Quotes from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Some people wake up drowsy. Some people wake up energized. I wake up dead.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“the biggest risk is to take no risk. or to take crazy risks.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“The Bible just said ‘Thou shalt not kill’, then told hundreds of stories of people killing each other and becoming heroes, like David with Goliath.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Why did people call it Hell?" I wondered. [...] No place was Hell, no place could be Hell. It's the people calling it Hell, that's the only thing that made it so. People just sticking names on places, so that no one could see those places properly anymore. [...]

No, Hell wasn't anything to do with place, Hell was all to do with people. Maybe Hell was people.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“We believed we were safe. That was the big fantasy.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“People just sticking names on places, so that no one could see those places properly any more. Every time they looked at them or thought about them the the first thing they saw was a huge big sign saying 'Housing Commission' or 'private school' or 'church' or 'mosque' or 'synagogue'. They stopped looking once they saw those signs.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“We'd thought that we were among the first humans to invade this basin, but humans had invaded everything, everywhere. They didn't have to walk into a place to invade it.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“At that age you think boys have as much personality as coat hangers and, you don't notice their looks.
Then you grow up.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Name three types of olives."

"Olives! I wouldn't know one type!"

"Well, there are three. You can get green ones, you can get black ones, or you can get stuffed.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“It all began when... they're funny, those words. Everyone uses them, without thinking what they mean. When does anything begin? With everyone it begins when you're born. Or before that, when your parents got married. Or before that, when your parents were born. Or when your ancestors colonised the place. Or when humans came squishing out of the mud and slime, dropped off their flippers and fins, and started to walk. But all the same, all that aside, for what's happened to us there was quite a definite beginning”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“A few people would suffer, but a lot of people would be better off.'
'It's just not right,' said Kevin stubbornly.
'Maybe not. But neither's your way of looking at it. There doesn't have to be a right side and a wrong side. both sides can be right, or both sides can be wrong...”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“The biggest risk, is to take no risks”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“In the midst of death we are in life”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“So, that was Nature's way. The mosquito felt pain and panic but the dragonfly knew nothing of cruelty. Humans would call it evil, the big dragonfly destroying the mosquito and ignoring the little insects suffering. Yet humans hated mosquitoes too, calling them vicious and bloodthirsty. All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“We'll never feel safe again, and so it's bye-bye innocence. It's been nice knowing you, but you're gone now.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“I felt that my life was permanently damaged, that I could never be normal again, that the rest of my life would just be a shell.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“They say teenagers can sleep all day. I often used to look at dogs and be amazed by the way they seemed to sleep for twenty hours a day. But I envied them too. It was the kind of lifestyle I could relate to.

We didn't sleep for twenty hours, but we gave it our best shot.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“He carried Hell with him, as we all did, like a little load on our backs that we hardly noticed most of the time, or like a huge great hump of suffering that bent us over with its weight.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Chris says his father was born on the corner of straight and narrow...”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“It’s terribly, terribly important recording what we’ve done, in words, on paper, it’s got to be our way of telling ourselves that we mean something, that we matter. That the things we’ve done have made a difference. I don’t know how big a difference, but a difference. Writing it down means we might be remembered. And by God that matters to us. None of us wants to end up as a pile of dead white bones, unnoticed, unknown, and worst of all, with no one knowing or appreciating the risks we’ve run.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“In this life of froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Homer was so used to being told off in his life that you might as well have told a rock off for being sedimentary,”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

“Human laws, moral laws, religious laws, they seemed artificial and basic, almost childlike.”
― John Marsden, quote from Tomorrow, When the War Began

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Popular quotes

“I hoped what little dinner I'd eaten wasn't something my new baby-rich body didn't like. I didn't want to throw up all over the bad guys, or then again maybe I did. It would certainly be distracting.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, quote from Divine Misdemeanors

“Lara, are you alright?" Keir asked, still seething.

"I'm fine, belov—"

"As if you really care!" Antas stood, and walked over to face Keir. "You, who have dallied with another, even as your so-called warprize attempts to claim you."

Dallied? Did that mean what I thought it meant? I flushed, and then went cold at the idea that Keir would turn to another while—

"Lower your hood, and show all how true you are to the one you would bond with." Antas pointed at Keir. "Do it now, warrior."

There was absolute silence in the tent as Keir glared at Antas. But then his expression changed slightly, and his eyes crinkled in silent humor. Keir lifted his hands and lowered his hood to reveal a small purplish bruise on his neck. A love bite.

Oh Goddess above. I blushed bright red, heat flooding my face. My love bite.

Keir arched an eyebrow as the Elders reacted to the sight.

Antas, however, was nearly foaming at the mouth. "You see? You see? He has broken faith with this Xyian even before she—"

It took everything I had to say the words aloud before the entire Council of Elders. "I put that there."

"Eh?" Antas twisted to face me.

I drew a deep breath, and raised my voice. "That is my mark on his neck."

As the group reacted to that, my blush deepened, if that was possible. Then I made the mistake of looking at Keir, and had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from laughing. He looked so smug.

Simus was under no such handicap. He was howling with mirth.

Antas was scowling, as were Essa and Wild Winds. "How so?" Antas snapped. "You have been kept apart from—"

"Her bath." Amyu spoke. "It had to be during her bath."

I looked over my shoulder to see that she was none too happy either. I turned back to face the Elders. "It was in my bath," I admitted. "Keir snuck in to see me."

As one, the Eldest turned to glare at Keir.

Keir shrugged.

Simus laughed and slapped him on the back. "The skies favor the bold."

Antas paused as a ripple of laughter swept the room again. "So you talked to Keir, despite our rules, despite our—"

"We didn't waste time talking," I snapped right back, glaring at him. Then I realized what I'd announced to the room, and blushed bright red.

"HEYLA!" Simus shouted. "Truly, the attraction between Warlord and Warprize is as the heat of the summer!”
― Elizabeth Vaughan, quote from Warlord

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“God gave us crying so other folks could see when we needed help, and help us.”
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