“of seatbelts as an opportunity to take up drunk-driving.” — John Lanchester Driving Copy Share Image
The standard personality type for a writer is a shy megalomaniac. — John Lanchester Megalomaniac Copy Share Image
Most people find they have to worry about money; if you don't ever, then in some fundamental way, you are cut off… — John Lanchester Find Copy Share Image
“The artist says to the cosmos: All I ask is infinite love-is that so very wrong? And the cosmos doesn't even bother… — John Lanchester Art Copy Share Image
Is it OK to admit to being slightly obsessed with the TV programme 'Great British Menu?' — John Lanchester Admit Copy Share Image
My mum had this amazing ability to deflect things, and from an early age, I knew what I was not supposed to… — John Lanchester Ability Copy Share Image
'Whoops!' was a spin-off from 'Capital.' I had the research and wanted to place it somewhere. — John Lanchester Capital Copy Share Image
My mother was very proud of being Irish and being a Gunnigan in a straightforward way. — John Lanchester Being Copy Share Image
“He looked as if he he subsisted exclusively on carbohydrates and ill feeling.” — John Lanchester Carbohydrates Copy Share Image
I've always been interested in rootedness - mainly, I suppose, because I had very little experience of it. — John Lanchester Always Copy Share Image
The deconstructed, postmodern pizza has been with us for ages, and the fact is that pretty much every ingredient in the world… — John Lanchester Food Copy Share Image
“Although he too was heading to work, Shahid was glad he wasn't dragging himself off to some office job. Shahid's view: anybody… — John Lanchester Careers Copy Share Image
I have sane friends, solvent friends, foodie friends, and friends who can take time off in the week, but I don't know… — John Lanchester Boxes Copy Share Image
One of the main reasons that the landscape of financial stuff in America is different is that gambling is illegal there. So… — John Lanchester America Copy Share Image
The slogans of globalisation are 'Get on your bike' and 'The world is flat.' People who want to get on have to… — John Lanchester Globalisation Copy Share Image
If we are going to remake society in the image of the fight against terrorism and put that secret fight at the… — John Lanchester Fight Copy Share Image
Money isn't automatically freedom. You need to look carefully at what you're doing to earn the money before you can conclude that… — John Lanchester Free Copy Share Image
The Internet makes writing about restaurants easier and more interesting in quite a few ways, one of the main ones being to… — John Lanchester Being Copy Share Image
It can be a way of knowledge, a path, an inspiration, a Tao, an ordering, a memory, a fantasy, a seduction, a… — John Lanchester Breaths Copy Share Image
Somebody told me ... that he overheard a banker's wife saying her husband was working for free this year-this was 2009. What… — John Lanchester Bankers Copy Share Image
It has been a masterful fight-back by the big banks. We the paying public can't do anything much except admit defeat and… — John Lanchester Accurate Copy Share Image
“In all memory there is a degree of fallenness; we are all exiles from our own pasts, just as, on looking up… — John Lanchester Books Copy Share Image
“On the opposite wall was a Damien Hirst spot painting, bought by Arabella after a decent bonus season. Roger's considered view of… — John Lanchester Art Copy Share Image
“He had a simple maxim for all competitive or adversarial situations: work out what the other party least wants you to do,… — John Lanchester Adversaries Copy Share Image
“And now here was Arabella, making him feel worse. Maybe that was what she always did; maybe she always made him feel… — John Lanchester Marriage Copy Share Image
It doesn't thrill me to bits that the state has to use the tools of electronic surveillance to keep us safe, but… — John Lanchester Common good Copy Share Image
“It seemed too as if many of the people were on display, behaving as if they expected to be looked at, as… — John Lanchester Costumes Copy Share Image
“What was going on here was something Smitty had seen before: a young person’s first real farewell to the world of school… — John Lanchester Whole world Copy Share Image
“But the thing which had made him fall for her, fall properly, was the way she seemed so calm and so quiet… — John Lanchester Calmness Copy Share Image
“The idea of luxury, even the word "luxury," was important to Arabella. Luxury meant something that was by definition overpriced, but was… — John Lanchester Expensiveness Copy Share Image
“That was the main thing wrong with Mrs. Kamal. She spent such an extraordinary amount of mental energy feeling irritated that it… — John Lanchester Anger Copy Share Image
“Arabella was good at making life seem easy, except when she suddenly and dramatically wasn't.” — John Lanchester Ease Copy Share Image
In a democracy, people tend to get the kind of government they deserve. — John Lanchester Democracy Copy Share Image
France and Britain have large culinary differences, but one thing they do share is a relatively low tolerance for modernist cooking. — John Lanchester Cooking Copy Share Image
I think 'community,' in the sense in which politicians use, it is largely a cant term. — John Lanchester Community Copy Share Image
