Dorothea Benton Frank Quotes

“I have always thought that librarians are a little bit like doctors, travel agents and professors all rolled into one. We all know that a great story can lift spirits, take you anywhere in the world you want to go and in any time period to boot, and the lessons you learn from a good book can buoy your own convictions and even change your life.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Books were my passion and my escape from madness.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Isn't it amazing how much good people can do for each other when you give them the opportunity to help?”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“The most important thing I learned is that to be truly happy, you've got to pay attention to that stupid inner voice we all have. It knows what you need and will drive you shit crazy until you listen to it.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“As we did every New Year's Eve we made ridiculous resolutions that no one would keep, and quietly we all wondered what the coming year would hold, each of us praying for our own private miracles. Good health. Better health. A marriage for this child, a good job for another. This hopefulness was something hardwired into our psyches, that a new year might mean some monumental something wonderful could happen to bring us happiness at a level we had never known. A new year was a chance to start over. Maybe even, just maybe, there would be peace on earth for one entire day.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

The first indication of menopause is a broken thermostat. It's either that or your weight. In any case, if you don't do something, you could be dead by August.
God, middle age is an unending insult.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“A good woman's heart knows no bounds. And love is the most powerful and wondrous gift in the world. Yes, it is.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

That's what I wanted for myself for even just a little while-to be unaware of the rest of the world. I needed some time.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Makes you grow up quick. Hard work makes you strong. I work hard every day; that's where I get my strength. That and knowing who I am.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“She says that on the day you stop believing in love you may as will lie down and die. I think she may be right.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“The people you love never leave you ...”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

Life is a struggle, I would tell him. Some days are better than others, and every person's life is bittersweet, filled with joy and pain.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Say your prayers, girl. Prayers work miracles; don't you see that much yet?”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Maybe as you aged, what you wanted from a relationship changed too.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“We were an imperfect family. I knew that. But at last we were on each other's side, dug in with a new and more profound commitment. Our happiness was hard won, it was ours and I was determined to keep us whole.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Dreams made your eyes sparkle over the possibilities of doing something new and exciting. Reality made the rest of you break a sweat in panic. I was terrified.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“The Devil danced all over the place in his beautiful eyes. You never knew what kind of surprise he had for you, just to make you laugh.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“When you start running from trouble? It confers with the devil on how to find you twice as fast.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“All the while I was trying to figure out if I knew anyone who had married and stayed in love for decades. I thought about Daddy and Momma. Daddy had loved Momma with a great passion. Everyone knew that. But, why? I knew why! The ugly truth was that he loved her because of how she made him feel, not because of who she was. Was that the nature of a man's love for a woman? Not what you bring to the table, but how you make him feel? I was drinking a cup”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

My tongue had probably earned about 20 million Frequent Flyer Miles to rush my immortal impudent soul to a special torture chamber in purgatory

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Because a book lets your imagination soar and a movie makes all the decisions for you. A book is almost always, but not always, a far richer experience than a book turned into a movie.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I want you to think. Gawd got his special purpose for you, just like He does for every one of us. He done give you a very good mind. The world you have when you grow up is gonna be the one you make. You use your mind and make it better.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“What he didn't know was that he always would and that in all those important moments that were yet to come to pass in his life, there would be a searing wound. Over time the wound would grow smaller, but it would never disappear.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Father Michaels' sermon was mercifully short. He had a reputation for three-minute homilies, tightly written, provocative and insightful. His words centered on the true meaning of Christianity. That is was all about love. Love of God, love of self, love of family, love of community.
Love was a gift.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Here's my definition of a great beach read - a fabulous story that sucks me in like a black hole and when it's over, it jettisons my bones across the galaxy with a hair on fire mission to convince everyone I know that they must read that book or they will die.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“My family always comes first. My world revolves around my husband, Peter, our daughter, Victoria, and our son, William, but not necessarily in that order. Then, it's this fascinating world of publishing that devours most of my days and many nights.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I think I've learned that if you want to be successful, you have to tell your story honestly and from your heart - and I think a healthy sense of humor doesn't hurt either.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I don't always want to read serious fiction. But when I read fiction that's not serious, I don't want to read brain candy. Entertain me, for God's sake.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I love to cook, my husband and I collect wine, and in my head, I am always on Sullivan's Island, walking the beach listening to the song of the ocean.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

If you want to know why all writers are a little crazy read 'The Midnight Disease' by Alice W. Flaherty. She talks about the drive to write, writer's block, and the creative brain. I know what's wrong with me!

— Dorothea Benton Frank

And if you want to know why great editors scare the pants off of writers everywhere, read 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' by Lynne Truss. The punctuation police are everywhere!

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Anyway, stories bring us together to find common ground, to find our way through life together, or just to entertain us, and I am just thrilled to be a part of that process.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I have always loved to read, and now that I have penned 10 novels and a few magazine articles, I have fallen seriously in love with writing stories and seeing them go out into the world. It's magical, you know?”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

What I wanted to do was to earn enough money to pay for my mother's house. When my mother passed away, I wanted to buy it from the rest of my family and keep the house in the family. That was the only reason I even attempted writing for money.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

Knew she had a nest egg?

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“What was that old story about how women had a better chance of being abducted by aliens than they did getting married after forty?”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Reaching for his toothbrush, I looked at it and realized he'd been brushing his teeth for somebody else for a long time. I don't know what possessed me to do it but I dunked it in the toilet. That pleased me so much that I rubbed it around the inside rim. That seemed so pleasant I then scrubbed up under the rim, good and hard, where no toilet brush could've reached in weeks.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“I took his aftershave and cologne out of the medicine cabinet. It occurred to me that he'd been wearing these for Karen. I peed in the bathroom glass, drained the Aramis and poured urine into two of his cologne bottles. "Up yours," I said quietly. I dropped the bottles in his bag and zipped it closed.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back to, and reasons to stay.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Larson would kick my butt! This is good.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Please. Don't use the Lord's name, unless you're in prayer. It's a hundred years in purgatory.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

Few people realize how much courage it takes in a community like ours to ignore the established taboos.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“They say you only have so many breaths in your lifetime, and I think disappointments might be the same.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

Turning out as I expected it would.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“Naturally, we shopped, we had lunch, we did homework and we cleaned closets together. But beyond those mundane amusements-and”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

Actually, I came here because of Skipper." "That was awfully nice! How's he doing? I'm going

— Dorothea Benton Frank

All I can tell you is that every family on the planet is dysfunctional and we celebrate occasions as generously as we know how to do. We are all doing our best to appear grateful to have one another. Weren't appearances worth something?

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“No," I said and smiled. "I just happen to like the taste of that particular grape." "Oh?" "Yeah. I think chardonnays are too oaky and heavy and German wines are too sweet. But if my roommate and I are sharing a bottle of something, it's usually on sale”

— Dorothea Benton Frank

As authentic as it is riveting and ultimately unforgettable. Your past will find you-and it can change your life. I think it's the most soulful book Patti Callahan has ever written.

— Dorothea Benton Frank

“A new year was a chance to start over. Maybe even, just maybe, there would be a peace on earth for one entire day.”

— Dorothea Benton Frank