The Penguin Lessons Quotes
"The key to one of those apartments had kindly been lent to me by the Bellamys, friends of mine who, because it was mid-winter, were not using the apartment themselves."
"Having packed, cleaned and checked the apartment, I decided to take a final walk by the sea before going out for what would be my last supper at the resort."
"The air was full of the cry of gulls, the slap of halyards and the smell of fish, and this little haven of security basked serenely in the bright winter sunlight."
"I could gladly have watched them for much longer, but as the penguins swam out of view, I turned and walked round the promontory to the eastern side and so on to the next breakwater."
"I hadn’t heard any reports of an oil spill in this part of the world but in those days regulations regarding the conduct of oil tankers were less stringent and compliance minimal, so occurrences like this were not uncommon."
"It was events such as these that eventually provoked much-needed change."
"I watched for a short time. Could I walk on and abandon it to the poisonous oil and the exhausting, suffocating tar that would slowly extinguish its life?"
"I suddenly felt a surge of hope kindling for this exception. Could it survive if cleaned? I had to give it a chance, surely?"
"I wrapped my finger in loo paper in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, continually replacing it as the paper became sodden, and held my hand above my head."
"The retaining wall at the edge of the road was about three feet above the beach and, although there were no steps at that point, an outcrop of rocks provided me with a convenient exit."
"He closed his eyes and shook his head rapidly with a shiver of disgust as he pressed his beak down into his chest in a gesture of revulsion."
"No! Take it away, nasty limp thing. I only eat fish!"
"He wiped his beak against his chest, but otherwise didn’t move."
"Didn’t they have any fish in the market then?"
"By Jove, I’m hungry! Come on, chop, chop! I haven’t eaten for days, or have you forgotten?"
"You need to do something about cleaning your bath, you know!"
"_Oh, of course! Silly of me not to guess. So you’ll be back tomorrow for some more then?"
"His Excellency Don Juan Salvador de Pingüino."
"_What a magnificent view you have from here. Oh! You can see all the way to the river."
"Motorbikes are definitely not compatible with explorers who have penguins as travelling companions."
"I had completely forgotten! At least, I think that’s why she phoned. She might have been phoning to make sure I was looking after Juan Salvado properly!"
"I only want things that make me happy. So many people are captivated by things that can never make them happy!"
"Growing older with the people I love makes me happy."
"He was fine, all the time you were away, but then a couple of days ago he didn’t eat anything when I went to feed him. I wasn’t unduly concerned, it was hot and …"
"I thought he might have broken his neck but, after a moment, he gave a vigorous shake in characteristic penguin-fashion and ducked below the surface again."
"It was a bravura performance of aquatic acrobatics, a master class, as he passed within a hair’s breadth of the sides of the pool without so much as brushing against them, let alone suffering another impact."
"It was clear to me now how badly he needed to use those great wing muscles that had been idle too long."
"Juan Salvado alternated his sub-aquatic demonstrations with intervals swimming on the surface, preening himself and splashing about."
"How was it that a penguin brought such comfort and tranquillity to the people whose lives he touched?"
"Should I have left him alone that day in Punta del Este? Should I have left him with his own kind and allowed Nature to finish what humans had unwittingly unleashed?"