“A statue of the book thief stood in the courtyard... it's very rare, don't you think, for a statue to appear before it's subject has become famous?”
This quote from Markus Zusak's The Book Thief beautifully captures the paradox of recognition and destiny. The imagery of a statue erected before its subject is famous suggests an anticipation of greatness, hinting at the protagonist’s future significance despite current obscurity. It emphasizes themes of legacy and the impact one individual can have, even if not immediately recognized by society. The idea challenges traditional notions of fame and honor, proposing that sometimes, true value and heroism are acknowledged in advance—whether through fate, belief, or inner greatness—rather than through public acclaim.
“The book thief has struck for the first time – the beginning of an illustrious career.”
“How about a kiss, Saumensch?"He stood waist-deep in the water for a few moments longer before climbing out and handing her the book. His pants clung to him, and he did not stop walking. In truth, I think he was afraid. Rudy Steiner was scared of the book thief's kiss. He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them.”
“One was a book thief. The other stole the sky.”
“She slid a book from the shelf and sat with it on the floor.She tore a page from the book and ripped it in half. Then a chapter.Soon, there was nothing but scraps of words lttered between her legs and all around her. The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be ant of this.What good were the words?The book thief stood and waled carefully to the library door.”
“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”
“Summer came. For the books thief, everything was going nicely. For me, the sky was the color of Jews. ”