Quotes by Elizabeth Peters

• "[Sir Arthur Conan] Doyle had lived into the twentieth century, but he was a Victorian at heart; and when he babbled on about the bloom of childhood, he really meant virginity. It was an old theme in folklore. Only a virgin could catch a unicorn. Witches often lost their powers after sexual intercourse. And only an innocent child could see the fairies. Just another example of the value men placed on that wholly meaningless physical feature. Women knew better; but in most periods of history they soon learned to pretend that it was equally important to them. If they didn't, their husbands and brothers and fathers beat the tar out of them." --The Love Talker, Chapter 5 (p.108)