The Paris Daughter Quotes
"Autumn already tapping at the door, as Elise hurried toward the western edge of Paris."
"The same sky stretched over all of Paris, but here, beneath it, Elise was simply herself."
"When he proposed to her two months later, her reaction had been one of gratitude and disbelief."
"In time, she had come to love him for the darkness as much as for the light that sometimes spilled out from him."
"Elise blinked a few times and tried to smile politely, already embarrassed."
"The problem was that Olivier didn’t seem to want a partner."
"Her sketches always looked a bit mad, even to her."
"The losses never leave us, Juliette. They make us who we are."
"Sometimes, she thought too much like an artist, fixating on feelings."
"I cannot fail to stand for beliefs simply because I have had success."
"She became a mother—and she realized there was more to life than trying to make a mark on the world."
"The only way to protect Mathilde against whatever was coming was to hold her tight."
"It was too late to turn back, too late to leave France, too late to claim a future different from the one Elise was blinking down."
"But it was the star-speckled sky, stretching to infinity, that had always moved Elise the most."
"Before she’d met him, she had dabbled in painting, too, and though she had never been as adept with a brush as he was, she had enjoyed it."
"Now, as she touched a broad brush to the vibrant colors and then to the wall, she realized she had missed it."
"Under these stars," she murmured, "fate will guide you home."
"The universe always leads you to exactly where you’re meant to be, for though it may be endless, there is a place in it for each and every one of us."
"Sometimes, art is used to bring good into the world, and sometimes, it is used to do bad things. Artists have the power to influence the way people think and feel, and sometimes, they don’t use that power responsibly."
"Being a parent is not about doing what is right for ourselves, is it? It’s about sacrificing all we can, big and small, to give our children their best chance at life."
"No, child. We are right here. We will never leave you."
"We all have some choice over the way our story ends, don’t we, my love?"
"As long as the stars are above us, I am out there thinking of you."
"Children’s lives are at stake, and frankly, madame, so is yours. Are you with us or against us?"
"So you still believe Elise will return?"
"I’m sorry I haven’t visited, but the other children have needed so much."
"Your father had to take a second job to help us along."
"We will not be there. We will be safe and sound in the store."
"We really are fortunate, aren’t we? Four children, perfectly healthy."
"And a perfect, beautiful wife. We are lucky to have each other, Juliette."
"My darlings, your papa and I have a surprise for you."
"The world breaks all the time, and always, always, it is put back together again."
"Under these stars, fate will guide you home."
"At least they’re alive. Don’t forget that, Leona."
"I can see it. I know you are a good mother."
"It cannot erase who I am, though. I won’t let it."
"We are who we are in the core of our beings. And God will always know you, wherever you go."
"The word rang again and again through her head like church bells on a wedding day."
"It is the least I could do," Madame Noirot said with a smile.
"We were all something else in our past lives."
"The world had stolen her husband, her daughter."
"The war made us all wise, Madame LeClair."
"I think it’s quite clear I’m not certain what I’m doing."
"We’ll write to you, Madame LeClair, we promise."
"It’s perfect. It’s just as you remember it, isn’t it?"
"Art should be something we can all enjoy without worrying about the cost."
"I miss Paris, too! I remember the past we left behind, too."
"You know nothing about it. You were a child!"
"Because I can’t stand this life, Lucie! Because I shouldn’t be here!"
"Only because you don’t take the time to see me!"
"You are my daughter! You are the daughter God saved for me. For me, Lucie. For me!"
"I am myself, and I am a person who grieves the life you refuse to talk about."
"What you’ve done here with the walls and the ceiling… Well, it’s so much more than a painting or even a mural. You’ve created a world."
"You are clothed. You are fed. You are alive. What part of that do you have a quarrel with?"
"Because even in the midst of your own grief, you didn’t hesitate, not for a second."
"The way you cared for us is the way a mother cares, Madame LeClair."