Anne Lamott Quotes

"[Good Friday] is such a sad day, all loss and cruelty, and you have to go on faith that the light shines in the darkness, and nothing, not death, not disease, not even the government, can overcome it." ~@ANNELAMOTT

"I don’t have the right personality for Good Friday, for the crucifixion. I’d like to skip ahead to the resurrection." ~@ANNELAMOTT

“I have an index card here on which is written, ‘Six years later, the memory of the raw fish cubes continued to haunt her,’ which I thought might make a great transitional line. But I have so far not found a place for it. You are welcome to use it if you can.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“Some of the loneliest, most miserable, neurotic, despicable people we know have been the most successful in the world.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“Jealousy is such a direct attack on whatever measure of confidence you’ve been able to muster.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

"Maybe all we can do is to make our remaining time here full of gentleness and good humor." ~@ANNELAMOTT

“There is ecstasy in paying attention.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“In the garden, the enemy is everything: the aphids, the weather, time...You pour yourself into it, care so much, & see up close so much birth & growth & beauty & danger & triumph—& then everything dies anyway, right? But u just keep doing it. What a great metaphor!” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“There are people out there in the world who almost inspire me to join the government witness protection program, just so I can be sure I will never have to talk to them again.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“We all know we’re going to die; what’s important is the kind of men and women we are in the face of this.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

"Left to its own devices, my mind spends much of its time having conversations with people who aren’t there." ~@ANNELAMOTT

“When you crawl between clean sheets after a hard day, you are saved. You feel like you are the best sandwich ever.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do. ~@ANNELAMOTT

“I have learned in my third third of life that forgiveness is a grace: you can’t force it, you can only set the mechanism to Receive. I have evolved to the point where mine is at least now set to Vacillate.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“Spring gets you every time. Every year it sucks me in, but then, I’m easy—a few cool blue skies, new grass, wildflowers, and I’m in love.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“When all is said and done, spring is the main reason for Wow. Spring is crazy, being all hope and beauty and glory. She is the resurrection.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“There is no straight route. Life is so inefficient that way, and it doesn’t really work for me at all. It works by spirals, squiggles, and ink blots, looping back and over and around like a child’s Möbius strip.” ~@ANNELAMOTT

“Wonderfully, there is not enough memory to keep track of every old grievance. This is the grace of age. So one forgives as one is able, except for maybe those two or three special contenders and oneself.” ~@ANNELAMOTT