By Carter.
Well. Isn’t that the truth?
I adore this sage advice from a rather plucky heroine. Anne sparkles. She burst into my soul once upon a time and settled there, always with a reminder to lift my chin and see things simply. And simply cheery. I think you can trust a girl with freckles and an unwavering belief in kindred spirits, don’t you?
Wouldn’t this print be a perfect addition to any young (or older!) girl’s bedroom? Or that sprawling closet we all dream of? You can find it in Emily’s shop right here. While I am considering what fashionable choices to make today, I’m loving the conversation on this stylish post!
P.S. — This series — illustrated quotes from children’s books — is a collaboration between Emily McDowell and myself. You can find the whole series here.
I love this poster series and have been watching with keen interest…I also am a devoted reader of Montgomery’s and have to say that I’m a little disappointed in the choice of Anne quote. I think in general, Anne’s character was more about the deeply beautiful things in the world as opposed to the vacuously frivolous. I would just hate for her words to be used with the attitude of the “Santa baby” song we’ve been hearing so much lately.
Hi Valerie! I’m so glad you (mostly!) love this series.
And I love your fierce connectedness to Anne. She is a joy. You’re right – she does care so much for the deeply beautiful things, and I like to think she finds just as much delight in the smaller things, too.
Valerie-I’m going to have to agree with you. Not to be a stick-in-the-mud about it or anything, but I think it has the potential to be a bad message to give to a young woman. Women get enough pressure to be fashion-forward as it is. Graphic Design-speaking, the typeface of the print is attractive, and I really like the Anne of Green Gables book series, but this little quote when fragmented in this way sends the wrong message, perhaps.
Valerie & Connie, I definitely hear what you’re saying, but I disagree. I tend to approach quotes in different ways. 1) If the quote has no attribution, I take the words at face value. 2) If the quote is attached to someone (fictional or real) that I admire or am familiar with, then that adds a huge layer of meaning for me. And 3) if I read a quote that’s attributed to someone I’ve never heard of, the quote means a lot less to me, or maybe means nothing at all.
I would hope that’s true in this instance. For those of us who know and love Anne, this quote feels charming as can be (at least it does to me, because I know the context). If someone sees this quote and has never read about Anne, I assume they’ll either ignore it, or be curious enough to look up the source — which would be great.
Regardless, there are so many wonderful words in Montgomery’s work — if you have a favorite quote that you wish was part of this series, it would be fun to see your suggestions. Maybe they’ll make it onto a future print!
Let’s be honest: I still wonder what I would look like in a dress with puffed sleeves. And while some may object to the frivolous feeling of this particular quote, I do think we should all remember that it IS important for girls to feel beautiful and comfortable around their peers. I am so enjoying this series of quotes and am dying to see which of my childhood favorites will pop up next…Roald Dahl perhaps?
I am ordering the Louisa May Alcott print for my daughter’s room : )
Thanks for your kind responses, Connie & Gabrielle. I guess regarding your #2, I would just hate for someone who isn’t familiar with Anne to think that this is the tenor of the book, and write off a wonderful series because of it. I’ve read nearly every available word penned by L.M. Montgomery (novels, short stories, diaries—yes, I’m a nerd!) and just felt the need to attach this small objection to the post for conscience’s sake. :)
I do enjoy the lighter side of Anne, and obviously I think beauty in the smaller, everyday things that Design Mom highlights is important too. Looking at the context of the quote, I think Anne’s idea about “naturally good” people is cute/sweet/humble, and I don’t mind it in that context. ( I mean, she also thinks it’s easier to be good if you don’t have red hair: charming? yes. truism? no.) But I think the statement itself fails the truth test…I mean, for me it’s easier to be CONFIDENT when my clothes are fashionable, but being GOOD is connected to something else.
Anyway, I hate to comment only negatively, so please know that I love your site and only brought this up because I thought you might value the perspective of a loyal reader. There are so so many good Montgomery quotes, and it would be fantastic to include some lovely, rich ones in the series too! Thanks for listening. :)
“Look at that sea, girls–all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.”
“But really, Marilla, one can’t stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?”
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
” The joy of sincere work and worthy aspiration and congenial friendship were to be hers; nothing could rob her of her birthright of fancy or her ideal world of dreams. And there was always the bend in the road!”
Oh, I get chills with that first one. Thank you! One of my other favorite Anne quotes is this one:
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?”
Also, have you ever considered this? Bucket list, maybe?!
http://www.tourismpei.com/pei-anne-itinerary
Carter, I meant to include you above, sorry about that! Such a fun October quote…I’ll have to tuck that away for my firstborn October-child. Here’s an Emily quote that I loved when growing up:
“To love is easy and therefore common – but to understand – how rare it is!”
Did you collect quotes growing up? I have journals full of them!
I guess the biggest things I’ve learned from Montgomery are the importance of the quiet life of the mind, humor & good-seeking especially in social settings, and a love for the landscape. True confession: we’re relocating this summer from the Midwest US to Maritime Canada. I’ve heard that there are some awesome camping sites on PEI, so we’ll probably make it over there soon…but I am most excited about finding an old farmhouse with a bit of woodland and planting a garden of old-fashioned flowers and edibles…and most importantly, good reading nooks! :)
That sounds divine!
I LOVE Anne of Green Gables! This little print is so nostalgic.
http://www.kernedtightly@blogspot.com
Love it! What a cool series idea too!
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