A Spot Of Bother Quotes
"But one could cope with pain. And the endorphins would have kicked in soon enough."
"The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely."
"Talking was, in George’s opinion, overrated."
"It was not a comforting thought but it was something he could do."
"He hoped sincerely that Jean or Katie did not come into the room whilst this was taking place."
"The human mind was not designed for sunbathing and light novels."
"Dying was bad enough without having to make it easier for everyone else."
"The whole business of being human just got messier and more complicated as you got older."
"How did they saunter through their days unaware of this indigestible fact?"
"He was going to die. Maybe not this month. Maybe not this year. But somehow, at some time, in a manner and at a speed very much not of his choosing."
"With blinding clarity he realized that everyone was frolicking in a summer meadow surrounded by a dark and impenetrable forest, waiting for that grim day on which they were dragged into the dark beyond the trees and individually butchered."
"A horrifying image came to mind of Ray patiently soaking up the hate waves over the past eight months, waiting for the moment when he and Jamie were finally alone together."
"He wanted to share his life with Tony. The good stuff and the crap stuff."
"He considered remaking the bed, but hiding the stains seemed worse than leaving them visible."
"He felt like a small child after a long, long day."
"Neither of them moved for a couple of seconds. Then Jean shot across the room at a surprising speed."
"Do you think it might be a good idea if you went to bed?"
"Ray didn’t turn up the following morning. Or the following evening."
"She’d wanted a girl. It seemed ridiculous now."
"Men had that little flashing light on top of their heads. Hello. It’s me. I’m still here."
"She seemed to be standing to one side, watching her life pan out."
"At twenty life was like wrestling an octopus. Every moment mattered."
"I shouldn’t have done that. Running off. It was stupid."
"You’re going to start all over again. But this time she wouldn’t be single and desperate."
"It was bigger than Tony. He was at a crossroads."
"How the hell could you ask someone to love you when you didn’t even like yourself?"
"You didn’t have to sink wells in Burkina Faso. You didn’t have to give away your coffee table. You just had to see things from other people’s point of view."
"He wondered sometimes why in God’s name he did this job."
"He had to stop moaning. He was going to be a good person. And good people didn’t moan."
"I’m afraid I made rather a mess at home. Trying to clean up."
"You love someone, you’ve got to let something go."
"Being good. You didn’t have to sink wells in Burkina Faso. You didn’t have to give away your coffee table. You just had to see things from other people’s point of view. Remember they were human."
"Perhaps that was what he needed. Something to come along and smash his life to pieces. Go back to the village. Look after his father. Learn to be properly human again."
"We spend most of our time on the planet thinking we are going to live forever."
"You got married in spite of your wedding not because of it."
"Eventually you realize that other people’s problems are other people’s problems."
"It’s not a situation I’ve been in very often."
"I would like to propose a toast. To my wonderful daughter, Katie. And to her fine husband, Ray."
"I have absolutely no idea why my father hit David Symmonds."
"It was like being in front of a bar fire, all this warmth being directed their way."