“ He smiled at me. He did that thing again, where he pulled back his lips and showed me his teeth. He smiled so big it made him sneeze. It was like he was saying, I know i'm a mess. Isn't it funny? Kate DiCamillo
“ He said, 'I forgive you, Pa.And he said those words because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking in two. Despereaux, reader, spoke those words to save him… Kate DiCamillo
“ He must, he realized, know somewhere, deep inside him, more things than he had ever dreamed of. Kate DiCamillo
“ Did you think that rats do not have hearts? Wrong. All living things have a heart. And the heart of any living thing can be broken. Kate DiCamillo
“ Words for Flora Nothing would be easier without you, because you are everything, all of it — sprinkles, quarks, giant donuts, eggs sunny - side up — you are the ever - expanding universe to me. Kate DiCamillo
“ The human heart was dark beyond all reckoning; it also likened the heart to a river. And further, it said, If we are not careful, that river can carry us along in its hidden currents of want and anger… Kate DiCamillo
“ Know to be a safe port in a storm? Flora suddenly remembered her dream, how warm William Spiver’s hand had felt in her own. She blushed. Whom did she trust? Good grief, she trusted William Spiver. Kate DiCamillo
“ There ain't no point in making soup unless others eat it. Soup needs another mouth to taste it, another heart to be warmed by it. Kate DiCamillo
“ The sound of the king's music made Despereaux's soul grow large and light inside of him. Kate DiCamillo
“ The longer he marched, the more convinced Peter became that things were indeed hopeless and that an elephant was a ridiculous answer to any question- but a particularly ridiculous answer to a question… Kate DiCamillo
“ She was working to remind herself of who she was. She was working to remember that somewhere in another place entirely she was known and loved. Kate DiCamillo
“ Perhaps, said the man, you would like to be lost with us. I have found it much more agreeable to be lost in the company of others. Kate DiCamillo
“ Mostly, he looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain. Kate DiCamillo
