Famous Quotes & Sayings

Markus Zusak Quotes & Sayings

Enjoy the top 100 famous quotes, sayings and quotations by Markus Zusak.

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Famous Quotes By Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1818881

I had many boxing matches with my brother in the backyard when we were younger, and I guess while other people abhor boxing for its brutality, I also have to admire anyone who climbs into the ring to face up to what could be the ultimate defeat. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 138976

I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1404864

After another ten minutes, the gates of thievery would open just a crack, and Liesel Meminger would widen them a little further and squeeze through.
***TWO QUESTIONS***
Would the gates shut behind her?
Or would they have the goodwill to let her back out?
As Liesel would discover, a good thief requires many things.
Stealth. Nerve. Speed.
More important than any of those things, however, was one final requirement.
Luck.
Actually.
Forget the ten minutes.
The gates open now. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 905824

Big things are often just little things that people notice. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 540366

Mistakes, mistakes, it's all I seem capable of at times. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2147427

Could she smell my breath? Could she hear my cursed circular heart beat revolving like the crime it is in my deathly chest? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1349310

Fingers touch the pages. They turn me. I continue on. I always do. All is big. The — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 133112

As she watched all of this, Liesel was certain that these were the poorest souls alive. That's what she wrote about them ... Some looked appealingly at those who had come to observe their humiliation, this prelude to their deaths. Others pleaded for someone, anyone to step forward and catch them in their arms.
No one did. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1766474

Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. No one can play like you. I'll never drink champagne. No one can play like you.
-Liesel — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 285982

They'd been standing like that for thirty seconds of forever. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1750673

The city was dark except for the building lights that seemed to appear like sores - like bandaids had been ripped off to expose the city's skin. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2253842

Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out. More of them have already found their way to other places. This one was sent out by the breath of an accordion, the odd taste of champagne in summer, and the art of promise-keeping. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1647279

Tradition can be a dirty word, especially around Christmas. Families all over the globe get together and enjoy each other's company for all of a few minutes. For an hour, they endure each other. After that, they just manage to stomach each other. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1082482

I could smell something. Fear.
I could taste it now.
It tasted like blood in my mouth, and I could feel it slide through me and open me up when I saw him ... — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1364970

There are so many moments to remember and sometimes I think that maybe we're not really people at all. Maybe moments are what we are ... Sometimes I just survive. But sometimes I stand on the rooftop of my existence, arms stretched out, begging for more. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1397829

Sometimes I imagined how everything looked above those clouds, knowing without question that the sun was blond, and the endless atmosphere was a giant blue eye — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1836156

And they would all smile at the beauty of destruction. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2087100

She was holding desperately on to the words that had saved her life. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1144460

Want me, I beg, but nothing comes. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1710936

Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 111090

I was always reading books when I should have been doing math and the rest of it. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1902488

* * *THE FILES OF RECOLLECTION* * *
Oh, yes, I definitely remember him
The sky was murky and deep like quicksand.
There was a young man parceled up in barbed wire,
like a giant crown of thorns. I untangled him and carried him
out. High above the earth, we sank together,
to our knees. It was just another day, 1918. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 530747

They're strange, those wars.
Full of blood and violence - but full of stories that are equally difficult to fanthom. "It's true," people will mutter. "I don't care if you don't belive me. It was the fox who saved my life" or, "They died on either side of me and I was left standing there, the only one without a bullet between my eyes. Why me? Why me and not them? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1225513

A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 471232

I guess that's the beauty of books. When they finish they don't really finish. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1956729

My voice is like a rumour. I'm not sure if it came out or not, or if it is true. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 492843

The point is, it didn't really matter what the book was about. It was what it meant that was important. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1006620

To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly: "Get it done, get it done." So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more. Often, — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 639656

I like the idea that every page in every book can have a gem on it. It's probably what I love most about writing - that words can be used in a way that's like a child playing in a sandpit, rearranging things, swapping them around. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1051146

All four of us were young and undaunted and our smiles were so strong that it made me smile even then on the couch, with a kind of loss. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1716520

He was the second snowman to be melting away before her eyes, only this one was different. It was a paradox. The colder he became, the more he melted. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 655673

The nightmares arrived like they always did, much like the best player in the opposition when you've heard rumors that he might be injured or sick-but there he is, warming up with the rest of them, ready to take the field. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1137587

There was also a rumor that later in the day, she walked fully clothed into the Amper River and said something very strange.
Something about a kiss.
Something about a Saumensch.
How many times did she have to say goodbye? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 141122

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. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 262926

