“Only god knows where this will lead you. I want all of you to remember that this is probably the first time in history a class of creative writing or English sat together and read cookbook recipes.” Pp. 206-207, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt.

If you don’t pay attention and you don’t study, you’ll fail and if you fail you’ll wind up teaching arithmetic to schizophrenics. P. 207, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt,

”… you’re grounded for a million years. So best thing is to keep your mouth shut. Just listen to him.” p. 191, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt.

“Babies know everything when they’re born. That’s why they can’t talk because if they talked we’d all be stupid.” p. 97, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt.

“Now I think it time to give myself credit for at least one virtue: doggedness. Not as glamourous as ambition or talent or intellect or charm, but still the one thing that got me through the days and nights.” page 2, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt.

Faith does not make things easy,
it makes them possible.

He tells me God forgives me and I must forgive myself, that God loves me and I must love myself for only when you love God in yourself can you love all God’s creatures. P. 344, Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt.

…the art of generation and I don’t know what that means and l’m too weary going from one word to another in this heavy dictionary which leads me on a wild goose chase from this word to that word and all because the people who wrote the dictionary don’t want the likes of me to know anything. P. 286, Anglea’s Ashes, Frank McCourt.

More on dying. I want to tell them I won’t be able to die for the Faith because I’m already booked to die for Ireland. p. 187 Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, Faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine master, grant that I may not so

much seek to be consoled , as to console.

To be understood , as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in the giving that we receive, it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is

in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Saint Francis of Assisi