“Before he had come to the town he had known about nothing but death: here he had learnt to live, to decide things for himself…he had learnt the sound of laughter that was free from cruelty; he had learnt the meaning of beauty”
“Violence and cruelty were just a stupid person’s way of making himself felt because it was easier to use your hands to strike a blow than to use your brain to find a logical and just solution to a problem.”
“David thought living in a house was very difficult. It was not the house itself--that was lovely to be in - but the people. What was so difficult about them was that they constantly seemed to expect him to say and do things he would never have thought of, and what appeared sensible and natural to him seemed to surprise them...”
“David thought that if a ray of light from the sun could have made a drop of water speak, its voice would have been like the clearest notes of the violin.”
“All suffering has an end, David, if only you wait long enough. Sorrow has its life like people. Sorrow is born and lives and dies. And when it’s dead and gone, someone’s left behind to remember it. Exactly like people.”
“For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration camps, but then he reminded himself of the sailor and Angelo and the English people who might have been ignorant but were certainly not bad.”
“Politeness is something you owe other people, because when you show a little courtesy, everything becomes easier and better. But first and foremost, it’s something you owe yourself. You are David.”