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

Markus Zusak Quotes 1743867

The paper landed on the table, but the news was stapled to his chest. A tattoo. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1758241

Now he turned on to the side street, making his way to number thirty-three, resisting the urge to smile, resisting the urge to sob or even imagine the safety that might be awaiting him. He reminded himself that this was no time for hope. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1757428

It could be worse. I could be you. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 227413

See, Cameron. The only things I care about in this life are me, you, Mum, Dad, Steve and Sarah. And maybe Miffy. The rest of the world means nothing to me. The rest of the world can rot.'
Am I like that too?'
You? No way.' There's a slight gap in his words. 'And that's your problem. You care about everything.'
He's right.
I do. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1732372

They were all placed on a conveyor belt and run through a rampant machine that gave them a lifetime in ten minutes. Words were fed into them. Time disappeared and they now knew everything they needed to know. They were hypnotized. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 274682

When death tells a story yo really have to listen — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1685158

Personally, I think sex should be like math.
At school.
No one really cares if they're crap at math. They even proclaim it. They'll say to anyone, "Yeah, I don't mind science and English, but I'm absolutely shithouse at math." And other people will laugh and say,"Yeah, me too. I would have a clue about all that logarithm shit. You should be able to say that about sex too.
You should be proudly able to say, "Yeah I wouldn't have a clue about all that orgasm shit, ay. I'm okay at everything else but when it comes to that part I wouldn't have a clue. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1662062

You know, Ed,' the Father says, "They say their countless saints that have nothing to do with church and almost no knowledge of God, but they say that God walks with those people without them ever knowing it.' His eyes are inside me now followed by the words 'You're one of those people, Ed. It's an honor to know you.' I've been called many things in my life, but no one has told me it's an honor to know me. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 277156

**** A 2 A.M. CONVERSATION****
"Is this yours?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Do you want to read it?"
Again, "Yes,Papa."
A tired smile.
Metallic eyes, melting.
"Well, we'd better read it, then. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1634454

I'm afraid, of falling asleep again. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1611762

And I stop listening to me, because to put it bluntly, I tire me. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1572881

It's funny how when you watch people from a long distance, it all seems voiceless. It's like watching a silent movie. You guess what people say. You watch their mouths move and imagine the sounds of their feet hitting the ground. You wonder what they're talking about and, even more so, what they might be thinking — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1557877

I'm twenty years old and look at me
there isn't a thing I want to do — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2008145

His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do - the best ones. The ones who rise up and say "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that I want to go, of course, but I will come." Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out. More of them have already found their way to other places. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 101234

No one had ever given her music before. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2232167

My full name's Ed Kennedy. I'm nineteen. I'm an underage cab driver. I'm typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city
not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I'm decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2217757

I deliberately seek out the colors to keep my mind off them, but now and then, I witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair and surprise. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2165160

No crime in wanting a little more, — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 147383

Quite frankly, so am I, because what I'm about to tell you is a fact.
In this country, there is only one thing that can draw a crown without any shadow of a doubt. The answer?
Beer.
Free beer. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2066453

I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2041741

If there are alleys inside me, there must also be hallways. I — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 2032240

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." Papa's hands tightened on the splintery wood. "I'm an idiot."
No, Papa.
You're just a man. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 255124

We smell the impact of traffic and humans. Humans and traffic. Back and forth. We taste our moment, swallowing it, knowing it. We feel our nerves twitching inside our stomaches, lunging at our skin from beneath. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1942463

Usually it was like spillage- cold and heavy, slippery and gray- but once in a while some stars had the nerve to rise and float, if only for a few minutes. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1917215

Do you have to pay to be Jewish? Do you need a licence? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1901169

They were going to Dachau, to cencentrate. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1898323

The soft-spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying to the floor like powder. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1431135

She rubbed her eyes, and after a long study of his face, she spoke
"Is it really you?"
Is it from your cheek, she thought, that I took the seed?
The man nodded.
His heart wobbled and he held tighter to the branches.
It is. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 251814

It was a Monday and they walked on a tightrope to the sun. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1786027

Maybe one morning I'll wake up and step outside of myself to look back at the old me lying dead among the sheets. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 840406

Walter Kugler was on the ground, his blond hair peppered with dirt. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1121610

Sergeant Stephan Schneider — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1114939

It said: Dearest Milla, My sould needs yours. Love, Jimmy — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1101118

Footsteps crease the grass behind us. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 514327

How do you give someone a piece of sky? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1072008

They ignore the reality that a new version of the same old problem will be waiting at the end of the trip - — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1071246

Are you looking at a dead man now? — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 947672

