“Considering he was neither priest nor scholar, the young man gave sensible, thoughtful replies -- the more so, perhaps, for being untrained, for he had not learned what he should believe or should not believe. Present a statement to him… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
“The next day was a dream of such perfection that I have never approached the like again. It was, of course, all illusion, but I like to think of it still in isolation from what came after,as a moment of bliss, one of those days when on is no longer oneself, but becomes bigger, and better, able to overcome the… — Iain Pears Copy Share
And a more foolish notion can scarcely be imagined, it being obvious that the reader is only informed of what the writer wishes him… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
I learned that I' have to be detached if I was ever to achieve anything at all. — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
“And here was the moment. The end of it all, for civilization was merely another name for friendship, and friendship was coming to an… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
When all this is over, people will try to blame the Germans alone, and the Germans will try to blame the Nazis alone, and the Nazis will try to blame Hitler alone. They will make him bear the sins of the world. But it's not true. You suspected what was happening, and so did I. It was already too late… — Iain Pears Copy Share
“Considering he was neither priest nor scholar, the young man gave sensible, thoughtful replies -- the more so, perhaps, for being untrained, for he… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
“Felix had gone to live in a lotus land of his imagination. Where what is desired is dreamed of as already happened, where obstacles… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
In my small way, I preserved and catalogued, and dipped into the vast ocean of learning that awaited, knowing all the time that the life of one man was insufficient for even the smallest part of the wonders that lay within. It is cruel that we are granted the desire to know, but denied the time to do so properly.… — Iain Pears Copy Share
“Aunt Gertie could not tell the difference between 1928 and now. Uncle Joseph was dead and alive. In other words, she grasped the essential non-existence of time. Generally speaking, our minds impose an entirely artificial order on the world. It is the only way that such an inadequate instrument as our brain can function. It cannot deal with the complexity… — Iain Pears Copy Share
“I cannot remember a single painting, although I do remember trying hard to be deeply impressed by them at the time.” — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
“It was, for the time being, an empty threat, and he must have sensed it also, for he laughed easily and with contempt. “You… — Iain Pears Copy Share Image
