All Alan Bennett Quotes
- One of the hardest things for boys to learn is that a teacher is human. One of the hardest things for a teacher to learn… Boys
- Cloisters, ancient libraries ... I was confusing learning with the smell of cold stone. Ancient
- Sometimes there is no next time, no time-outs, no second chances. Sometimes it’s now or never. Chance
- The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or… All
- Why do we not care to acknowledge them? The cattle, the body count. We still don't like to admit the war was even partly our… Acknowledge
- ... Once I start a book I finish it. That was the way one was brought up. Books, bread and butter, mashed potato - one… Been
- Authors, she soon decided, were probably best met within the pages of their novels, and were as much creatures of the reader's imagination as the… Authors
- It was the kind of library he had only read about in books. Book
- God doesn't do notes, either. Did Jesus Christ say, "Can I be excused the Crucifixion?" No! Christ
- To begin with, it's true, she read with trepidation and some unease. The sheer endlessness of books outfaced her and she had no idea how… Begin
- One recipe for happiness is to have to sense of entitlement.' To this she added a star and noted at the bottom of the page:… Added
- I'm not "happy" but I'm not unhappy about it. Contentment
- To read is to withdraw.To make oneself unavailable. One would feel easier about it if the pursuit inself were less...selfish. Easier
- The days weren't long enough for the reading she wanted to do. Days
- History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. What is history? History is women following behind with the bucket. Behind
- All the effort went into getting there and then I had nothing left. I thought I'd got somewhere, then I found I had to go… All
- Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Discursive
- It's subjunctive history. You know, the subjunctive? The mood used when something may or may not have happened. When it is imagined. Happened
- One reads for pleasure...it is not a public duty. Duty
- [talking about the Holocaust] 'But to put something in context is a step towards saying it can be understood and that it can be explained.… Alters
- Clichés can be quite fun. That's how they got to be clichés. Clich
- I dont know whether you've ever looked into a miner's eyes for any length of time, that is. Because it is the loveliest blue you've… Any
- There are more microbes per person than the entire population of the world. Imagine that. Per person. This means that if the time scale is… Diminished
- If I am doing nothing, I like to be doing nothing to some purpose. That is what leisure means. Leisure
- I always feel over-appreciated but underestimated. Always Feel