It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. ~The Summer of the Great Grandmother

The great writer does not tell us what ought to be done, or what we think. The true writer shows us what is done, avoiding author’s comment. ~The Rock that is Higher

We all tend to make zealous judgements and thereby close ourselves off from revelation. If we feel that we already know something in its totality, then we fail to keep our ears and eyes open to that which may expand or even change that which we so zealously think we know. ~Walking on Water

Why we shudder at the violence in fairy tales rather than the violence of everyday life at the end of this century is beyond me. —The Rock That Is Higher

“We hold these truths to be self-evident!” she shouted, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The painters and writers who see the abuse and misuse of freedom and cry out for justice for the helpless poor, the defenseless old, give me more hope; as long as anybody cares, all is not lost. Walking on Water

All art is cosmos, cosmos found within chaos… Walking on Water

If our vocabulary dwindles to a few shopworn words, we are setting ourselves up for takeover by a dictator. When language becomes exhausted, our freedom dwindles—we cannot think; we do not recognize danger; injustice strikes us as no more than “the way things are.” Walking on Water

If someone handed you a book by Madeleine L'Engle at exactly the right moment, this is for you. madeleinelengle.com has been refreshed and reorganized. More of her work, her words, and her world all in one place. Tag a reader who would love this. ↓ illus by Adelina Lirius

The fairy tale reveals a truly nonsexist world, because we are all, male and female, both the younger son and the true princess—as well as the monster we’d rather not recognize. The Rock that is Higher

Hate, it appears to me, is the heresy.

“Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.” ~ A Ring of Endless Light

What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones...Creativity is a way of living life, no matter what our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts or having some kind of important career. ~Walking on Water

“With natural dialogue and good characterization, this story of an intelligent, lifelike family is far superior to the average fare for the early teens.” ―Booklist review of The Moon by Night

“Prayer was never meant to be magic.” “Then why bother with it?” “ Because it's an act of love.” ~ A Ring of Endless Light

All creative acts involve the risk of failure. ~Two-Part Invention

“One of the mysteries of this world is that a man's genius and his moral perception are sometimes in inverse proportions. Why can't great men be good, and the bad devoid of gifts?” ~The Young Unicorns

“She began to feel the sense of wonderful elation that always came to her when beauty took hold of her and made her forget her fears.” ~And Both Were Young

“The minute anybody starts telling you what God thinks, or exactly why he does such and such, beware.” ~The Moon by Night

If you are an artist, regardless of your religion, everything you do is your witness. You cannot hide what you are. ~Madeleine L’Engle Herself

"She found that when she had a difficult question, or felt scared or sad or confused, writing could help her feel brave. She learned that a book can be like a star—a new and fiery creation that can shine light into a dark universe." ~A Book, Too, Can Be a Star

“It was so beautiful that for the moment the beauty was all that mattered; it wasn’t important that there were things we would never understand.” ~Meet the Austins

“Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.” An Acceptable Time

Inspiration comes during work, not before it. The Irrational Season

“I’ve never been sent to your planet before. It’s considered a hardship assignment.” He looked down in apology. A Swiftly Tilting Planet

In the act of creativity, the artist lets go of the self-control which he normally clings to and is open to riding the wind. Walking on Water

“Where there is an unreconciled quarrel, everybody suffers.” Many Waters

When I am writing about a fourteen-year-old girl I will not succeed unless I am, during the time of writing, Madeleine: fourteen. The Irrational Season

“You cannot show your concern for Charles Wallace now except in concern for Sporos. Don’t you understand that we’re all part of one another, and the Echthroi are trying to splinter us, in just the same way that they’re trying to destroy all Creation?” A Wind in the Door

"If we human beings were truly aware that all creation is a unity, as two lovers are aware of unity, wouldn’t we treat each other better?"