“It is quite possible for a work of literature to operate as a war machine upon its epoch.”

“The idea that war can ever bring freedom is quite possibly the greatest deception that mankind has ever forced upon himself.”

“There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.”

“...our enjoyment of the great works of literature depends more upon the depth of our sympathy than upon our understanding.”

“Coincidences happen, but I've come to believe they are actually quite rare. Something is at work, okay? Somewhere in the universe (or behind it), a great machine is ticking and turning its fabulous gears.”

“Mr. McGregor's a nasty piece of work, isn't he? Quite the Darth Vader of children's literature.”