“If I had a nervous breakdown every time something awful happened in the world, I'd be crazier than a shithouse rat.”

“I'd have a nervous breakdown except that I've been through this too many times to be nervous.”

“Something, or something awful or something wonderful was certain to happen on every day in this part of Africa.”

“In all my life I'd never been approached this way, the car pulling up, the Where you going? It was something I wish had happened hundreds of times. I was a looker - someone who looked over at every car at every traffic light, hoping something would happen, and almost never finding anyone looking back - always everyone looking forwards, and every time I felt stupid. Why should people look at you? Why should they care?”

“If you want to give the devil a nervous breakdown, just get up every day and see how much good you can do.”

“How do you know? How best to ensure his nervous breakdown?" I ask."Keep going," Christian says. "Just go on as if nothing has happened. We all hate that.”