“I know what’s required. It’s perfectly simple: Justice.”
― Alan Bennett, quote from The Lady In The Van
“Good nature, or what is often considered as such, is the most selfish of all virtues: it is nine times out of ten mere indolence of disposition. William Hazlitt, ‘On the Knowledge of Character’ (1822)”
― Alan Bennett, quote from The Lady In The Van
“One seldom was able to do her a good turn without some thoughts of strangulation.”
― Alan Bennett, quote from The Lady In The Van
“Miss S. bevorzugte das pathetische Wort ‚land’ gegenüber dem üblichen ‚country’. ‚This land …’ In diesem Sinne gebraucht, ist es zwar nicht direkt die Sprache des Wahnsinns, aber doch der Besessenheit. Zeugen Jehovas sprechen ständig von ‚this land’, ebenso die National Front. Land ist gleich country plus Vorsehung – ein Land im Angesicht Gottes. Auch Mrs. Thatcher sagt ‚this land’.”
― Alan Bennett, quote from The Lady In The Van
“May 1976. I have had some manure delivered for the garden and, since the manure heap is not far from the van, Miss S. is concerned that people passing might think the smell is coming from there. She wants me to put a notice on the gate to the effect that the smell is the manure, not her. I say no, without adding, as I could, that the manure actually smells much nicer.
I am working in the garden when Miss B., the social worker, comes with a boxful of clothes.
Miss S. is reluctant to open the van door, as she is listening to 'Any Answers', but eventually she slides on her bottom to the door of the van and examines the clothes. She is unimpressed.
MISS S.: I only asked for one coat.
MISS B.: Well, I brought three just in case you wanted a change.
MISS S.: I haven't got room for three. Besides, I was planning to wash this coat in the near future. That makes four.
MISS B.: This is my old nursing mac.
MISS S.: I have a mac. Besides, green doesn't suit me. Have you got the stick?
MISS B.: No. That's being sent down. It made to be made specially.
MISS S.: Will it be long enough?
MISS B.: Yes. It's a special stick.
MISS S.: I don't want a special stick. I want an ordinary stick. Does it have a rubber thing on?”
― Alan Bennett, quote from The Lady In The Van
Alan Bennett
Born place: in Leeds, Yorkshire, The United Kingdom
Born date May 9, 1934
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“Shane smise di ballare e si spostò leggermente per guardare Jimmy in faccia. Prese il suo viso tra le mani. “Rattlesnake è casa tua. Penso che tu lo sappia già questo. Ma credo sia anche giunta l’ora di diventare il proprietario di una casa vera e propria; in realtà vale per tutti e due.”
Jimmy alla fine fece la cosa che si era ripromesso di non fare mai, ma quella promessa era stata una bugia, e anche stupida. Scoppiò a piangere.
Continuarono a ballare, e Jimmy macchiò il cappotto di Shane di lacrime, e Shane fece lo stesso con il suo; Johnny Cash continuava a cantare attraverso il piccolo altoparlante. Jimmy pensò che gli sarebbe piaciuto avere un murale nel salotto tra un paio di solide librerie. Ovviamente avrebbe raffigurato un serpente a sonagli.
Tutto era cominciato con un uomo solo negli ampi spazi del deserto, alla guida di una Escort decrepita con un morto sul sedile passeggero. Però la storia era diventata quella di due uomini vivi che danzavano, pronti a mettere su casa insieme. E Jimmy era certo che la fine fosse ancora parecchio lontana.”
― Kim Fielding, quote from Rattlesnake
“I'm trying to close the door. I have closed that door. That's why I want to leave," I protested.
"No, honey. That's not deciding, that's running. Just like you did last night when you got scared. Choosing and then living with the consequences, that's what deciding really is.”
― J.D. Horn, quote from The Line
“When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months.”
― Henry David Thoreau, quote from Walden and other writings
“One of the grubby truths about a loss is that you don't just mourn the dead person, you mourn the person you got to be when the lost one was alive. This loss might even be what affects you the most.”
― Meghan O'Rourke, quote from The Long Goodbye
“I want to have hope, I can’t help it, but I’m almost afraid to,” Serafina”
― Jennifer Donnelly, quote from Rogue Wave
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The Last Full Measur...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.
