“Memories shrink. Like a soap bar used over and over, they become deformed, weaker scented, too slight and slippery to hold.”

“He'd imagined peacetime would bring him a sense of belonging. During the war it kept him going, that thought of peace. He'd believed in it like a season he knew it would arrive one day”

“Januz feels glad to have her in his arms--his wife, who would do anything to protect their son. This is how she presents herself. Like a soldier who would kill for her country. And her country is their son.”

“The dress means no harm, after all. And it is new. It carries nothing inside it but the possible beginnings of her downfall.”

“Education is like pruning ; it wrecks the natural growth of the tree in favour of a form that is useful to commercial society”

“I count it as an absolute certainty that in paradise, everyone naps. A nap is a perfect pleasure and it's useful, too. It splits the day into two halves, making each half more manageable and enjoyable. How much easier it is to work in the morning if we know we have a nap to look forward to after lunch; and how much more pleasant the late afternoon and evening become after a little sleep. If you know there is a nap to come later in the day, then you can banish forever that terrible sense of doom one feels at 9 A.M. with eight hours of straight toil ahead. Not only that, but a nap can offer a glimpse into a twilight nether world where gods play and dreams happen.”

“Idleness for me is not a giving up on life but a spirited grabbing hold of it.”