Literary Birthday – 28 July – Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter was born 28 July 1866, and died 22 December 1943.

Nine Quotes

1. There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.
2. The shorter and the plainer the better.
3. We cannot stay home all our lives, we must present ourselves to the world and we must look upon it as an adventure.
4. Most people, after one success, are so cringingly afraid of doing less well that they rub all the edge off their subsequent work.
5. I have just made stories to please myself, because I never grew up.
6. I cannot rest, I must draw, however poor the result, and when I have a bad time come over me it is a stronger desire than ever.
7. I hold that a strongly marked personality can influence descendants for generations.
8. I am aware these little books don’t last long even if they are a success.
9. All outward forms of religion are almost useless, and are the causes of endless strife. Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.

For more on Beatrix Potter:

• Read 5 Things Beatrix Potter Can Teach You About Writing

Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She was famous for her children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. After she married at 47, she focused on her personal life, her husband, preserving the natural landscape, and raising sheep.

by Amanda Patterson

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