“ Sobering to think how one accursed night of baccarat can alter a man's social standing so irreversibly. David Mitchell
“ So Wise Man summ'ned Crow an' say-soed him these words: Fly across the crazed'n'jiffyin' ocean to the Mighty Volcano, an' on it's foresty slopes, find a long stick. Pick up that stick in your beak an'… David Mitchell
“ Six feet directly beneath his seat is a suitcase in the baggage hold containing enough C-4 to turn an airplane into a meteor. David Mitchell
“ Regret' implies a freely chosen, but erroneous, action; free will plays no part in my story. David Mitchell
“ Preemptive strike,' said Huw, 'must mean not declaring war until your cameras are in position. David Mitchell
“ Persuasion is not about force; it's about showing a person a door, and making him or her desperate to open it. David Mitchell
“ People are masks, with masks under those masks, and masks under those, and down you go. David Mitchell
“ One can spot a fellow musician in any context, even amongst policemen. The craziest-eyed, unruliest-haired one, either hungry-skinny or jovial-portly. David Mitchell
“ Once any tyranny becomes accepted as ordinary, according to Veronica, its victory is assured. David Mitchell
“ On an impulse he cannot explain, he buys himself a one-way ticket - and the evening of that very same day finds him wandering the streets of the old colonial quarter of the Colombian town. Girls in lo… David Mitchell
“ Oh, aging is ruddy unbearable! The I's we were yearn to breathe the world's air again, but can they ever break out from these calcified cocoons? David Mitchell
“ Now, lucky you can say, ‘Not standing up to him is giving him permission,’ but if you’ve been fed this diet since the year dot, there is no standing up. Victims aren’t cowards. Outsiders, like, they n… David Mitchell
“ My in-ear Babelfish provides synopses of the passages rather than a running translation, but now and then the interpreter confesses, I’m sorry, but I have no idea what he just said. I’m not sure the a… David Mitchell
“ Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most. She could not understand it. She could not begin t… David Mitchell
“ Mother used to say escape is never further than the nearest book. Well, Mumsy, no, not really. Your beloved large-print sagas of rags, riches, and heartbreak were no camouflage against the miseries tr… David Mitchell
“ Me había equivocado de estrategia desde el primer movimiento. Había tratado de salir de aquel absurdo a grito pelado, pero una vez internado eso es imposible. Los negreros reciben con los brazos abier… David Mitchell
“ Marinus is leaning on the railing. Warehouse number six needs rebuilding; there's a big hole in the seawall behind the guild; Constable Kosugi shall probably--from Seawall Lane comes an almighty sigh… David Mitchell
“ Linda shares her packet of Custard Creams with me, and Marion says Picking is hungry work in her bunged up voice, and I say, Yeah, it is, Marion, and Marion's really happy, and I wish her life could b… David Mitchell
