Lynn Johnston quotes

Lynn Johnston is a renowned Canadian cartoonist, best known as the creator of the beloved comic strip "For Better or For Worse." With a career spanning over four decades, Johnston has captivated readers worldwide with her relatable characters and heartwarming storytelling. Born on May 28, 1947, in Collingwood, Ontario, Johnston's passion for art and humor emerged at an early age. Her comic strip, featuring the engaging Patterson family, debuted in 1979 and quickly gained popularity for its genuine portrayal of everyday family life. It tackled various social issues while consistently providing laughter, tears, and a heartfelt connection to its readers. Lynn Johnston's impressive talent and dedication have garnered numerous awards, including the prestigious Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. To this day, her work continues to touch the lives of millions, reminding us of the enduring power of family, love, and laughter. Discover the rich world of "For Better or For Worse" and Lynn Johnston's exceptional artistic legacy today.

If I was in love with someone, I would get their picture out of the school yearbook and do portraits. If I was curious about sex, I would draw pictures of it. There were no books for me to look at. Then I would go find my father's matches to burn the paper.

- Lynn Johnston

My brother was a great audience, and if he liked the picture, he would laugh and laugh and laugh, and he would want to keep the picture. Making people laugh with an image I had created... what power that was!

- Lynn Johnston

No matter how old you are, there's always something good to look forward to.

- Lynn Johnston

It's taken me a long time to become the person I am, for all the ugliness to fall away. The rotten flesh is gone, and the seed is there. I can touch that now.

- Lynn Johnston

The most profound statements are often said in silence.

- Lynn Johnston

I've had some tremendous adventures, good and bad. It's part of the novel, and a novel isn't interesting if it doesn't have some good and bad. And you don't know what good is if bad hasn't been a part of your life.

- Lynn Johnston

You think about child abuse and you think of a father viciously attacking a daughter or a son, but in my family it was my mother. My mother, I would say, was a... very brutal disciplinarian.

- Lynn Johnston

I know it sounds crazy, but I have had far more connection with my parents after their deaths.

- Lynn Johnston

Mom and Dad would stay in bed on Sunday morning, but the kids would have to go to church.

- Lynn Johnston

But even though all this was going on at home, if someone had tried to take me away and put me in a children's home, I couldn't have handled it. Even though my mother was very brutal, it was my home.

- Lynn Johnston

My mother was a very literate person who had educated herself. She had an exceptional vocabulary.

- Lynn Johnston

In a way, a certain amount of self-criticism is a good thing, because it keeps you humble. Realizing that no matter what success you've achieved, you can still make enemies makes you humble, too.

- Lynn Johnston

I was just so lucky to have a wonderful life after a tough marriage.

- Lynn Johnston

That's what my mother did. And my father was the first person she'd met who treated her kindly. She was terrified of men, and she married a very meek, kind, dear man. And she had the upper hand. She ruled the roost.

- Lynn Johnston

Only a couple of times have I ever been to church and felt enlightened by it.

- Lynn Johnston

Yes, and when I had Aaron, he left me, and I didn't know how to raise a child. And I wasn't close to my parents, and because I was too proud to go to my parents for help, I mistreated that little baby. I didn't want a baby.

- Lynn Johnston

I've always felt that life is a novel, and part of it is written for you, and part of it is written by you. It's up to you to write the ending, ultimately.

- Lynn Johnston

Sure, I've had some bad times, but everybody does. But people don't get to talk about them like I do, unless they do to a therapist. People don't get to put them in the paper like I do.

- Lynn Johnston

I often think you bring unhappiness on yourself, because if you don't like yourself very much, you allow yourself to be influenced by people who reinforce that.

- Lynn Johnston

And my father was a comic. He could play any musical instrument. He loved to perform. He was a wonderfully comedic character. He had the ability to dance and sing and charm and analyze poetry.

- Lynn Johnston

When Kate was born, she was born into a world of joy and happiness and confidence. The difference between the children is night and day. She's happy, she's thriving, she's full of self-confidence. I tell her she's beautiful every day before I send her off to school.

- Lynn Johnston

Complaining is good for you as long as you're not complaining to the person you're complaining about.

- Lynn Johnston

You see, anything I imagined, I could draw.

- Lynn Johnston

I loved the Little Lulu stories, where she would fantasize that her bedroom rug would turn into a pool of water, and she could dive down into the center of the world.

- Lynn Johnston

But I married a guy who treated me very badly, but I was happy. I was miserable, so I was happy.

- Lynn Johnston

People never knew we were poor, but out of that poverty came the most incredible inventions - board games, recipes... we never stopped inventing.

- Lynn Johnston