There are many sadnesses in the hearts of men who are far away from their countries.
They are a bit small for me, Mma, she confessed. I think you were right. But I felt great happiness when I wore them, and I shall always remember that. They are such beautiful shoes. Mma Ramotswe laug...
Irene gasped. Have you taken leave of your senses, Stuart? she hissed. Have you?Stuart closed his eyes.No, he said. Au contraire. It was strong language for the Edinburgh New Town, but he had to say i...
What do the Texans say? All hat, no cattle.
Our stomachs live in towns," said Mma Potokwani, patting the front of her dress. 'That is where the work is. Our stomachs know that. But our hearts are usually somewhere else.
Human history seems to me to be one long story of people sweeping down—or up, I suppose—replacing other people in the process.
She remembered love, though, and a feeling of warmth. It was like remembering light, or the glow that sometimes persists after a light has gone out.
Every man has a map in his heart of his own country and that the heart will never allow you to forget this map. (p. 18)
A moral dilemma is equally absorbing whether the stakes are the destiny of nations or the happiness of one or two people - at the most.
It was not edifying to dwell on the failings of others.
Do you realise that people die of boredom in London suburbs? It's the second biggest cause of death amongs the English in general. Sheer boredom...
Regular maps have few surprises: their contour lines reveal where the Andes are, and are reasonably clear. More precious, though, are the unpublished maps we make ourselves, of our city, our place, ou...
She knew that she had a tendency to allow her mind to wander, but surely that's what made the world interesting. One thought led to another, one memory triggered another. How dull it would be, she tho...
It was easy, terribly easy, to become with time a middle-aged spinster with a sharp tongue. She would have to guard against this.
Putting Mr. Polopetsi in charge of the investigation is like putting a rabbit in charge of the airport.
There was a great deal of progress being made, right under their noses, particularly in Africa, and this progress was good. Life was much harder for tyrants than it had been before.
The juvenile adage Never kiss and tell had a sound moral instinct behind it.
It was a voice that you felt you had to listen to—or you ignored at your peril.
…one of the coasts of a country that was a lifeboat, and that lifeboat was under siege by people who wanted to be taken on board. She thought to the southern shores of Italy and the boats that came up...
The reunion, she decided, was an unnecessary and stressful complication to life. We did not need to reheat cold dishes from the past.