Quotes by Markus Zusak

A couple of them were school beauty-queen pretty while a few were that more real-looking type. A realer kind of pretty.

If her soul ever leaks, I want it to land on me.

... none of them had it. They had no qualms about stealing, but they needed to be told. They liked to be told, and Viktor Chemmel liked to be the teller. It was a nice microcosm.

Son, you cant go around painting yourself black, you hear? Why not, Papa? Because theyll take you away. Why? Because you shouldnt want to be like black people or Jewish people or anyone who is...not us. Who are Jewish people? You know my oldest customer, Mr. Kaufmann? Where we bought your shoes? Yes. Well, hes Jewish. I didnt know that. Do you have to pay to be Jewish? Do you need a license? ..... ...youve got beautiful blond hair and big safe blue eyes. You should be happy with that; is that clear?

I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, thats where they begin. Their great skills is their capacity to escalate.

Im just another stupid human.

I dont have much interest in building mystery. Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. Its the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me.

Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.

She was battered and beaten up, and not smiling this time. Liesel could see it on her face. Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from the words. From Liesels words.

Rosa Hubermann was sitting on the edge of the bed with her husbands accordion tied to her chest. Her fingers hovered above the keys. She did not move. She didnt ever appear to be breathing.

Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.

Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.

Disbelief held me down inside my footsteps, making my body heavy but my heart wild.

Because you dont learn anything unless you can find the patience to read. TV takes that away from you. It robs you from your mind.

It feels like spoken words, this bridge. I want it but fear it. God, I want so desperately to reach the other side - just like I want the words. I want my words to build bridges strong enough to walk on. I want them to tower over the world so I can stand up on them and walk to the other side.

... I felt something and vowed that if I ever got a girl I would treat her right and never be bad or dirty to her or hurt her, ever. I vowed it and had all the confidence in the world that I would keep the vow.

Well, have you even tried again? You can’t just sit around waiting for the new world to take it with you. You have to go out and be part of it - despite your past mistakes.

I told her I loved the howling sound of her harmonica. That seemed to be the limit of my courage that night, and even those spoken words had to struggle their way out of my mouth. Its all very well for words to build bridges, but sometimes I think its a matter of knowing when to do it. Knowing when the times right.

Ed? Ritchie says later. Were still standing in the water. Theres only one thing I want.Whats that, Ritchie?His answer is simple.To want.

the threat of Jewish competition was taken away, but so were the Jewish customers