Inspiring quotes from English literature.

1. BOOK QUOTES –ENGLISH
GRAHAM GREENE – THE COMEDIANS
ROALD DAHL – KISS KISS
DORIS LESSING – THE GRASS IS SINGING
( ENGLISH LITERATURE)
BOOST YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS BY READING
QUOTES AND PHRASES FROM ENGLISH
LITERARY BOOKS.
By M. van Eijk/MA

2. It’s an inspiring way to learn and
expand your language!
English is spoken as a native language by about 375 million people and as a second language by around
375 million speakers in the world. Speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who
speak it as a first language, according to research by the British Council. These quotes about learning English
can provide comic relief, inspiration or insult to any learner of the English language.
No matter how much confident and successful we are there is a time comes in life when things don't go the
way we want them. At that time, we feel depressed and sad. And we need something that can inspire us and
motivate us to get back to life. We need something that can boost our self confidence to survive through in
our tough times. This is the time when we need Motivational Literary Quotes.

3. GRAHAM GREENE – THE COMEDIANS
“I COULD FEEL THE TIME I HAD LEFT TO
BE ALONE WITH MARTHA DISAPPEARING
LIKE SAND IN AN EGG-TIMER, AND I
COULD ALMOST BELIEVE HE COULD SEE
IT TO.”
"I HAD TOUCHED HIS RAW WOUND.”

4. I GOT THE IMPRESSION JONES WOULD HAVE GOT OUT
ANYWAY, ON HIS OWN STEAM.”
“THE SKY REDDENED OVER HIS SHOULDER AND THE
PALM TREES TURNED BLACK AND DISTINCT.”
“I WAS FRIGHTENED, BUT I WAS MORE FRIGHTENED OF
SHOWING MY FEAR – THAT WOULD UNLEASH HIM. LIKE
A SAVAGE DOG HE WAS SAFER WHILE HE BARKED.”

5. “I ALWAYS FELT THAT MR SMITH AND I HAD A BIT
IN COMMON. HORSES OUT OF THE SAME
STABLE.”

6. “HE HAD BEEN BORN WITH PEACE IN HIS HEART
INSTEAD OF THE SPLINTER OF ICE.”
‘….YOU KNOW HOW THEY TREAT PRISONERS
HERE. SURELY, YOU CAN STRETCH A RULE…’

7. “I FELT MORE AND MORE THAT THE JOB WOULD
NOT COME MY WAY.”
‘IT’S JUST AS SHORT AS IT’S LONG, ISN’T IT?’

8. ROALD DAHL – KISS KISS
“AND HE TURNED AND SAW HIS LANDLADY
SAILING INTO THE ROOM WITH A LARGE SILVER
TEA-TRAY IN HER HANDS. SHE WAS HOLDING IT
WELL OUT IN FRONT OF HER, AND RATHER HIGH
UP, AS THOUGH THE TRAY WERE A PAIR OF RAINS
ON A FRISKY HORSE.”

9. “IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER, THAT’S ME, MR
WEAVER.”
“HOWEVER, LIKE THE FAITHFUL WIFE SHE WAS,
SHE DIDN’T OVERSTAY HER TIME.”

10. “THE HAWTHORN WAS EXPLODING WHITE AND
PINK AND RED AND THE PRIMROSES WERE
GROWING UNDERNEATH IN LITTLE CLUMPS, AND
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.”

11. “AND THERE IT WAS! MR BOGGIS SAW IT AT
ONCE, AND HE STOPPED DEAD IN HIS TRACKS
AND GAVE A LITTLE SHRILL GASP OF SHOCK.”

12. “DOWN BELOW, THE COUNTRYSIDE WAS SPREAD
OUT BEFORE HIM LIKE A HUGE GREEN CARPET.
HE COULD SEE FOR MILES.”

13. “HE FOUND HIMSELF GIGGLING QUITE
UNCONTROLLABLY, AND THERE WAS A FEELING
INSIDE HIM AS THOUGH HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF TINY BUBBLES WERE RISING UP
FROM HIS STOMACH AND BURSTING MERRILY IN
THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.”

14. DORIS LESSING – THE GRASS IS SINGING
“BUT MARY WAS STIFF WITH RESENTMENT,
BECAUSE SHE HAD NOTICED MRS SLATTER
LOOKING KEENLY ROUND THE ROOM, PRICING
EVERY CUSHION, NOTICING THE NEW
WHITEWASH AND THE CURTAINS.”

15.  “HE FELT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN AN INJECTION OF
NEW VIGOUR…”
’LEAVE HER, ‘SAID CHARLIE. ‘SHE’LL COME OFF
HER HIGH HORSE.’
“HER HEART LIFTED AS SHE NEARED THE CLUB.”

16. “FOR A MOMENT THE MAN LOOKED AT HER
WITH AN EXPRESSION THAT TURNED HER
STOMACH LIQUID WITH FEAR.”
“THAT WAS HOW SHE HAD COME TO FEEL.
AND IT WAS BITTER BECAUSE IT WAS
SELF-IMPOSED POVERTY.”

17. “SHE SAW HIM STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE BIG RED LAND, BALANCED AMONG THE
HUGE CLODS, A SPARE, FLY-AWAY FIGURE
WITH HIS BIG FLOPPING HEAD AND LOOSE
CLOTHING, AND WONDERED HOW PEOPLE
CAME TO BE BORN WITHOUT THAT STREAK
OF DETERMINATION, THAT BIT OF IRON THAT
CLAMPED THE PERSONALITY TOGETHER.
DICK WAS SO NICE – SO NICE! SHE SAID TO
HERSELF WEARILY.’

18. ‘You should have thought of that before you
married me,’said Dick, and she blazed into fury
because of his callous injustice.
Or rather, she almost blazed into anger. Her face
went beef-red, her eyes snapped – and than she
subsided again, folding trembling hands over each
other, shutting her eyes.
 ‘

19. ‘I DO SO LIKE IT WHEN THE RAINS COME, SHE
WOULD SAY CONVERSATIONALLY, GIGGLE A
LITTLE, AND RELAPSE SUDDENLY INTO A
BLANK, STARING SILENCE. TONY BEGAN TO
THINK SHE WASN’T QUITE ALL THERE.

20. “BUT HE WAS A LONG WAY OFF, HE DIDN’T
MATTER TO HER: HE WAS LIKE A PERSON ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF A THICK GLASS WALL.”

21. “SHE WAS INSIDE A BUBBLE OF FRESH LIGHT AND
COLOUR, OF BRILLIANT SOUND AND BIRD-SONG.
ALL AROUND THE TREES WERE FILLED WITH
SHRILLING BIRDS, THAT SOUNDED HER OWN
HAPPINESS AND CHORUSED IT TO THE SKY.
AS LIGHT AS A BLOWN FEATHER SHE LEFT THE ROOM.”

22. GRAHAM GREENE – LOSER TAKES ALL
“HIS KINDNESS HAD MEANT NOTHING, A WHIM HAD
FLOWN LIKE A WILD BIRD OVER THE SNOWY WASTE
OF HIS MIND, LEAVING NO TRACK AT ALL.”

23. “I LIKE BEING SOMEWHERE
WITHOUT FOOTPRINTS.”
“I CARRIED A KNIFE IN MY
MIND AND WAITED TO USE IT.”

24. Thanks!
Photos made at “Surae” (Oosterhout,
Holland), 8 April 2015.
Update soon!