Meg Rosoff Quotes

Powerful Meg Rosoff for Daily Growth

About Meg Rosoff

Meg Rosoff is an acclaimed British author known for her captivating and thought-provoking young adult fiction. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on March 16, 1965, to American parents who were expatriates living in London, she spent her early years immersed in a rich cultural tapestry. This multifaceted upbringing has significantly influenced her writing style, which blends humor, emotion, and intelligence seamlessly. After studying English at Cambridge University, Rosoff worked as a children's book editor in London before publishing her debut novel, "How I Live Now," in 2004. The novel, set during a war between Britain and the United States, follows the experiences of a teenage girl named Daisy and her family amidst chaos. It was awarded the Michael L. Printz Award and Carnegie Medal for outstanding contribution to children's literature in the UK. In 2005, Rosoff published "Just in Case," another poignant work exploring themes of love, loss, and identity. Her third novel, "The Brides of Rollrock Island" (2011), delves into the world of selkies—mythical sea creatures who can transform between human and seal form. This novel was a finalist for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature. Rosoff continues to write captivating stories that resonate with readers of all ages, including her latest work, "One Hundred Days of Skies" (2021). Her ability to tackle complex themes through compelling narratives has solidified her position as a significant voice in contemporary young adult literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable without the other. Or whether your separation is natural, or better."

This quote by Meg Rosoff suggests that love can be an intense, passionate experience, but it's temporary and may eventually subside. The decision that follows this subsidence is crucial: either the individuals are deeply connected and intertwined in a way that living apart seems unimaginable (roots entwined), or their separation is natural or even beneficial for both parties. It emphasizes the importance of introspection and understanding in relationships to determine whether they're meant to last or if it's better for each person to move on separately.


"What I said was true. I can't help the truth; it's like grass – if it's planted in the ground, you can't wish it away."

This quote emphasizes the inherent power of truth. Just as grass will grow when planted, a statement of truth cannot be suppressed or wished away by mere desire or denial. It highlights the enduring and inevitable nature of truth, suggesting that one must confront it honestly rather than attempting to hide or disregard it.


"If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours. If not, it never was."

This quote suggests that one should allow freedom in a relationship or attachment, as true love will naturally return if it is genuine. If the object of affection does not return, then perhaps it was never truly theirs to begin with. The essence of this wisdom lies in understanding that possessiveness can hinder growth and self-discovery; allowing things to come back to us demonstrates our worthiness and their affinity.


"There are things I know for certain. One of them is that life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death."

This quote by Meg Rosoff implies that life, in its fullness, is a rich and fulfilling experience, yet many people fail to appreciate or partake in it. It suggests that opportunities for joy, growth, and happiness are abundant (the "banquet"), but some individuals ("poor suckers") often miss out due to various reasons such as fear, ignorance, or neglect. The quote encourages us to seize life's opportunities and not let them pass by.


"The best part about being a ghost isn't the fact that you can go through walls, or that no one can see you. It's knowing something they don't know yet...and waiting for it to happen."

This quote by Meg Rosoff suggests the idea of having unique knowledge or insights, anticipating future events, and watching as they unfold is a powerful feeling that transcends physical presence. The essence of being a ghost here symbolizes having an awareness beyond one's immediate surroundings and experiencing the sense of control that comes with foreknowledge. It speaks to the human desire for insight, foresight, and understanding of life events, even if it means being unseen or overlooked by others in the process.


There's an overwhelming sense of paranoia in the suburbs. People there seem so much more paranoid to me than people in the city about their kids being kidnapped or their parties being raided or their drinks being spiked. There's a kind of hysteria about that.

- Meg Rosoff

City, Drinks, Suburbs, Hysteria

I am quite a cheerful, dark person. On the outside, I'm optimistic but I expect the worst to happen.

- Meg Rosoff

Happen, Am, Optimistic, Cheerful

The thing about adolescence is that you are emerging from a state of obscurity. You are coming out into the world from your family. Your family can seem normal because it is your family and all you know, but in fact it is a mess.

- Meg Rosoff

Fact, Normal, About, Obscurity

Self-knowledge is essential not only to writing, but to doing almost anything really well. It allows you to work through from a deep place - from the deep, dark corners of your subconscious mind.

- Meg Rosoff

Mind, Doing, Through, Self-Knowledge

It's hard recommending books for kids, and a huge responsibility. If you get it wrong, they don't tell you they hate that particular book, they tell you they hate reading.

- Meg Rosoff

Book, Reading, Tell, Huge Responsibility

I think most people struggle over a matter of years to find a satisfying way to live.

