a proper dictionary is a book of spells

--- Jeanette Winterson, in the New York Times, "Jeanette Winterson Owns the Entire Oxford English Dictionary," Sept. 26, 2019, via Jana Luther in episode of RSG's Taaldinge, Oct. 6, 2019

In context

I have the 24-volume hardcover O.E.D. plus supplements. My young friends look astonished: Why not just Google it? But there is so much else in there than simple definition or derivation. To me, a proper dictionary is a book of spells.