“I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.' He moved his fingers gently on my temples. 'It's to keep what is in here healthy. PE for the head. And the… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
Algebra messed up one of those divisions between things that help you make sense of the world and keep it tidy. Letters make words; figures make numbers. They had no business getting tangled up together. — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“You do not win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making sure that some poor bastard dies for… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“Unfortunately, however, weapons of mass destruction tend to attract maniacs: men - it's almost always men - who want to jab the red button… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“Boredom had not been among the dangers that the SOE had prepared him for. No pompous little officer had stood in front of his… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“Wagstaff was a trim little man in a dark-blue uniform with an armband embroidered with the words CIVIL DEFENSE. "Thank you, Headmaster, and good… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“Let me tell you something. When there is a penalty kick, most people think that the penalty taker is in control. But they are… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“Sprawled, bloody, holding the pistol, he looked like a police photograph of a suicide. Dart went back to his chair and picked up the… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.' He moved his fingers gently on… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
“It still, after all these years, puts frost into my blood to remember that men like LeMay and Powers had their fingers so close… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
Sentimentality and nostalgia are closely related. Kissing cousins. I have no time for nostalgia, though. Nostalgics believe the past is nicer than the present.… — Mal Peet Copy Share Image
