Quotes from Johnno

David Malouf ·  256 pages

Rating: (723 votes)


“Brisbane is so sleepy, so slatternly, so sprawlingly unlovely… It is simply the most ordinary place in the world…It was so shabby and makeshift … a place where poetry could never occur.”
― David Malouf, quote from Johnno


“Still the fact remains, he had me hooked. As he had, of course, from the beginning. I had been writing my book about Johnno from the moment we met.”
― David Malouf, quote from Johnno


“I might grow old in Brisbane, but I would never grow up.”
― David Malouf, quote from Johnno


“The hundred possibilities a situation contains may be more significant than the occurrence of any of them, and metaphor truer in the long run than fact.”
― David Malouf, quote from Johnno


“Now as I began to sort through his “effects” it occurred to me how little I had really known him … I had forced upon my father the character that fitted most easily with my image of myself; to have had to admit to any complexity in him would have compromised my own.”
― David Malouf, quote from Johnno



About the author

David Malouf
Born place: in Brisbane, Australia
Born date March 20, 1934
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Popular quotes

“يا للفظاعة. حفنة من الاغبياء، يضربون و يخنقون و يسحقون ليحموا سلطانهم المشؤوم على الشعب. ان الوحشية تزداد، و القسوة تغدو شريعة الوجود فتأملي. ان بعضهم يضرب، و ينطلق من قيده كالوحوش مطمئنا إلى فجوره. انهم مصابون بظمأ الى التعذيب شهواني، مصابون بذلك الداء الكريه، داء العبيد الذين يباح لهم أن يظهروا غرائزهم المنحطة، و عاداتهم البهيمية؛ بكل ما فيهم من قوة. اما الاخرون فشهوة الثأر تسممهم، انهم يصبحون، و قد اخبلتهم الضربات، بكما و عميانا، لقد افسد الشعب، الشعب بكامله.”
― Maxim Gorky, quote from Mother


“Now that was a kiss,” Grandma Frida said from the doorway behind me.

I jumped. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough. That man means business.”

All my words tried to come out at once. “I don’t . . . what . . . asshole! . . . screw himself for all I care!”

“Aww, young love, so passionate,” Grandma said. “I’m going to buy you a subscription to Brides magazine. You should start shopping for dresses.”
― Ilona Andrews, quote from Burn for Me


“I don't actually live here," Reggie said.
"Who does live here then?"
"Ms. MacDonald, except that she doesn't because she's dead. Everyone's dead."
"I'm not," Jackson said. "You're not.”
― Kate Atkinson, quote from When Will There Be Good News?


“But privately when things got very bad I often looked into books to see whether I could find some helpful words, and one day I read, “The forgiveness of sins is perpetual and righteousness first is not required.”
― Saul Bellow, quote from Henderson the Rain King


“You don't seem to understand me,' she said. 'The last thing I want is to start over. You can't wake up something that's dead and buried.”
― Erick Setiawan, quote from Of Bees and Mist


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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

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