- Meg Rosoff

Think, Over, I Think, Satisfying

While working in advertising, I channelled my creative energy into elaborate escape fantasies: cake making, dog breeding, the Peace Corps.

- Meg Rosoff

Making, Elaborate, Fantasies, Corps

When you read a book, the neurons in your brain fire overtime, deciding what the characters are wearing, how they're standing, and what it feels like the first time they kiss. No one shows you. The words make suggestions. Your brain paints the pictures.

- Meg Rosoff

Book, Feels, Your, Paints

The average attention span of the modern human being is about half as long as whatever you're trying to tell them.

- Meg Rosoff

Average, Human Being, Half, Attention Span

My daughter is a fantastic travelling companion - she's totally organised, whereas I'm hopeless.

- Meg Rosoff

She, Travelling, Organised, Whereas

Contrary to popular belief, editors and agents are gagging for good books.

- Meg Rosoff

Popular, Books, Contrary, Agents

I have never written out of a desire to be controversial.

- Meg Rosoff

Desire, Never, Written, Controversial

Teenagers are very dark, I think. That's all the goth and emo stuff. They're experiencing a lot of stuff that adults experience, but in a much more raw way. It's that extremity that I'm interested in, to be able to go down so far and come up so quickly.

- Meg Rosoff

I Think, Very, Quickly, Goth

Like many other people of my generation, I don't think I ever really bothered to grow up. I wasn't ever really a proper teenager until I was about 19, and maybe I got a bit stuck there, because it seemed to go on and on.

- Meg Rosoff

Other, Maybe, About, Teenager

One of the more interesting things I've learnt since becoming a writer is that if you like the book, you'll generally like the person. It doesn't always work in reverse - there are huge numbers of lovely people out there writing not very good books.

- Meg Rosoff

Book, Becoming, Very, Learnt

Although I've lived in England for more than twenty years, I still have a foreigner's passion for all the details of English history and rural life.

- Meg Rosoff

England, More, Still, Twenty

I'm constantly snatching my books out of the hands of precocious ten-year-olds who are simply too young to read them, despite parents insisting that dear Octavia has a reading age of 28. I remember trying to read 'In Cold Blood' at the age of twelve, and realising that just because you can read book doesn't mean you should.

- Meg Rosoff

Hands, Young, I Remember, Precocious

The truth about love is that you don't always fall in love with whom you are supposed to fall in love with. Love just hits you. It is a transcendent thing. Sometimes it is your best friend's husband and sometimes it's your father. It's weird. But that's a fact of life.

- Meg Rosoff

Love, Fact, Sometimes, Love Is

In the odd moment when I am not thinking about horses, I write books.

- Meg Rosoff

I Am, Books, I Write, Odd

Your writing voice is the deepest possible reflection of who you are. The job of your voice is not to seduce or flatter or make well-shaped sentences. In your voice, your readers should be able to hear the contents of your mind, your heart, your soul.

- Meg Rosoff

Reflection, Voice, Mind, Hear

Nowadays, I only review books I really like. It's cowardly, I know, but I figure it's not my job to make people unhappy. I'll leave that to the professionals.

- Meg Rosoff

Like, Figure, Professionals, Review

Life is absolutely horrific, leading up to absolute horror.

- Meg Rosoff

Horror, Leading, Absolute, Horrific

My younger sister Debby had died of cancer, which started me writing - the sense of life being short. Cancer focuses your mind.

- Meg Rosoff

Mind, Younger, Which, Sister

As a person with the retentive mental capacity of a goldfish and a dislike of repetition, I frequently make use of the thesaurus built into my Microsoft Word U.K. Software.

- Meg Rosoff

Software, Dislike, Built, Goldfish

I can actually trace the moment I decided I couldn't be a doctor. It was in biology, they brought in these African crickets and we were supposed to dissect them - but there's no way I was touching those bugs.

- Meg Rosoff

Biology, Touching, Brought, Trace

I've been fired five times for having a bad attitude.

- Meg Rosoff

Fired, Been, Times, Five

When I was at university, there was such a strong delineation between city kids and those who had grown up the suburbs. City kids were so at home in the world, in a way that suburban kids take years to catch up, if indeed they ever can.

- Meg Rosoff

Strong, City, Suburbs, Catch

I, a late riser, fantasise about getting up every morning at 5 A.M. to fetch the horses in from the fields.

- Meg Rosoff

Morning, About, Getting, Fetch

In my experience, adults rarely bother reading the reviews of children's books and almost never read the books themselves - particularly if they don't have children.

- Meg Rosoff

Bother, Read, Particularly, Rarely

I lived in New York for 10 years, and every New Yorker sees a shrink.

- Meg Rosoff

New York, New, Sees, Yorker

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