All the Flowers in Paris QUOTES

1 " We dip beneath an underpruned flowering vine that threatens to overthrow the very trellis that has given it life. A crimson flower tickles my cheek as I duck under it.
The scene just ahead is like something out of a fairy tale, or at least a fairy tale I'd like to read: at our feet a patch of wooly thyme, so soft it looks like a green pillow, and all around, roses, hydrangeas, alliums as large as dinner plates- flowers everywhere. But the view of Paris from this magical little perch is what really takes my breath away. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

2 " First, I'd stop by the butcher and select a special steak to accompany his favorite dish, gratin dauphinois, a simple yet inexplicably divine mixture of thinly sliced and layered potatoes, garlic, Gruyère cheese, and cream. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

3 " No matter the state of the world, or how dark the shadow that has fallen on our city, I find it curiously comforting to know that if you plant a seed and give it sunlight and water, it will grow. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

4 " Papa says that some people seem mean, but they're just sad inside. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

5 " Lotus flowers lead harrowing journeys. Their seeds sprout in murky swamp water, thick with dirt and debris and snarls of roots. For a lotus to bloom, she must forge her way through this terrible darkness, avoid being eaten by fish and insects, and keep pressing onward, innately knowing, or at least hoping, that there is sunlight somewhere above the water's surface, if she can only summon the strength to get there. And when she does, she emerges unscathed by her journey and blooms triumphantly. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

6 " You know why Antoinette will persevere, just as you and I will?"
"Why?" she asks, searching my eyes.
"Because she's a lotus, and so are we."
"A lotus?"
I smile to myself, recalling the story Papa told me as a girl. "The flower. Have you seen one?"
"They're gorgeous," I say. "But my point isn't about their beauty. Lotus flowers lead harrowing journeys. Their seeds sprout in murky swamp water, thick with dirt and debris and snarls of roots. For a lotus to bloom, she must forge her way through this terrible darkness, avoid being eaten by fish and insects, and keep pressing onward, innately knowing, or at least hoping, that there is sunlight somewhere above the water's surface, if she can only summon the strength to get there. And when she does, she emerges unscathed by her journey and blooms triumphantly." I place both of my hands on her shoulders. "Suzette, you are a lotus. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

7 " And can we get a tarte normande, the kind you used to love as a little girl?"
The mere mention has my mouth watering and my heart aching. I can almost taste the tarts my mother used to make, with apples from the trees in our garden, loads of freshly grated cinnamon, and a dollop of whipped cream on top.
"And can we look for treasure on the beach?"
"Yes, sweet child."
"And can we throw rocks in the water and look for starfish in the tide pools? "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

8 " I've had so much time to think down here, and I want to say that I think that the most important thing in life are thankfulness, forgiveness, and love. Mama taught me to always be thankful. And when you say thank you it makes other people feel happy. And forgiveness, because, life is too short to be cross. It's also not fun. And, last but not least, love- because when you have love in your heart, nothing and no one can take it away from you. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

9 " I close my eyes and hear wind rushing through palm trees again. And then laughter. The scene is foggy at first, and then it comes into sharp focus. I am standing in a kitchen. It's one of those big, well-appointed spaces you see in magazines, but this one is well loved, not just staged. A cake bakes in the oven. Carrot. There are matches and a box of birthday candles at the ready by the stove. Stan Getz's smoky-sweet saxophone filters from a speaker somewhere nearby. I'm stirring a pot of marinara sauce; a bit has splattered onto the marble countertop, but I don't care. I take a sip of wine and sway to the music. A little girl giggles on the sofa. I don't see her face, just her blond ponytail. And then warm, strong arms around my waist as he presses his body against me. I breathe in the scent of rugged spice, fresh cotton, and love. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

10 " Life is full of challenges. We all have them. Art has helped me through my own deep valleys. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

11 " I want to say that I think that the most important things in life are thankfulness, forgiveness, and love. Mama taught me to always be thankful. And when you say thank you it makes other people feel happy. And forgiveness, because, life is too short to be cross. It's also not fun. And, last but not least, love - because when you have love in your heart, nothing and no one can take it away from you. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

12 " The flowers on the entryway table have wilted, and a dozen or so petals have fallen to the floor.
I kneel down to clean them up but stop, suddenly struck by the unexpected beauty in what might otherwise be considered debris in need of a broom and dustpan. I reach for my sketchbook and pencils and begin capturing the scene as I see it, a perfect, beautiful mess. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

13 " For dinner, Victor makes roast chicken, potatoes, and a simple but elegant mâche salad, all with the ingredients we picked up at a market earlier.
"The chicken," I say, after taking a bite, "is so good."
"Just sea salt, olive oil, garlic, and a little rosemary," he says. "People overcomplicate chicken. That's really all you need. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

14 " The good ones will stand tall," she says, fixing her eyes on mine. "Don't you forget that. Don't let all this evil make you forget that there is still so much good." She smiles. "There are still more flowers than there are weeds. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

15 " You must tune everything else out and create from your heart."
I nod, dipping my brush in red acrylic, then white, before mixing the paints on the palette until they form a perfect pink.
I paint a peony, and then another. I somehow recall a garden, far away from here, where there were (are?) peonies. I remember the way the blossoms are so heavy that they flounce over, and I reach for another brush and dip it into green to get the stems just right. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

16 " In another life, we might have spent this evening nestled in a corner table at some café, drinking good Bordeaux, listening to Chet Baker, discussing hypothetical trips to the Greek islands or the construction of a backyard greenhouse where we would consider the merits of growing a lemon (or avocado?) tree in a pot and sit under a bougainvillea vine like the one my mom planted the year I turned eleven, before my dad left. Jazz. Santorini. Lemon trees. Beautiful, loving details, none of which matter anymore. Not in this life, anyhow. That chapter has ended. No, the book has. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

17 " My roommate, Liesel, doesn't understand my fascination with occupied Paris. 'There'll never be another Hitler again,' she said, 'so what's the point?' But I don't see it that way."
"That may be true," I reply, "but even if we think that something like that could never happen again, we don't know it. Besides, I'm with you. I think there's value in learning from the past. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

18 " The truth is, all the flowers in Paris - every last petal - could never fill the void that Alma left, and I know I may always grieve. But I have come to learn that we can never lose what we love deeply and truly. It becomes part of us. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

19 " A home is a refuge from the world, a place of safety. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris

20 " I’m no fool, however. There’s cause to be concerned, all kinds of it. But caution is a very different thing than paranoia, and I refuse to be ruled by fear. "

― Sarah Jio , All the Flowers in Paris