Jan Karon: "I was able to..."

"I was able to do what I loved! I consider this a most extraordinary miracle in a world which conspires to rob us of our dreams, and even of our passion."

—Jan Karon, These High, Green Hills

Jan Karon: "But it wasn't stuff..."

"But it wasn't stuff like the pony or the tree house that made the difference, sir. What made the difference was their love. It had a force to it, and it stayed with me all the time. Looking back, I'd say it made me feel... invincible."

—Jan Karon, These High, Green Hills

Jan Karon: "When we view the..."

"When we view the little things with thanksgiving, even they become big things."

—Jan Karon, These High, Green Hills

Jan Karon: "He knew it could..."

"He knew it could not always be this way. No, nothing ever remained the same. If he had learned anything in life, he had learned that such moments were fragile beyond knowing."

—Jan Karon, These High, Green Hills

Jan Karon: "One does not expect miracles..."

"One does not expect miracles. A miracle is, at least partly by definition, something quite unexpected."

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

Jan Karon: "Why was fear always..."

"Why was fear always so close upon the heels of joy, overtaking it every time?"

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

Jan Karon: "I shall give you..."

"I shall give you as much love and affection and happiness as I am capable of giving. Which, I believe... is quite a lot."

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

Jan Karon: "What a lovely thing..."

"What a lovely thing it is to begin to love. I shall not dwell on the fear, which seems always to come with it. I shall write only of the victory, for that is what is on my heart tonight."

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

Jan Karon: "How lovely that you..."

"How lovely that you can still surprise yourself. I couldn't love you if you were completely buttoned up. It's that little place you can never quite manage to get closed that makes me love you."

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

Jan Karon: "My work is awfully..."

"My work is awfully labored just now. Sometimes it has the most wonderful life of its own, it fairly pulls me along... At other times, it drags and mopes, so that I despair of ever writing another word... I've found that if one keeps pushing along during the mopes, out will flash the most exhilarating thought or idea - and then, one is off again, and hold on to your hat!"

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window, Cynthia describing her writing

Jan Karon: "Everything and nothing..."

"Everything and nothing. What you did today, what I did today, what we'll do tomorrow. About God and how He's working in our lives. About my work, about your work, about life, about love, about what's for dinner and how the roses are doing..."

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window, Cynthia's answer to Father Tim's question "What do you want to talk about?" in regards to married life

Jan Karon: "He was mildly alarmed..."

"He was mildly alarmed that everything seemed to be taken care of, that there were no loose ends. And why on earth should that be alarming? For the simple reason that it happened so seldom in one's life that it encouraged suspicion, that's why."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "Doesn't it feel grand..."

Cynthia: "Doesn't it feel grand to laugh over nothing? Why don't we laugh more?"

Father Tim: "I think we forget."

Cynthia: "How can we possibly forget to laugh, when it feels so good, and cures so much? How can we possibly?"

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "My friend, if you keep..."

"My friend, if you keep your eyes on Christians, you will be diappointed every day of your life. Your hope is to keep your eyes on Christ."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "I hope when you...

"I hope when you grow old, there'll be someone to listen to you ramble."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "The firefly only shines..."

"The firefly only shines when on the wing. So it is with us - when we stop, we darken."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Thoreau: "That man is the richest..."

"That man is th' richest whose pleasures are th' cheapest!"

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford (original quote by Thoreau)

Jan Karon: "Sometimes you have to...

"Sometimes you have to gag on fancy before you can appreciate plain..."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "Sorrow and joy..."

"Sorrow and joy... so inextricably entwined that he could scarely tell where one left off and the other began."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon: "... what God does with..."

"... what God does with our faith must be something like workouts. He sees to it that our faith gets pushed and pulled, stretched, and pounded, taken to its limits so its limits can expand."

-Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford