I Was Anastasia

“This is how the human heart beats, a twisted staccato of love and envy, anger and relief.”

“As women we are taught that bravery and valor exist in the grand gestures. We believe that kindness is weakness and arrogance is the same as courage. But it is not so. Sometimes restraint proves the mettle of a man’s heart more accurately.”

“Taking a woman by force makes a man no better than the rooster in Tobolsk. It simply makes him an animal.”

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. —SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE”

“The thing Anna has always hated most about being a small woman is the disadvantage she has in situations like this. People assume they can touch you, pat you, shake your hand without permission. They assume that if your size is little more than that of a child, you must be one. That you can be talked down to or coerced. It is hard for a small person to be intimidating or to be taken seriously. This lack of stature has forced Anna to develop other skills through the years: to sharpen her wit, to treat her tongue like a blade and her mind like a whetstone.”

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived, and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. —JOHN F. KENNEDY”

“We can only know that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”

“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. —RUDYARD KIPLING, THE COLLECTED WORKS”

“You are angry with me not because I was desperate and broken and wanted more from my life, but because it was just so easy leading you to water. You wanted to believe that I was Anastasia.”

“As women we are taught that bravery and valor exist in the grand gestures. We believe that kindness is weakness and arrogance is the same as courage. But it is not so. Sometimes restraint proves the mettle of a man's heart more accurately.”

“Overcome with exhaustion and fury, Anna grabs the closest thing she can find and throws it at Prince Frederick.”

“She has been many things through the years, but helpless is not one of them.”

“This is how the human heart beats, a twisted staccato of love and envy, of anger and relief.”

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.—SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE”

“say.” Anna”

“How did I get here?” Anna sighs, already knowing the answer. She has gotten here, she has survived, by always doing the thing that needs to be done.”

“My appointment isn’t until ten o’clock. Can’t a woman take a walk and get breakfast in peace?” “You didn’t leave a note. I was worried.” “You needn’t be.” Frederick gives her a tight-lipped smile of reassurance. And then he tries to distract her. “Dominique bought you a new dress. She sent me to find you. She wants to make sure it fits.”