Anne Perry

“The great question, is there anything at all which is worth fighting such a war about, with the devastating loss it will bring? I believe yes, there are some freedoms which to sacrifice would be EVEN worse.”

“I am now working on the second WWI story and find the challenge marvelous.”

“I wonder how often in the past I may have missed the good in people because I pre-judged, based on the differences?”

“...perhaps great sins start as simple weakness, and the consistent placing of self before others.”

“Mystery writers' conventions are usually good, and this one has been excellent and extremely well prepared and thought out in advance. A lot of people have given their time and their skill, and a good deal of wit, and Anchorage has made us extraordinarily welcome.”

“People only tell lies when the truth is disagreeable to them, or frightens them, or to cover sin.”

“I was born in London, England, in 1938, a few months before the war, and spent the first years of my life there, although I was evacuated a couple of times for short periods. My schooling was very interrupted, both by frequent moves and by ill health.”

“He was a man built to yearn for what he could not have.”

“You start at the end, and then go back and write and go that way. Not everyone does, but I do. Some people just sit down at the page and start off. I start from what happened, including the why.”

“We can become so cruel and so selfish when we are afraid.”

“Sometimes when we are drowning in our own loss we lash out--anger is momentarily easier to cope with.”

“Of course there will be disappointments and the way will not always be as I expected it. But if it seemed easy, then that would be the time to worry that I am on the wrong path.”

“Please don’t think so lightly of liking someone. It’s terribly important. It is a kind of loving, you know, and one that frequently lasts a lot longer than romance. You can fall out of love, as well in. Most of us do, especially if you don’t actually like the person as well. It doesn’t always grow into love by any means, but sometimes it does.”

“He was perfectly capable of looking after himself, although after his marriage he had lost the knack for it. He missed the comfort of all the small things Charlotte did for him,but these were nothing compared to the loneliness. There was no one to talk to, with whom to share his feelings, to laugh, or to simply speak of the day.And he missed the sound of the children's voices, giggling, their running footsteps, their incessant questions and demands for his attention or approval. No one interrupted to say "Look at me, Papa" or "What is this for?" or "What does this mean?" or the favorite "Why?" Peace was not peace anymore, it was simply silence.”

“The truth can be very sharp. But it makes a cleaner wound than lies. It will not fester”

“I don't expect answers from anyone. The most I ever hope for is that here and there one may find someone who at least acknowledges the question!”

“People lie to cover their mistakes, and then make even worse ones to cover their lies.”

“We believe world peace is inevitable.”

“I think it's a terrible thing to write and not enjoy it. It's a sad thing. But of course a lot of people do work because they need to eat. And we all need to eat, but that's not the only reason to work. You couldn't have paid me not to write.”

“Americans sometimes say to me that they have no class system themselves. All human beings have class systems. It can be based on a different thing in a different country, but the thing about breeding is, you can't buy it. You can't buy class.”