Phyllis McGinley

A mother's hardest to forgive. Life is the fruit she longs to hand you Ripe on a plate. And while you live, Relentlessly she understands you.

— Phyllis McGinley

Children are forced to live very rapidly in order to live at all. They are given only a few years in which to learn hundreds of thousands of things about life and the planet and themselves.

— Phyllis McGinley

Compromise if not the spice of life is its solidity.

— Phyllis McGinley

Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity. It is what makes nations great and marriages happy

— Phyllis McGinley

For the wonderful thing about saints is that they were human. They lost their tempers got angry scolded God were egotistical or testy or impatient in their turns made mistakes and regretted them. Still they went on doggedly blundering toward heaven.

— Phyllis McGinley

God know that a mother need fortitude and courage and tolerance and flexibility and patience and firmness and nearly every other brave aspect of the human soul.

— Phyllis McGinley

It's this no-nonsense side of women that is pleasant to deal with. They are the real sportsmen.

— Phyllis McGinley

Nothing fails like success nothing is so defeated as yesterday's triumphant cause.

— Phyllis McGinley

Not reading poetry amounts to a national pastime here.

— Phyllis McGinley

Of one thing I am certain, the body is not the measure of healing, peace is the measure.

— Phyllis McGinley