Her consolations were the poetry she knew by heart, and the sound of the sea.

– Hermione Lee, on Penelope Fitzgerald attending the Deerhaddnn School

Homesick? Lonely? Overwhelm? Recite a poem you know by heart. This is the balm, the antidote. The consolation.

If you don’t have a few memorized, begin today. Add them to your quiver. The sound of the sea, if you can get near enough is a bonus.

Lee, Hermione. Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life. United States, Alfred A. Knopf, 2014. pg 35