Quotes from Markus Zusak

As the density subsided, the rollcall of names limped through the ruptured streets, sometimes ending with an ash-filled embrace, or a knelt-down howl of grief. They accumulated, hour by hour, like sweet and sour dreams waiting to happen. The dangers merged into one. Powder and smoke and the gusty flames. The damaged people. Like the rest of the men in the unit, Hans would need to perfect the art of forgetting.

You see, people may tell you that Nazi Germany was built on anti-Semitism, a somewhat overzealous leader and a nation of hate-fed bigots, but it would have all come to nothing had the Germans not loved one particular activity - to burn. The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people and, of course, books.

I don't leave a note. There's nothing else to do. At first, I'd wanted to write Merry Christmas on the box somewhere, but I decide against it. This isn't about words. It's about glowing lights and small things that are big.

People die of broken hearts. They have heart attacks. And it's the heart that hurts most when things go wrong and fall apart.

There was also an acknowledgment that there was great beauty in what she was currently witnessing, and she chose not to disturb it.

Some people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.

In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer—proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water.

Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.

The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle, and I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. Still, they have one thing I envy. Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.

It's all very well for such a person to whine and moan and criticize other family members, but they won't let anyone else do it.

When death captures me," the boy vowed, "he will feel my fist on his face." Personally, I quite like that. Such stupid gallantry. Yes. I like that a lot.

Några år senare skulle han bli en som gav bort bröd, inte stal det - ytterligare bevis på hur motsägelsefull människan är. En nypa godhet. En nypa ondska. Tillsätt vatten och rör om.

How's yours?" inquires Marv soon after. "Or more to the point, what is it?" "Eggs and cheese and something." "Do you even like eggs?" "No." "Then why'd you get it?" "Well, it didn't look like eggs when it was on that other guy's plate." "Fair enough. You want some of mine?

Clay - who was the quiet one, or the smiler - only turned, one last time, and stared across the sunlit district of statues, crosses, and gravestones. They looked like runners-up trophies. Every last one.

You see? Even death has a heart.

It's hard not to like a man who not only notices the colors, but speaks them.

ducking around twisted trees whose fingers are branches spread like cracked ceilings under gray sky.

The impoverished always try to keep moving, as if relocating might help.

As she rode, she tried to tell herself something. / You don't deserve to be this happy, Liesl. You really don't. / Can a person steal happiness? Or is it just another internal, infernal human trick?

Sebbene qualcosa dentro di lei le dicesse che era un delitto (dopo tutto, tre libri erano la sua proprietà più preziosa), era costretta a guardarli andare a fuoco. Non poteva farci nulla. Suppongo che gli uomini amino assistere a un po' di distruzione: castelli di sabbia, castelli di carte, si comincia così. La loro grande dote è la capacità di progredire.

Even Rudy stood completely erect, feigning nonchalance, tensing himself against the tension.

Finally, in October 1945, a man with swampy eyes, feathers of hair, and a clean-shaven face walked into the shop. He approached the counter. "Is there someone here by the name of Liesel Meminger?" "Yes, she's in the back," said Alex. He was hopeful, but he wanted to be sure. "May I ask who is calling on her?" Liesel came out. They hugged and cried and fell to the floor.

One thing I've noticed about the Germans: They seem very fond of pigs.

Duden Dictionary Meaning #2 Verzeihung - Forgiveness: to stop feeling anger, animosity, or resentment.