Quotes from The Changeover

“It changes you for ever, but you are changing for ever anyway.”
― Margaret Mahy, quote from The Changeover

“There are always two people involved in cruelty, aren't there? One to be vicious and someone to suffer! And what's the use of getting rid of - of wickedness, say - in the outside world if you let it creep back into things from inside you?”
― Margaret Mahy, quote from The Changeover

“Stamp, your name is to be Laura. I'm sharing my name with you. I'm putting my power into you and you must do my work. Don't listen to anyone but me. You are to be my command laid on my enemy. you'll make a hole in him through which he'll drip away until he runs dry. As he drips out darkness, we'll smile together, me inside, you outside. We'll crush him between our smiles.”
― Margaret Mahy, quote from The Changeover

“These were true things, Laura knew, but they were only part of the truth which was something less orderly than Kate made it sound. Some parts of the full, disorderly truth were lodged in Kate and Laura like splinters of corroding steel. Their feelings had grown around the sharp, wounding edges which didn't hurt anymore but were still there, fossils of pain laid down in the mixed-up strata of memory.”
― Margaret Mahy, quote from The Changeover

“Somewhere int he flesh of the earth the dreadful earthquake shuddered, the tide walked to and fro on the leash of the moon, rainbows formed, winds swept the sky like giant brooms piling up clouds before them, clouds which writhed into different shapes, melted into rain or darkened, bruised themselves against an unseen antagonist and went on their way, laced with forking rivers of lightning, complete with white electric tributaries. Out of this infinite vision an infinity of details could be drawn, but Sonny had settled on one, and from the endless series a particular beach was chosen and began to form around Laura - a beach of iron-dark sand and shells like frail stars, and a wonderful wide sea that stretched, neither green nor blue, but inked by the approach of night into violet and black, wrinkling with its own salty puzzles, right out to a distant, pure horizon.”
― Margaret Mahy, quote from The Changeover

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Popular quotes

“You think he's a genius?" she said, raising her eyebrows. The high Vor twit? "I don't know him quite well enough, yet. But I suspect so, a part of the time." "Can you be a genius part of the time?" "All the geniuses I ever met were so just part of the time. To qualify, you only have to be great once, you know. Once when it matters. Ah, dessert. My, this is splendid!" He applied himself happily to a large chocolate confection with whipped cream and more pecans.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, quote from Komarr

“Кой запали този пожар? Кой изравни със земята тези овошки? Кой разстреля тези братя, които през целия си живо са се смели? Кой уби сарпанча? Кой счупи пръстите му? Кой счупи пръстите му? Кой счупи ръцете му? Кой счупи древния му врат? Кой окова тези мъже? Кой направи така, че мъжете да изчезнат? Кой разстреля тези момчета? Кой разстреля тези момичета? Кой събори тази къща? Кой събори онази къща? Кой събори тази къща? Кой събори онази къща? Кой уби този младеж? Кой удари по главата тази старица? Кой наръга тази леля? Кой разби носа на онзи човек? Кой разби сърцето на онова младо момиче? Кой уби този влюбен? Кой застреля годеницата му? Кой изгори костюмите? Кой натроши мечовете? Кой изгори библиотеката? Кой опожари шафрановото поле? Кой изколи животните? Кой изгори кошерите? Кой отрови оризищата? Кой уби децата? Кой бичува родителите? Кой изнасили онази жена с мързеливо око, докато тя крещеше за змийска отмъстителност? Кой изнасили онази жена отново? Кой изнасили онази жена отново? Кой изнасили онази жена отново? Кой изнасили онази мъртва жена? Кой изнасили онази мъртва жена отново?”
― Salman Rushdie, quote from Shalimar the Clown

“I am convinced that when Nietzsche came to Switzerland and went insane, it was not because of venereal disease, though he did have this disease. Rather, it was because he understood that insanity was the only philosophic answer if the infinite-personal God does not exist.”
― Francis A. Schaeffer, quote from How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture

“Olgun?, she asked, her tone again little more than a
breath.
"Dogs?"
A pause, an answer.
"Ah. And do you think you should maybe do something
about that?"
Self-satisfied gloating.
"You already did." It wasn't a question.
Another affirmative.
Widdershins sighed.
"I hope you didn't hurt them."
Olgun sent a flash of horror running through her, so strong
that she felt herself shudder.
"All right, I'm sorry!, she hissed. I know you like dogs. I
know you wouldn't hurt them! I wasn't thinking!"
The god sniffed haughtily.”
― quote from Thief's Covenant

“I would browse for half an hour or so in the secondhand bookstores in the neighborhood. Owning my own 'library' was my only materialistic ambition; in fact, trying to decide which two of these thousands of books to buy that week, I would frequently get so excited that by the time the purchase was accomplished I had to make use of the bookseller's toilet facilities. I don't believe that either microbe or laxative has ever affected me so strongly as the discovery that I was all at once the owner of a slightly soiled copy of Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity in the original English edition.”
― Philip Roth, quote from My Life as a Man

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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.

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.