Quotes from The Mosquito Coast

Paul Theroux ·  384 pages

Rating: (8.2K votes)


“I guessed it was a migratory bird, too innocent to be wary of the spiders in the jungle grass. It worried be to think that we were a little like that bird”
― Paul Theroux, quote from The Mosquito Coast


“And father said "I never wanted this. I'm sick of everyone pretending to be old Dan Beavers in his L. L. Bean moccasins, and his Dubbelwares, and his Japanese bucksaw -- all these fake frontiersmen with their chuck wagons full of Twinkies and Wonderbread and aerosol cheese spread. Get out the Duraflame log and the plastic cracker barrel, Dan, and let's talk self-sufficiency!”
― Paul Theroux, quote from The Mosquito Coast


“Nature is crooked. I wanted right angles and straight lines. Ice! Oh, why do they all drip? You cut yourself opening a can of tuna fish and you die. One puncture in your foot and your life leaks out through your toe. What are they for, moose antlers? Get down on all fours and live. You're protected on your hands and knees. It's either that or wings.”
― Paul Theroux, quote from The Mosquito Coast


“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
― Paul Theroux, quote from The Mosquito Coast


“He used the word savages with affection, as if he liked them a little for it. In his nature was a respect for wildness. He saw it as a personal challenge, something that could be put right with an idea or a machine. He felt he had the answer to most problems, if anyone cared to listen.”
― Paul Theroux, quote from The Mosquito Coast



About the author

Paul Theroux
Born place: in Medford, Massachusetts, The United States
Born date April 10, 1941
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“I'll talk to Mortimer and see what he thinks, and then get back to you tomorrow. In the meantime, you should really get to sleep and get those shared dreams going."
Cale grimaced at the suggestion, and reminded him, "She has a splitting headache, Bricker."
"I thought that was a married woman's complaint?" Bricker responded quickly, and then laughed at his own joke as he hung up.”
― Lynsay Sands, quote from Hungry for You


“That was also why I loved being a summoner—there were rules when dealing with demons. Dealing with humans was never simple or straightforward.”
― Diana Rowland, quote from Mark of the Demon


“nothing feels quite so good as pouring salt in an open wound.”
― Tammy Blackwell, quote from Destiny Binds


“If a woman is worth remembering,' said my grandmother, 'there is no need to have her name carved in letters.”
― Edwidge Danticat, quote from Breath, Eyes, Memory


“Sooner or later everyone was driven to love someone they could never have.”
― Lisa Kleypas, quote from Then Came You


Interesting books

The Hero With a Thousand Faces
(23.2K)
The Hero With a Thou...
by Joseph Campbell
The Eternity Cure
(31.7K)
The Eternity Cure
by Julie Kagawa
The Time Paradox
(68.2K)
The Time Paradox
by Eoin Colfer
Of Love and Other Demons
(43.9K)
Of Love and Other De...
by Gabriel García Márquez
Paradise
(26.8K)
Paradise
by Judith McNaught
Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances
(84.9K)
Let It Snow: Three H...
by John Green

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.