of Laughter: Humor in Literature, was published by St Read more

Johns University Press in 1971. Her current work includes articles on humor and satire for journals such as American Scholar, The Journal of the History of Ideas, and The Review of English Studies, as well as her own poetry. Dr.

Haskell is also the author of The Oxford Companion to American Humor (Oxford University Press), which won the 1994 Regional Book Award from the Southern Society for American Letters.

I’m alive, ” he groaned. “But I’m not doing a...
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I’m alive, ” he groaned. “But I’m not doing a very good job of it. Merrie Haskell
And turnips - endless ruptured turnips.
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And turnips - endless ruptured turnips. Merrie Haskell
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Perrotte frowned. “I’d like to turn a plowshare into a sword , ” she said. “I’d cut our way out of those thorns, and then use it to run my enemies through–” She bit off her next words and swallowed them. Sand stared at her, aghast. She met his eyes, defiant. “What? You don’t like bloodthirstiness?” she asked. “Pardon? No. I’m horrified that you would dull a sword on that thorn brake. I could make you some pretty good hedge shears. Merrie Haskell
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The truth is .. . Well, the truth is the truth, and thus worth telling, but sometimes truths are so complicated that it’s exhausting to get them out in the right order.” He glanced up at her. That sounded like an evasion if ever she’d heard one. She raised an eyebrow. Merrie Haskell
Saint Melor’s father was Saint Meliau.”“Was everyone in Bertaèyn a...
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Saint Melor’s father was Saint Meliau.”“Was everyone in Bertaèyn a saint, back in the day?”“ Everyone who didn’t murder anyone, maybe, ” Perrotte said. Merrie Haskell
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The shrine I prayed at not to go to university, ” Sand said.“ I guess your prayer was answered, ” Perrotte said. Sand strongly considered throwing something at her–but there was nothing to hand that wasn’t sacred. Merrie Haskell
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How did you get into the castle, Alexandre, son of Gilles Smith?” Sand shrugged. “A saint kidnapped me from his shrine and put me into a fireplace here. So I guess the answer is, a miracle of Saint Melor. Or so I think. He has not told me.” “If you are trying to antagonize him, you are doing a good job, ” Perrotte whispered. Sand scuffed his shoe at her. “I’m just telling the truth! ” “You’re very good at telling it in the most maddening way possible.”“ Thank you?. Merrie Haskell
You’re not mending anything, remember, Sand? The hedge.” He paused...
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You’re not mending anything, remember, Sand? The hedge.” He paused and shook his head at himself. “And Perrotte’s away for a few minutes, and you’re talking to yourself again. Merrie Haskell
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Did I never explain to you about love, Reva?' Pa asked. I gave him a look, and he laughed uncomfortably. 'I guess not. Let me put it in a way you'll understand. Love is like stinging nettles. Only they prick from the inside out, starting at your heart and bursting on around. It's worse when it gets here'--he rubbed the bridge of his nose--'then your vision goes a little strange. But eventually the nettles stop stinging--once she agrees to kiss you. But they start right back up again when she agrees to marry you--'' Pa, ' I interrupted, 'that's not love, that's fear.' Pa shook his head, looking off admiringly in the direction where Lacrimora had disappeared. 'Same thing, in my case. . Merrie Haskell
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An uncomfortable marriage can not bear the strain of the death of a beloved donkey. Merrie Haskell
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Forgiveness is not death. It is life. Merrie Haskell
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Child, you do not forgive because the person who wronged deserves it. You misunderstood the point of forgiveness entirely. The only cage that a grudge creates is around the holder of the grudge. Forgiveness is not saying that the person who hurt you was right, or has earned it, or is allowed to hurt you again. All forgiveness means is that you will carry on without the burdens of rage or hatred. Merrie Haskell
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Mens videt astra.( The soul sees the stars.) Merrie Haskell
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I understand that you don’t want to marry me, ” I said. “I mean, I don’t know why, since I’m simply delightful to be around. But to each his own taste. Merrie Haskell
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The other good thing was that I had enough rank to strong-arm Marjit into confessing that she'd been the one who'd told everything to Pa about my first invisibility cap, which was how Pa knew to come steal it. Unfortunately, since my rank in the surface world hung off Pa's, I did NOT have enough rank to take him to task for stealing my cap. So I just put him to sleep during a fancy dinner, so that he went facedown into the sour soup. Just the once. It eased my ire terrifically. Merrie Haskell
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But winter was necessary. Why else would the world have it? The trees seemed to welcome the season, from the way they changed colors before they dropped their leaves and went to sleep. Winter was a part of a cycle, like day and night, life and death. Merrie Haskell
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Child, you do not forgive because the person who wronged deserves it. You misunderstand the point of forgiveness entirely. The only cage that a grudge creates is around the holder of that grudge. Forgiveness is not saying that the person who hurt you was right, or has earned it, or is allowed to hurt you again. All forgiveness means is that you will carry on without the burdens of rage and hatred. Merrie Haskell
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I asked him: Why didn’t you just tell me? He said: ‘If I tell you, you’ll just forget at some critical point. If you figure it out for yourself, you’ll always remember. Merrie Haskell