Quotes about tea

„Any musician who says he is playing better either on tea, the needle, or when he is juiced, is a plain, straight liar. When I get too much to drink, I can't even finger well, let alone play decent ideas. … You can miss the most important years of your life, the years of possible creation.“

—  Charlie Parker American jazz saxophonist and composer 1920 - 1955

As quoted in Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz As Told by the Men Who Made It (1955) edited by by Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff, p. 379

„I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side…"

()“

—  Sting English musician 1951

Source: Nothing Like the Sun

„The telling of a story, like virtually everything in this life, was always made all the easier by a cup of tea.“

—  Alexander McCall Smith, book The Miracle at Speedy Motors

Source: The Miracle at Speedy Motors

„Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervous sensibilities … will always be the favourite beverage of the intellectual.“

—  Thomas De Quincey, book Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1822-1856)

„There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.“

—  Henry James, book The Portrait of a Lady

Source: The Portrait of a Lady

„If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.“

—  William Ewart Gladstone British Liberal politician and prime minister of the United Kingdom 1809 - 1898

„Women are like tea bags. You never know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.“

—  Eleanor Roosevelt American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States 1884 - 1962

Another quote often attributed to her without an original source in her writings, as in The Wit and Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt (1996), p. 199. But once again archivists have not been able to find the quote in any of her writings, see the comment from Ralph Keyes in The Quote Verifier above.
A very similar remark was attributed to Nancy Reagan, in The Observer (29 March 1981): "A woman is like a teabag — only in hot water do you realize how strong she is."
Variants:
A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.
A woman is like a tea bag, you can not tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.
A woman is like a tea bag; you can't tell how strong she is and how much to trust her until you put her in hot water.
Disputed

„You can't get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.“

—  Clive Staples Lewis Christian apologist, novelist, and Medievalist 1898 - 1963

As quoted in Of This and Other Worlds (1982) by Walter Hooper, Preface, p. 9

„No matter how much makeup I wore, people just kept saying "Yes, sir! Would you like tea with that, sir?" "Yes, I would like tea. Why don't you put it on my breasts?" "Certainly. Tea for this man's breasts! Anything else, sir?"“

—  Eddie Izzard British stand-up comedian, actor and writer 1962

Sexie (2003)

„"Summon him forth," instructed the Will. "Let justice be meted out. There is much to do, you know, Arthur."
"You'd think we could 'ave a cup of tea and biscuit first," muttered Suzy.“

—  Garth Nix Australian fantasy writer 1963

Source: The Keys to the Kingdom series, Mister Monday (2003), p. 392.

„Someone's killed 100,000 people. We're almost going, "Well done! You killed 100,000 people? You must get up very early in the morning! I can't even get down the gym. Your diary must look odd: 'Get up in the morning, death, death, death, death, death, death, death – lunch – death, death, death – afternoon tea – death, death, death – quick shower …' "“

—  Eddie Izzard British stand-up comedian, actor and writer 1962

Dress to Kill (1998)

„I saw the Fall of Troy! World War Five! I was pushing boxes at the Boston Tea Party! Now I'm gonna die in a dungeon…. [disgustedly] in Cardiff!“

—  Russell T. Davies Screenwriter, former executive producer of Doctor Who 1963

„There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands,
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.“

—  T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915)

„I love tea. Mmmm. I know I'm getting old because I'm startin' get excited about tea. Just sitting in the loungeroom bored ya no. Somebody goes "You want a cup of tea?" and I go "Oar he hor." Start feeling a little bit depressed when it gets to the bottom, I think to myself I'll just make myself another cup, I can feel happy again.“

—  Carl Barron Australian comedian 1964

„I am looking forward
to become humus myself
buried naked without coffin
under a beech tree planted by myself
on my land in ao tea roa. p6“

—  Friedensreich Hundertwasser Austrian artist 1928 - 2000

Island of Lost Desires (1980)

„Oh, when I was a little Ghost,
A merry time had we!
Each seated on his favourite post,
We chumped and chawed the buttered toast
They gave us for our tea.“

—  Lewis Carroll English writer, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer 1832 - 1898

Canto 4, "Hys Nouryture"
Phantasmagoria (1869)

„Already an old man, he [Samuel Johnson] ventured on his Highland tour; and his heart, bound with triple brass, did not recoil before twenty-seven individual cups of tea.“

—  Robert Louis Stevenson Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer 1850 - 1894

314.
Aes Triplex (1878)

„James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great care of his mother
Though he was only three.
James James said to his mother
Mother he said, said he:
You mustn't go down to the end of the town if you don't go down with me.
James James Morrison's Mother
Put on a golden gown.
James James Morrison's Mother
Went to the end of the town
James James Morrison's Mother
Said to herself, said she:
I can go right down to the end of the town and be back in time for tea!“

—  A.A. Milne, book When We Were Very Young

When We Were Very Young (1924)

„Well, you won't get me with your Belladonna — in the coffee,
And you won't get me with your aresenic — in the pot of tea,
And you won't get me in a hole to rot — with your hemlock
On the rocks.“

—  Kate Bush British recording artist; singer, songwriter, musician and record producer 1958

Song lyrics, Lionheart (1978)