Machines are the opium of the masses. If all the machines in England were thrown into the North Sea tomorrow, we should be back in the Garden of Eden…

- Helen Cresswell

The only good reason for swimming, so far as I can see, is to escape drowning.

- Helen Cresswell

I got born in the wrong family.

- Helen Cresswell

There are few more frustrating things in life than being told something that you already know but cannot admit to knowing.

- Helen Cresswell

I am an idle devil. But at least I work at it.

- Helen Cresswell

A sense of humor is regarded as a sign of mental health - apart from excessive punning, which is another matter entirely.

- Helen Cresswell