3 Of Anne Shirley’s Wisest Quotes That We’ll Never Forget
L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series is one of the most beloved and most quotable collections of books in the canon of children’s classic literature. Many of the delightful quotes come from the spirited, red-haired heroine, Anne (with an “E”!) Shirley.
Anne possesses a wonderful mix of old-soul wisdom and child-like wonder and imagination. She’s a deep thinker and a deep feeler, guileless and full of mirth and mischief. Her personality and her adventures produce many insights about life.
From the plethora of pearls to be found in these stories, here are three memorable and intelligent quotes, delivered by Anne herself, in the first book, Anne of Green Gables.
01 | “I’m well in body although considerably rumpled in spirit.”
What a relatable declaration! Anne describes herself this way when she and Marilla (by whom she’s recently been adopted) visit their neighbors, the Barrys, in order for Anne to meet their little girl, Diana.
Anne is so nervous because she’s never had a real friend, due to her shuffling around between homes before her adoption. She’s desperately anxious for Diana to be a “kindred spirit” and a “bosom friend” and is therefore “rumpled in spirit.”
Anne’s ability not to shy away from her feelings is one of her most endearing qualities. She’s an open book, and in Anne-style, she expresses herself in creative and often dramatic ways, like at another time when she describes herself as in the “depths of despair.”
We would do well to follow Anne’s example of candidness and honesty and not allow ourselves to bottle up our emotions — though we need not always express ourselves as dramatically as Anne.
02 | “Saying one’s prayers isn’t exactly the same thing as praying.”
Anne unknowingly hits on a noteworthy spiritual truth when she shares this opinion. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the French Carmelite nun and Roman Catholic saint writes, “For me, prayer means launching out from the heart toward God; a cry of grateful love from the crest of joy or the trough of despair.” Sounds a bit like Anne, doesn’t it?
Anne speaks of going into a big field, gazing into the sky, and “feeling a prayer.” Though we may not always feel prayerful, these sentiments from a fictional character and a real-life saint remind us that prayer should be more than rote recitation. It should be an honest, unabashed, and open-hearted conversation with God.
03 | “Dear old world. You are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”
Anne revels in the beauty of nature, the change of seasons, and the life all around her. The flowers and the trees and the water are her friends. She gives them names like the Snow Queen, the Dryad’s Bubble, the Lake of Shining Waters, and Violet Vale.
Anne’s simple and charming expressions of love for nature and the world remind us of the sheer joy of living. She shows us that it’s nourishment for the soul to take time to relish the loveliness and goodness in the world and in the gift of being alive.
The Biblical Book of Wisdom states that the imprint of God, “the original source of beauty,” is in nature, and His “imperishable spirit is in all things.” (Wisdom 13:3, 11:26)
Perhaps this closeness of God is what Anne feels when she finds friendship and communion in the natural world around her. In fact, she says, “The world looks like something God had just imaged for his own pleasure, doesn’t it?”
In short…
Anne Shirley’s timeless wisdom, jubilant spirit, and dramatic creativity will hopefully never cease to be a source of both laughter and reflection for generations to come.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into Anne’s story and its relation to a life of faith, I recommend Rachel Dodge’s Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits.
