Nation by Terry Pratchett
Location 3800:
And that was that. For some people, there is only one right moment for the right word. This is sad, but there seems to be nothing that can be done about it.
Location 3935:
But…cannon! She’d seen gun drill on the Judy, and even Cox handled them with care. There was one right way of firing a cannon, and lots of wonderfully explosive ways of getting it wrong.
Location 4249:
He nodded and headed back to his fellows, who had clustered around Cox. Mau approached her, smiling. “Their priest likes you,” he said. “Only for my brains, Mau, and even if he had them for lunch, I’d still have more than you! Didn’t you see that gun he’s got now? It’s a Pepperbox. One of Father’s friends had one! It has six barrels. That’s six shots without reloading! And he’s got an ordinary pistol, too!”
Location 4391:
Oh, and one other thing. Those others I mentioned, who have been shown the glittering path? They all said the same thing as you did. They saw that the perfect world is a journey, not a place. I have only one choice, Mau, but I’m good at making it.
Location 4633:
“I think…I think if you are a suckfish in a sea o’ sharks, you must swim with the biggest shark,” said Milo. This met with general approval; the island council was still learning about international politics, but they were experts on fish.
Location 4650:
For the sake of the game she was banned from bowling after Daphne’s father explained that women should not really be allowed to play cricket because they fundamentally didn’t understand it. But it seemed to Daphne that Cahle understood it very well, and therefore tried to get it over with as quickly as possible so that they could get on with something more interesting, since in her opinion the world was overwhelmingly full of things that were more interesting than cricket.
Location 4687:
“Strictly speaking, yes,” said Mr. Black. “You became king as soon as the last king died. At that very second. That’s how it works.” “Really?” said His Majesty. “Yes, sire,” said Mr. Black patiently, “God arranges it.” “Oh good,” said the king weakly. “That’s very clever of Him.”
Location 4936:
“But it’s the kind of ending you get in real life,” said the old man, “and isn’t the story about being real? Though I’ve always thought he went fishing so that people wouldn’t see him cry. He must have felt very lonely. ‘If you will sacrifice,’ Mau said later, ‘then sacrifice your time on the altar of the common good. Eat the fish, or give it to someone who is hungry.’”
Location 4998:
“Oh, indeed. And now you know the universe isn’t just a light show. They keep it running during the day, too!” The man clenched his wrinkled hands and said: “Live for those moments! They keep you alive! There is no better medicine than finding out that you are wrong! What did your mother put in your hand when you were born, young man?” “Er…a wooden telescope, sir. So that I will want to see farther,” said the boy. He was a little shaken; tears were running down the old man’s cheeks, even though he was smiling. “Good, good. And you, young lady?” “A blue hermit crab, sir. So that I won’t accept any shell.” “That’s a big totem to live up to. You must spend your life asking questions.”
Location 5005:
“Ah, good one! I must answer, mustn’t I?” He straightened himself up. “Because you liked my blue Jupiter. Because we keep going. Because we’ve come so far and have such a long way still to go. Because there are stars and blue hermit crabs. Because you are here, and strong and clever. The joy of the moment. Those sorts of things. Do excuse me if I sit down.”
Location 5019:
“Do you believe in Imo, sir?” asked the boy. “Ah, the usual question. We come to it at last. You know Mau said that Imo made us clever enough to work out that He does not exist?”
Location 5069:
Thinking This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you. Terry Pratchett