She waited for the suffocation of sleep. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 918209

Just because I can't read, doesn't mean I'm stupid - Liesel — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1122715

Make no mistake, the woman had a heart. She had a bigger one that people would think. There was a lot in it, stored up, high in miles of hidden shelving. Remember that she was the woman with the instrument strapped to her body in the long, moon-slit night. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 823971

Tears were frozen to the book theif's face. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 818670

He was skinny with soft hair, and his thick, murky eyes watched as the stranger played one more song in the heavy room. From face to face, he looked on as the man played and the woman wept. The different notes handled her eyes. Such sadness. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 738268

See, I was never a guy who had a whole heap of friends to belong to. Besides Greg Fienni, I never really had friends. I kind of stayed on my own. I hated it, but I was proud of it too. Cameron Wolfe needed no one. He didn't need to be amongst a pack. Not all of us roam like that. No, all he needed was his instincts. All he needed was himself. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 696192

If they killed him tonight, at least he would die alive. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 663945

Jewish shops that were still in operation in Molching. Inside, a small man was stuttering about, crushing the broken glass beneath his feet as he cleaned up. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 658551

On many counts, taking a boy like Rudy Steiner was robbery
so much life, so much to live for
yet somehow, I'm certain he would have loved to see the frightening rubble and the swelling of the sky on the night he passed away. He'd have cried and turned and smiled if only he could have seen the book thief on her hands and knees, next to his decimated body. He'd have been glad to witness her kissing his dusty, bomb-hit lips.
Yes, I know it.
In the darkness of my dark-beating heart, I know. He'd have loved it all right.
You see?
Even death has a heart. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 626257

Grimly, she realized that clocks don't make a sound that even remotely resembles ticking, tocking. It was more the sound of a hammer, upside down, hacking methodically at the earth. It was the sound of a grave. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 611176

And I can promise you something, because it was a thing I saw many years later - a vision in the book thief herself - that as she knelt next to Hans Hubermann, she watched him stand and play the accordion. He stood and strapped it on in the alps of broken houses and played the accordion with kindness silver eyes and even a cigarette slouched on his lips. The bellows breathed and the tall man played for Liesel Meminger one last time as the sky was slowly taken away from her. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 435292

You can do all manner of underhanded nice things when you have a caustic reputation. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1530881

[Mama's] voice was surprisingly calm and caring. As you can imagine, this worried the girl a great deal. She'd have preferred to hear them arguing. Whispering adults hardly inspired confidence. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1491475

Eleven-year-old paranoia was powerful. Eleven-year-old relief was euphoric. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1489971

Jesus, Mary and Joseph — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1431882

She was like a lone angel floating above the surface of the earth, laughing with delight because she could fly but crying out of loneliness. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 592309

She looks at the swings, and I can see she's imagining what they'd look like if the kids weren't there. The guilt of this holds her down momentarily. It appears to be there constantly. Never far away, despite her love for them.
I realize that nothing belongs to her anymore and she belongs to everything. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1414398

Five hundred souls.
I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the the children I carried in my arms. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 331638

They sat a few meters apart, speaking very rarely, and there was really only the noise of turning pages ( ... ) Where Hans Hubermann and Erik Vandenburg were ultimately united by music, Max and Liesel were held together by the quiet gathering of words.
"Hi, Max."
"Hi, Liesel."
They would sit and read. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1403100

In that one stolen second, I considered the Glebe girl. She entered my mind like a burglar, them vanished again, taking nothing. It was like the humiliation of the past had been dragged instantly from my back and left somewhere on the ground. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1542027

Come on, Max,' she whispered, and even the sound of Mama's arrival at her back did not stop her from silently crying. It didn't stop her from pulling a lump of salt water from her eye and feeding it onto Max Vandenburg's face.
Mama took her.
Her arms swallowed her.
'I know',she said.
She knew. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 442175

One good punch from Rube on me would send the sky into my head and the clouds into my lungs. I just always tried to stay up. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1351802

When you lie once, you have to make it uniform. We all know that. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1330570

If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did then maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of.
And that's when I realize: I'm not the messenger at all. I'm the message. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1190613

... it was raining on Himmel Street when the world ended for Liesel Meminger.
The sky was dripping.
Like a tap that a child has tried its hardest to turn off but hasn't quite managed. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1190294

Failure has been my best friend as a writer. It tests you, to see if you have what it takes to see it through. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1184801

It's not the place, I think. It's the people. We'd have all been the same anywhere else. — Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak Quotes 1176858

You hide a Jew. You pay. Somehow or other, you must. — Markus Zusak