Authors

Margery Williams

Margery Williams (1881–1944) was an English-American author best known for The Velveteen Rabbit. Her work often explores love, growth, and becoming, themes reflected in the quote, “It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time.”

Quotes: 1

Quotes by Margery Williams

It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. — Margery Williams

Becoming Real Takes Time and Tenderness

Margery Williams’s line from The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) begins with a gentle refusal of sudden change. ‘It doesn’t happen all at once’ suggests that becoming—whether becoming real, mature, or fully oneself—is not an eve...

Created on: 5/15/2026