Saki Quotes

British writer

Saki (18 December 1870 – 13 November 1916) was the pen name of British author Hector Hugh Munro, whose witty and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture.

From: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Birth Name: Hector Hugh Munro

Alternative Names: H. H. Munro

From Wikidata (CC0)

It occurred to me that I would like to be a poet. The chief qualification, I understand is that you must be born. Well, I hunted up my birth certificate, and found that I was all right on that score.

Reginald closed his eyes with the elaborate weariness of one who has rather nice eyelashes and thinks it useless to conceal the fact.

Women and elephants never forget an injury.

The cook was a good cook, as cooks go; and as cooks go she went.

Madame was not best pleased at being contradicted on a professional matter, and when Madame lost her temper you usually found it afterwards in the bill.

Children are given us to discourage our better emotions.

The revenge of an elder sister may be long in coming, but, like a South-Eastern express, it arrives in its own good time.

Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people.

And they tried to rag me in the smoking room about not being able to hit a bird at five yards, a sort of bovine ragging that suggested cows buzzing round a gadfly and thinking they were teasing it. So I got up the next morning at early dawn – I know it was dawn, because there were lark-noises in the sky, and the grass looked as if it had been left out all night.

I think she must have been very strictly brought up, she's so desperately anxious to do the wrong thing correctly.

I always say beauty is only sin deep.

And like every woman who has ever preached repentance to unregenerate youth, she dwelt on the sin of an empty life, which always seems so much more scandalous in the country, where people rise early to see if a new strawberry has happened during the night.

Reginald, in his way, was a pioneer. None of the rest of his family had anything approaching Titian hair or a sense of humour, and they used primroses as a table decoration. It follows that they never understood Reginald, who came down late to breakfast, and nibbled toast, and said disrespectful things about the universe. The family ate porridge, and believed in everything, even the weather forecast.

And the sleeper, eye unlidding,
Heard a voice for ever bidding
Much farewell to Dolly Gray;
Turning weary on his truckle-
Bed he heard the honey-suckle
Lauded in apiarian lay.

Mother, may I go and maffick, Tear around and hinder traffic?