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41 " There was a young harlot from Kew, who filled her cunt up with glue. She said with a grin, if they pay to get in, they’ll pay to get out of it too. "
― Pip Williams , The Dictionary of Lost Words
42 " Some words are more than letters on a page, don’t you think?” she said, tying the sash around my belly as best she could. “They have shape and texture. They are like bullets, full of energy, and when you give one breath you can feel its sharp edge against your lip. It can be quite cathartic in the right context. "
43 " It occurred to me that the intimidation I always felt might have been of my own creation. - Esme "
44 " Women don't have to live lives determined by others. They have choices, and I choose not to live the rest of my days doing as I'm told and worrying about what people will think. That's no life at all. "
45 " All words are not equal (and as I write this, I think I see your concern more clearly: if the word of one group are considered worthier of preservation than those of another...well, you have given me pause for thought.) "
46 " I'd always thought that Ditte was like the trunk of a great tree: anchored securely to what she knew to be true. After just as few days in Bath, I began to think of [Ditte's sister] Beth as the canopy. In mind and body, she responded to whatever forces came her way.[Esme Nicholl] "
47 " Our thinking was limited by convention (the most subtle but oppressive dictator). "
48 " My Dictionary of Lost Words was no better than the grille in the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Commons: it hid what should be seen and silenced what should be heard. "
49 " A chip doesn’t stop it from holding tea, "
50 " It judged me, that crucifix, and I hated it. I imagined it twisting my words and whispering its translation in her ear. "
51 " Was that what it meant to be a daughter? To have hair that smelled of your mother? To use the same soap? Or was it a shared passion, a shared frustration? Meg had never wanted to kneel in the dirt and plant bulbs like her mum; she longed to be considered - not with kindness, but with curiosity, with regard for her thoughts, with respect for her words. Was that what the mess on the floor was? Evidence of a curious mind? Fragments of frustration? An effort to understand and explain? Were Meg’s longings akin to Esme and was that what it meant to be a daughter? "
52 " SISTERS Women bonded by a shared political goal; comrades. "
53 " But when we talk about her, she comes to life.” “Never forget that, Esme. Words are our tools of resurrection. "
54 " Words change over time, you see. The way they look, the way they sound; sometimes even their meaning changes. They have their own history. "
55 " decided that the absence of women did matter. A lack of representation might mean that the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was biased in favour of the experiences and sensibilities of men. Older, white, Victorian-era men at that. This novel is my attempt to understand how the way we define language might define us. Throughout, I have tried to conjure images and express emotions that bring our understanding of words into question. "
56 " I missed them. It was as if they had written a play and constructed the set, and whenever I was with them I ha a part to perform. I fell into it so easily: a secondary character, someone ordinary against whom the leads could shine. Now that they had packed up and left I felt I had forgotten my lines." p. 174 "
57 " Sarah sat on the bed, her large, freckled hand storking the golden down on our baby's had. 'You can change your mind.' I'd tried to imagine it a hundred different ways. 'It's not just my mind that would need to change,' I said. "
58 " You can tell a lot from the way a man takes your hand, "
59 " What’s so funny?’ ‘Nothing. It’s just that you don’t speak often, but when you do it’s perfect. "
60 " Hats? Why would I talk about hats?’ ‘Women like to talk about hats.’ ‘Do they?’ ‘The fact you don’t know that is what will make me fall in love with you.’ Suddenly, every word I ever knew evaporated. "