"We have a marvelous combination of male and female within us, and part of maturing is learning to balance these two components so they are the most fertile. It is only then that we are able to make creative choices and to understand that we do indeed have choices... When we believe the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things." ~ Madeleine L'Engle
A believer in possibilities, American writer Madeleine L'Engle Camp (1918-2007) was born in New York City and is best known for her science fiction and fantasy novels for young readers.
"I wrote my first story when I was five, and I have been writing since," she said.
Over 20 publishers rejected her novel A Wrinkle in Time (1962). L'engle persevered. Eventually, the popular story of three children who rescue their scientist father in a perilous quest through space was published and awarded the prestigious American Library Association's 1963 Newberry Medal.
"Oh, there are a lot of Megs running around the country," L'Engle said of her famous lead character. "And there are a lot of nonconformists around, sort of coming out from under the covers."
By creating characters that were remarkable in nontraditional, seemingly unrecognizable ways, L'Engle's novels celebrated the overwhelming power of goodness and love. "Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it," she once said. Her words have inspired others to grow in life's endless possibilities.
"In our dreams we are able to fly... and that is a remembering of how we were meant to be," she said.
More L'ENGLE Quotations
