List of Frank McCourt Quotes

When I Act Tough They Listen Politely Till The Spasm Passes. They Know.

I Know That Big People Don't Like Questions From Children. They Can Ask All The Questions They Like, How's School? Are You A Good Boy? Did You Say Your Prayers? But If You Ask Them Did They Say Their Prayers You Might Be Hit On The Head.

And, Of Course, They've Always Condemned Dancing. You Know, You Might Touch A Member Of The Opposite Sex. And You Might Get Excited And You Might Do Something Natural.

Just Let Them Sit In The Goddam Sun. But The World Won't Let Them Because There's Nothing More Dangerous Than Letting Old Farts Sit In The Sun. They Might Be Thinking. Same Thing With Kids. Keep 'em Busy Or They Might Start Thinking.

There's Nothing Sillier In The World Than A Teacher Telling You Don't Do It After You Already Did It.

They All Went Into The Bar Business. Which Was A Mistake, Because They Began To Sip At The Merchandise And It Set Them Back, Set Us All Back. Well, Them More Than I.

There Were Positive Things About The Church, That Is, In The European Cultural Sense, The Architecture, The Liturgy, The Music, The Art, Such As It Was, The Stations Of The Cross In The Church, The Tradition, And The Atmosphere Of Awe And Mystery In The Mass. The Atmosphere Of Miracle, One Of Mainly Mystery, That's What Fascinates Me.

My Childhood Here... Was Very Limited. So It Was A Long, Long Time Before I Actually Went Out To Brooklyn.

I Can't Go Back. The Past Won't Go Away In This Family.

There’s No Use Saying Anything In The Schoolyard Because There’s Always Someone With An Answer And There’s Nothing You Can Do But Punch Them In The Nose And If You Were To Punch Everyone Who Has An Answer You’d Be Punching Morning Noon And Night.

I'm Not One Of Those James Joyce Intellectuals Who Can Stand Back And Look At The Whole Edifice... It Was A Slow Process For Me To Just Crawl Out Of It, Like A Snake Leaving His Skin Behind.

Teacher? I Never Dreamed I Could Rise So High In The World