Quotes from The Declaration

“He said to me that we belonged toghether because he was born with a flower and I was born with a butterfly and that Flower and Butterfly need each other to survive”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“I love you, Anna Covey,' he said, his voice barely audible. And slowly, clumsily, he leant forward, and his lips found hers, and as Anna felt him kiss her awkwardly, she knew that she wasn't a Surplus anymore. And nor was Peter.

Surplus meant unnecessary. Not required.

You couldn't be a Surplus if you were needed by someone else. You couldn't be a Surplus if you were loved.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But there was nothing beautiful about the word "brainwash". To clean the brain. To strip it bare.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Reading and writing were a dangerous business; they made you think.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“...Sometimes her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself furtively asking questions about his life before Grange Hall, pretending as she did so that she wasn't really that interested. The truth was that Peter was a window through which Anna could glimpse the world outside, and the temptation to keep looking was quite overwhelming.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But was falling such a bad thing, she wondered. Was it, perhaps better to see the top of the mountain, even if only for a moment, than never to even try? Or was it that the higher you allow yourself to climb, the further you have to come crashing down to earth?”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Nature is not about preserving old things, but about creating new ones. New life. New ideas.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Everyone would fear her again. And love her, of course. Mrs Pincent needed to be loved as much as wanted to be feared-to her they were two sides of the same coin. Both gave her total control.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“It was his eyes, so challenging and with a piercing look about them. They were eyes that trusted in nothing and they made her uncomfortable around him, self-conscious.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Il dit qu'on est faits l'un pour l'autre, parce qu'il est né avec une fleur et moi un papillon, et que les fleurs et les papillons ont besoin les uns des autres pour survivre.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But each time, nothing was done, because change carried risks, because change led to instability, because new technology meant using precious energy, and because, at the end of the day, no one really cared.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“The snow is not falling for you.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“What does time matter when every moment is stolen anyway?”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“I know that we have to live each moment because we won’t be here for ever, and that I wouldn’t want to be anyway, because knowing something’s going to end makes you appreciate it more, makes you want to savour every moment.
And I know that I won’t sign the Declaration, even if it makes me different, even if it makes me suspicious. Because no one needs to live for ever.
I think that sometimes you can outstay your welcome.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But sometimes they all craved a little bit of danger, of excitement, of meaning, even if only to reinforce how very comfortable and secure their lives really were.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But I do know that the world is the most beautiful place to be and that we're very lucky to be here. I know that we have to live each moment because we won't be here for ever, and that I wouldn't want to be anyway, because knowing something's going to end makes you appreciate it more, makes you want to savour every moment.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“But it was a restless sleep, and throughout the night her dreams were filled with crying children, a woman screaming and a little butterfly, trapped in a cold, grey prison.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Se había puesto a escribir sin pensar. Y una vez empezó se dio cuenta de que no quería parar. Pensamientos y sentimientos que normalmente yacían ocultos tras las preocupaciones y el agotamiento empezaron a aflorar como si les faltara el aire”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Le encantaba aprender palabras y expresiones nuevas, las atesoraba como si fueran objetos preciosos que podría usar cuando eligiera”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“¿Tan malo era caer?, �se preguntó. �¿o era mejor, quizá, alcanzar la cumbre de la montaña, aunque sólo fuera un instante, a ni siquiera intentarlo?”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“Usually she loved to learn new words, treating them as exciting possessions that she could employ as she chose-in her journal, in her conversation-relishing the newness and beauty of each one.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“There's a whole world out there, Anna, a whole world for us to explore.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“It doesn't feel dangerous, it feels exciting, even though they're probably the same thing.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“I vow to serve, to pay my dues
And train myself for Legal use.
I vow to bear the Surplus shame
And repay Nature for the same
I vow to listen, not to speak;
To steel myself when I am weak.
I vow to work and most of all
To serve the State if it should call.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“¿Tan malo era caer?, se preguntó. ¿o era mejor, quizá, alcanzar la cumbre de la montaña, aunque sólo fuera un instante,a ni siquiera intentarlo?”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

“I think flowers can be just as important as food, sometimes. I think id depends what you're hungry for.”
― Gemma Malley, quote from The Declaration

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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.