Quotes by Chris Cleave

Life took longer to reassemble than it did to blow apart, but that didnt mean it wouldnt be lovely, providing that one remembered to go for country walks, and to tune the wireless to music.

One could always imagine that ones life, though smoldering in parts, might be undamaged in the west.

One could always imagine that ones life, though smoldering parts, might be undamaged in the west. We also serve who live with grace. If there had been more time, or less, it all would have been easier. If its an hour one can say what one likes. If its a year, one can be what one is like. A day is exactly the wrong lenght of time to be oneself in, dont you think? In the end I suppose we lay flowers on a grave because we cannot lay ourselves on it. The dead were filthy, half buried, sometimes barely distinguishable from the mud or the rubble they lay in. One didnt understand, until one had seen a great many bodies, the unconscious effort that one must be making every minute simply to keep ones hands and face and clothes clean. The worlds surfaces were so filthy that the living touched them only with the tips of their fingers and the soles of their shoes. How grubby it was to die, to give up making that effort. Life took longer to reassemble than it did to blow apart, but that didnt mean it wouldnt be lovely, providing that one remembered to go for country walks, and to tune the wireless to music.

In my world death will come chasing. In your world it will start whispering in your ear to destroy yourself. I know this because it started whispering to me when I was in the detention center.

But what good is it to teach a child to count, if you dont show him that he counts for something?

Sorry. But it isn’t for us to change how things are. I’m just an administrator. You’re just a teacher.”“Oh, I hope I don’t teach. Because look what we did: we saved the zoo animals and the nice children and we damned the afflicted and the blacks. You know what I do every day in that classroom? I do everything in my power to make sure those poor souls won’t learn the obvious lesson.”“If I were you,” said Tom, “I should stick to reading, writing and arithmetic.”“But what good is it to teach a child to count, if you don’t show him that he counts for something?

They spoke of small things at first, since it was best, when reattaching threads, to begin with the easiest knots.

People spoke in whispers, as if the war was listening

She knew, now, why her father had not spoken of the last war, nor Alistair of his. It was hardly fair on the living.

I suppose we ought to be getting home, in any case.”“Oh god, is it wartime already?”“Look on the bright side: it’ll be dinner when we get back.

The first problem of war was that no one was any good at it yet.

Her mother set to with the hairbrush again. “But would that be so awful, darling? To be the prettiest thing in Brimscombe-and-Thrupp?”“I should rather die.”“You nearly did.”“Yes, but I tend to blame the Germans.

Then I’m tempted to die just to … spite him.”“That’s the spirit that will win us the war.

There in the sweet sacking smell of the mail bags he understood that he was dying, and it pleased him that he was going in the company of so many soft words home.

Everything can be restored. If one wont believe that, how does one endure all this?

One didnt understand, until one had seen a great many bodies, the unconscious effort that one must be making every minute simply to keep ones hands and face and clothes clean. The worlds surfaces were so filthy that the living touched them only with the tips of their fingers and the soles of their shoes. How grubby it was to die, to give up making that effort.

This helpful war. It makes us better people and then it tries to kill us.

There was less of him now. There was less of them all. Officers and men dragged themselves around in uniforms three sizes too big, new holes punched into every belt, every collar hanging loose. They were a garrison of skinny boys performing a play about soldiers.

Alistair smiled. How long this war has been.Ill say. One hardly remembers how we lived before. Lightly - not worrying much.Do you suppose we shall ever live that way again?Oh, who knows? Given sufficient champagne and ether.Maybe if we stay drunk to the end of our days we shant remember.

I move we get more wine, Alistair said. What does the panel think?...It was obvious that the entire war could be solved in this way. The trick would be to reach for a corkscrew instead, every time some brass hat ordered artillery.