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The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

Book by Kate DiCamillo · 22 quotes · Despereaux, Light, Reader

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The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread Quotes

“He was weeping. Although 'weeping' really is to small a word for the activity the kind had undertaken. Tears were cascading from his eyes. A small puddle had formed at his feet. I am not exaggerating. The king, it seemed, was intent on crying himself a river.”

KindEyeFeetCryTearsKingsActivityRiversHis EyesWeepingPuddlesExaggerating
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“At the thought of being eaten by rats, Despereaux forgot about being brave. He forgot about not being a disappointment. He felt himself heading into another faint. But his mother, who had an excellent sense of dramatic timing, beat him to it; she executed a beautiful, flawless swoon, landing right at Despereaux's feet.”

BeautifulMotherFeltFeetBeatsBraveDisappointmentExcellentDramaticTimingRatsHeadingsLandingFlawlessDespereaux
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“There are those hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves in a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman. Such was the fate of Chiaroscuro. His heart was broken. Picking up the spoon and placing it on his head, speaking of revenge, these things helped him to put his heart together again. But it was, alas, put together wrong.”

IfsWayHeartTogetherMeditationFateBrokenReaderRevengeHealAlasCarelessCrookedSpoonsCraftsmanTogether AgainDespereauxChiaroscuro
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“the story is not a pretty one. there is violence in it. And cruelty. But stories that are not pretty have a certain value, too, I suppose. Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannont always be sweetness and light.”

KnowsWorldWellsLongTwoEnoughStoriesLightCertainValuesViolenceThis WorldCrueltySweetnessNot PrettyDespereaux
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“Love is ridiculous. But love is also wonderful. And powerful. And Despereaux's love for the Princess Pea would prove, in time, to be all of these things: powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous.”

Love IsPowerfulWonderfulProveRidiculousPrincessPeasDespereaux
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“There are hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves in a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman.”

IfsWayHeartTogetherBrokenReaderHealCarelessCrookedCraftsmanDespereauxChiaroscuro
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