Jodi Taylor · 332 pages
Rating: (15.5K votes)
“Thinking carefully is something that happens to other people”
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
“If this was one of those books, there would now be three pages of head-banging sex. The reality was that he pulled me close, whispered, ‘Mfhbnnntx,’ and I pulled his arm over me like a cover and muttered, ‘Trout,’ and that was pretty much it.”
“Silence holds no fears for me. I never feel the urge to fill it as so many other people do.”
“The screaming redoubled. You put dinosaurs and people together, you always get screaming.”
“Exchange between Leon and Max:
"I just want you to tell me you love me sometimes."
"Yes, you see I can't do that." He turned his head away. "I love you all the time.”
“I certainly wasn’t where I should be and it would be the cautious, the sensible thing to do. But, for God’s sake, I was an historian and cautious and sensible were things that happened to other people. I”
“The Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings was the official body whose task it was to oversee repairs and maintenance to our beloved but battered listed building. We had them on speed-dial. They had us on their black list.”
“If in doubt, make some tea.”
“He had fallen for Cal like a sperm-whale failing to clear the Grand Canyon on a bicycle.”
“Yes, yes, I did. I did this. I locked my pod. He couldn’t get to safety.”
“Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt.”
“He was calm and soothing and had a reasonable explanation for everything. No woman should have to put up with that.”
“If this was one of those books, there would now be three pages of head-banging sex. The”
“I spoke very quietly because the more quietly you speak, the more people listen.”
“Time is important in our organisation. If you can’t even get to an appointment in your own building on time, they argue, you’re not going to have much luck trying to find the Battle of Hastings. Sussman”
“working on a recipe for pitch here and I need some sort of fibrous binding agent. I have to say,”
“Mr Markham, the box marked “Sex” is not an invitation. Please amend the details and apologise to Mrs Partridge.”
“You’re really not fit to be allowed out on your own, are you?’ ‘So, what’s the damage?’ ‘How do you want it? From head to toe? Alphabetically? Chronologically?’ ‘Surprise me.’ ‘Well, your feet are holding up well.’ ‘Glad to hear it. I’ll be on my way then.”
“Strangely, I found the conclusion quite liberating. When you’re fucked, you’re fucked. Things really can’t get much worse. With”
“I saw the exact moment the light left his eyes and he died and a small part of me went with him.”
“The pay is terrible and the conditions are worse, but it’s a wonderful place to work – they have some talented people there.”
“So. Tell me, little wolf. Do you want to punish those who have wronged you?”
“Check out the magic crap.” He shot me a look. “Oh, is that what we’re supposed to be doing? Because I’ve just been drawing hearts and our initials in the dirt.”
“When all was over, they buried the dead ancestor under piles of dirt, grass, leaves, or snow. Mammoths were even known to bury other dead animals, including humans.”
“I am in love with you', I responded.
He laughed the most beguiling and gentle laugh.
'Of course you are,' he replied. 'I understand perfectly because I'm in love with myself. The fact that I'm not transfixed in front of the nearest mirror takes a great deal of self-control.'
It was my turn to laugh.”
“A person is nothing but his image. Philosophers can tell us that it doesn't matter what the world thinks of us, that nothing matters but what we really are. But philosophers don't understand anything. As long as we live with other people, we are only what other people consider us to be. Thinking about how others see us and trying to make our image as attractive as possible is considered a kind of dissembling or cheating. But does there exist another kind of direct contact between my self and their selves except through the mediation of the eyes? Can we possibly imagine love without anxiously following our image in the mind of the beloved? When we are no longer interested in how we are seen by the person we love, it means we no longer love.”
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