Quotations: "Gaudy Night"

Some of my favorite quotations of all times ...

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"I have the most ill-regulated memory. It does those things which it ought not to do and leaves undone the things it ought to have done. But it has not yet gone on strike altogether." pp64

"One First of April, the question had arrived from Paris in a single Latin sentence, starting off dispiritedly. 'Num ...?' -- a particle which notoriously 'expects the answer No.' Harriet, rummaging the Grammar book for 'polite negatives,' replied, still more briefly, 'Benigne.'" pp 65

"'however. Should you catalogue me as a heart or a brain?' / 'Nobody,' said Harriet, 'could deny your brain.' / 'Who deniges of it? And you may deny my heart, but I'm damned if you shall deny its existence.' / 'You argue like an Elizabethan wit -- two meanings under one word.' / 'It was your word. You will have to deny something, if you intend to be like Caesar's sacrifice.' / 'Caesar's ... ?' / 'A beast without a heart. Has your napkin gone again?'" pp 68

"'Peter, you don't seriously think --' / 'I avoid serious thought like the plague.'" pp 414

"... Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul? ... Look! one poor warrior hiding behind the coal-scuttle -- remnant of a mighty army.' / He held up the solitary red pawn, smiling; and then scrambled hurriedly to his feet. / 'My dear girl, don't cry about it. What the hell does it mater?' / 'I loved them,' said Harriet, 'and you gave them to me.' / He shook his head. / 'It's a pity it's that way round "You gave them to me, and I loved them" is all right, but "I loved them and you gave them to me" is irreparable. Fifty thousand rocs' eggs won't supply their place. "The Virgin's gone and I am gone; she's gone, she's gone and what shall I do?" But you needn't weep over the chest of drawers while I have a shoulder at your disposal, need you?'" pp 440

"'He's aging rapidly. I should think he'd nearly got to the sixties by now. With beautiful, golden side whiskers. I really think you ought to rescue him before his bones start to creak and the spiders spin webs over his eyes.' / 'You and your uncle,' said Harriet,' should be set to turn phrases for a living.' pp 466