Quotes from Old Filth

“If you've not been loved as a child, you don't know how to love a child.”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

“Present us with a silver cup for something when you're a filthy rich lawyer, I dare say? Yes. You'll be a lawyer. Magnificent memory. Sense of logic, no imagination and no brains.”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

“She wanted to take his hand. Her hardest task now as she grew older in the Ministry was to deal with her longing to be touched - hugged, stroked by anyone, any human being - a friend, a lover, a child or even (and here she scented danger) a servant. Of either sex. She prayed about it, asking that God's encircling arms would bring comfort. They did not”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

“Judges live with shadows behind them.”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

“His colleagues at the Bar called him Filth, but not out of irony. It was because he was considered to be the source of the old joke, Failed In London Try Hong Kong. It was said that he had fled the London Bar, very young, very poor, on a sudden whim just after the War, and had done magnificently well in Hong Kong from the start. Being a modest man, they said, he had called himself a parvenu, a fraud, a carefree spirit.
Filth in fact was no great maker of jokes, was not at all modest about his work and seldom, except in great extremity, went in for whims. He was loved, however, admired, laughed at kindly and still much discussed many years after retirement.”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

“The landing stage stood on its high crooked stilts with only one person watching the boat disappear round the bend of the river—a girl of twelve called Ada, the wet-nurse’s eldest child. As”
― Jane Gardam, quote from Old Filth

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Popular quotes

“You talk crazy any more and I'll leave.
Leave. For Christ's sake leave.
She would not take her eyes from the dry wash. All right.
Don't, he would say then. Don't.
Why do you say those things. Why do you fight.
He would sit on the bed and put his head in his hands. To find out if you're alive.”
― Joan Didion, quote from Play It as It Lays

“Тогава започна да дялка маска. Бавно, извънредно бавно се оформи едно красиво лице с извити вежди и пълни чувствени устни. Гладката леко усмихната маска лежеше до леглото и татко дълго я гледаше. По-късно една нощ се събудихме от трясък и сърдити викове. Втурнахме се и го заварихме насред стаята, облегнат на тежкия дървен бюст на мама. Трески от строшената маска бяха разпилени навсякъде по пода. В продължение на няколко секунди той ни гледа сякаш не ни позна, после се разрида и се свлече безпомощно на пода.”
― Rani Manicka, quote from The Rice Mother

“I will torture you for a human eternity, during which time you will beg me for death by an Opus 24/24, or an ax, or a thousand snakebites. I can see the future, Daniel, and I am looking forward to it, every excruciating second of your murder and dismembedment. Isn't that a wonderful English word, dis-member-ment?”
― James Patterson, quote from The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

“That was the second thing—understanding what Mrs. Granger had said.”
― Andrew Clements, quote from Frindle

“He can't hear you." Alex sighs. "You aren't the sharpest sheep in the barn, are you?"

"That's not even the right metaphor," I snap, my attention still focused on Richie. "It's the sharpest pencil in the box."

"Right." Alex nods. "Except you are a sheep. I'm not stupid, I just adjusted the metaphor to fit your persona-"

"Oh, shut up. Richie!" I scream again. Alex shakes his head.”
― quote from Between

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About BookQuoters

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.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.