Cathleen Schine Quotes

Powerful Cathleen Schine for Daily Growth

About Cathleen Schine

Cathleen Schine is an accomplished American novelist known for her witty, insightful, and emotionally resonant fiction. Born on January 15, 1953, in New York City, Schine grew up in a literary family where reading was encouraged from an early age. Her father, Robert Schine, was a writer, editor, and former editor of The New Yorker. This environment likely played a significant role in shaping her love for storytelling. Schine attended Vassar College, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor's degree in English. After college, she worked as an editor at various publishing houses before deciding to focus on writing full-time. Her first novel, "Years of Lightning," published in 1989, was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize and became a critical success. Schine's works often explore themes of family, identity, and relationships, particularly those between sisters. Some of her most notable novels include "The Three Weissmanns of Westport" (2004), which was a New York Times Best Seller, and "The Love Letter" (1998), a poignant tale about two sisters and their shared love for a mysterious letter from an unknown admirer. Schine's latest novel, "The Grammarians," published in 2021, is a delightful story about twin brothers who share a deep bond through their love of language. It showcases Schine's ability to create compelling characters and weave intricate narratives that captivate readers. Cathleen Schine continues to be a significant voice in contemporary literature, blending humor, emotion, and intelligence in her works. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages and have garnered praise from critics and readers alike for their insightful portrayals of human relationships and experiences.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is a lot like gravity: we can't see it, but we know it's there."

The quote suggests that love, like gravity, is an invisible yet powerful force in our lives. It implies that although we cannot physically observe or measure love, its existence is undeniable due to its profound impact on people and their relationships. Just as gravity keeps planets in orbit, love connects individuals, pulling them towards each other with a force that can't be ignored or underestimated.


"Family, like nature, doesn't love you for who you are, but for who they want you to be."

This quote by Cathleen Schine suggests that family, much like the natural world, has its own expectations and ideals, which may not always align with an individual's true identity or character. The quote implies that families often love their members based on how they conform to these preconceived notions of who they should be, rather than accepting them for who they truly are. This can lead to a sense of pressure, disconnection, or misunderstanding within the family dynamic. It's an insightful observation about the complex dynamics between family members and the struggle to balance individuality with familial expectations.


"The truth about people in general, and families in particular, is that they all have their stories."

This quote by Cathleen Schine signifies that every individual and family has a unique narrative. These stories encompass the joys, struggles, triumphs, and tribulations of life, which make them distinct and complex. It underscores the importance of understanding, empathy, and patience when interacting with others, as each person carries their own journey and experiences that shape who they are.


"Happiness is a warm family to go home to, friends at the end of the day, and a book on the nightstand."

This quote by Cathleen Schine encapsulates the essence of comfort and contentment in life. She highlights that happiness can be found in the simple joys of having a loving family to return to, cherished friendships at the end of each day, and the prospect of diving into a good book before retiring for the night. The quote suggests that these elements – family, friends, and literature – contribute significantly to the well-being of an individual by providing emotional support, companionship, and intellectual stimulation. Overall, the quote underscores the importance of connection, community, and personal growth in achieving happiness.


"Love between sisters is the most sacred love of all because it is the only love that's completely selfless and unjudging."

The quote emphasizes the profound nature of sisterly love, suggesting that it is the purest and most selfless form of affection due to its lack of personal bias or expectation. In a family setting, sisters often share a unique bond free from societal pressures or romantic entanglements, allowing for an unconditional, understanding, and supportive relationship that transcends typical boundaries. This mutual respect and empathy make the love between sisters one of the most sacred ties in human relationships.


I've been fortunate in that I never actually read any Jane Austen until I was thirty, thus sparing myself several decades of the unhappiness of having no new Jane Austen novels to read.

- Cathleen Schine

New, Been, Read, Sparing

One of my favorite passages in 'Leaves of Grass,' that breathless, exuberant poem so rich and full of innocence and joy and generosity and compassion, is 'Mannahatta.'

- Cathleen Schine

Compassion, Rich, Innocence, Generosity

Michael Chabon has long moved easily between the playful, heartfelt realism of novels like 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh' and 'Wonder Boys' and his playful, heartfelt, more fantastical novels like 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay' and 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union.'

