To mark World Book Day, the Her.ie team have gathered together their favourite quotes. From Alice in Wonderland to The Great Gatsby, there's some gems in here...
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”
Liz says: If you haven’t read this book, before I say anything, give yourself the gift of this man’s writing. It’s beautiful, and smart and breaks your heart while you laugh through tears. This quote is all about Leisel, who is learning all new kinds of love. Childhood friendships, a changing relationship with parents and the first inkling of a real romance are new to her. I think I love this quote because it’s timeless. It doesn’t matter how old you are – love is real and it’s very scary. It can catch you off guard, break you in two and be the same thing that glues you back together.
Leisel has her world turned upside down from war, death and general life hardships, and now she has to learn to trust and be open with another person again. I think we’ve all known the scary prospect of being vulnerable, and Zusak sums it up in one line.
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Mad Hatter: "Have I gone mad?"
Alice: "I'm afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are.”
Mary says:
The classic tale of
Alice in Wonderland is one that captures your imagination from a young age, but continues to teach you something with each passing year. A book so full of heart with a story that enchants, the plot meanders through the fantasy world that Alice discovers on falling through a rabbit hole.
Playing with logic and perhaps one of the best examples of the nonsense genre, the book is a fascinating adventure that brings you down a different path to new discoveries every time you read it. The quote above has to be one of my favourites in literature as not only does it bring me back to those first tentative days as a child turning the pages, but it is something that holds true as time goes on – all the best people are a little bit bonkers.
Oh, The Places You'll Go - Dr. Suess
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
Michelle says: I'm highly aggrieved that Mary beat me to this, as she has selected both my favourite book and quote ahead of me. So, I'll turn to another classic penned for children. (I read books aimed at adults too, I swear.)
The simplistic style of Dr. Suess' books only serves, to my mind at least, to reinforce the life lessons that for whatever reason we all need to learn more than once. It's very easy to become caught up in a situation and fail to see a way out, but at the end of the day you have those "brains in your head and feet in your shoes" and you can always change the direction. In a very grown-up world, that's an important one to remember.
Heart Of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
“The mind of man is capable of anything--because everything is in it, all the past as well as the future.”
Marie says: I first came across this novella when I was at college and something about it has stayed with me ever since. It's not an easy read but the language is absolutely beautiful and the book explores racism, colonialism and the human condition through the lens of the author's travels in Africa.
Heart Of Darkness looks at the nature and limitations of man and I like this quote because it's quite a double-edged sword. It can be interpreted either as optimistic or foreboding, depending on the reader.
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.”
Rebecca says:
The Great Gatsby is one of those classics that never gets old. It is regarded as the Great American Novel and quite rightly so. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures the essence of the Roaring Twenties in a way that’s both seductive and tragic, dreamlike and nightmarish. It’s the perfect paradox.
The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is kind of the same. He’s brilliant but flawed. You root for him despite the fact that he is striving for something which isn’t real (something which I think everyone can relate to in some sense). To an extent he lives in a world that isn’t real surrounded by people who have no sense of what’s really going on around them.
It might sound incredibly sad but it’s actually strangely beautiful.
Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian
“I can’t read, Mister Tom.” “I know that,” he replied shortly, “but I can, after yer Bible.”
Cathy says: I first read this book when I was ten and it has stayed with me since. No matter how many times I re-read it, the relationship between Will and Mister Tom is one that will always touch me.
It's an emotional read for Will has been through a terrible time and we only find out how bad things were for him as the book goes on.
There are a number of things that happen along the way but Will does come out the other side a stronger person and it's just a beautiful story with a poignant message.
The above quote is a short one but it shows how Tom gradually began to soften as he got to know Will and wanted to do his very best for him.
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Mad Hatter: "Have I gone mad?"
Alice: "I'm afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are.”
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.”