- Cathleen Schine

Long, Realism, Moved, Yiddish

Women are in positions of power the most radical of activists could only dream of in 1960.

- Cathleen Schine

Dream, Radical, Most, Women Are

Alice Munro is not only revered, she is cherished, her stories handled lovingly, turned over and over, gazed at and studied and breathed in with something approaching awe. She has never, over the years, written the way any of her contemporaries have.

- Cathleen Schine

Over, Stories, Revered, Gazed

There are no moral lectures in 'Lookaway, Lookaway;' there aren't even any lessons. But there is passion. It is a work that hides its craft but never its beauty, that is ambitious but never pretentious, that does not sacrifice nuance for power or power for nuance.

- Cathleen Schine

Work, Beauty, Nuance, Lectures

In my stunted career as a scholar, I'd read promissory notes, papal bulls and guidelines for Inquisitorial interrogation. Dante, too. Boccaccio... But after 1400? Nihil.

- Cathleen Schine

Career, Notes, Read, Bulls

In 'Pictures from an Institution,' Randall Jarrell was able to transcend the academic novel by simply ignoring it, writing a comedy with no plot at all beyond his own pleasure in language and humanity itself.

- Cathleen Schine

Comedy, Own, Pleasure, Transcend

'Use Me' is a wonderfully satisfying book.

- Cathleen Schine

Book, Me, Use, Satisfying

Stewardesses were a joke to many of us coming of age in the liberated Sixties. They were no joke in the women's movement that liberated us, however.

- Cathleen Schine

However, Coming Of Age, Many, Sixties

'Emma' is my favorite Jane Austen novel - one of my favorite novels period; a novel about intelligence outsmarting itself, about a complicated, nuanced, irresistible heroine who does everything wrong.

- Cathleen Schine

About, Period, Irresistible, Novels

Nathaniel Rich wrote 'Odds Against Tomorrow' well before Hurricane Sandy and its surge crashed onto the isle of Manhattan, well before the streets were flooded and the subways drowned, only the Goldman Sachs building sparkling above the darkened avenues.

- Cathleen Schine

Against, Streets, Before, Crashed

I do all my shopping on the Web. I do much of my research online. I have a blog, too. It is definitely a distraction. It is definitely a blessing. What blessing isn't a distraction, though?

- Cathleen Schine

Research, Blog, Though, Blessing

'Blue Nights' is a story of loss: simple, wrenching, inconsolable loss.

- Cathleen Schine

Blue, Loss, Nights, Wrenching

'What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal' was thrilling in its light, deceptive tone, its subtle but irresistible momentum.

- Cathleen Schine

She, Subtle, Notes, Irresistible

I do not go out to dinner or to the movies with the neighbors, as I do with my friends. I don't make dates with them. I don't have to.

- Cathleen Schine

Movies, Neighbors, Go, Dates

I was one of those children they used to call 'readers.'

- Cathleen Schine

Children, Used, Call, Readers

For women, World War II had offered an opportunity, and often the necessity, to get out of the house to work.

- Cathleen Schine

Work, Opportunity, War, World War II

Everyone who moves to New York City has a book or movie or song that epitomizes the place for them. For me, it's 'The Cricket in Times Square', written by George Selden and illustrated by Garth Williams.

- Cathleen Schine

Book, City, Movie, Williams

A tenth of Dostoyevsky is plenty for a seventh grader, I think.

- Cathleen Schine

Think, I Think, Seventh, Tenth

I spend a lot, a lot, a lot of time on the Web.

- Cathleen Schine

Time, Lot, Spend, Web

If you spend all your time reading books that you only pretend to understand, year after year, there isn't much room for anything else.

- Cathleen Schine

Reading, Understand, Year, Reading Books

I grew up reading books about heroic collies.

- Cathleen Schine

Heroic, Books, About, Reading Books

Good TV is not just TV about good behavior.

- Cathleen Schine

Good, TV, About, Behavior

Anyone who has read a Trollope novel knows that women did not have to wait until 1960 to feel trapped.

- Cathleen Schine

Wait, Feel, Read, Trapped

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