307 Quotes by Alan Bradley

I knew that hunched shoulders, hanging hair, and eyes on the ground were fairly reliable signs of a girl dejected, a girl who needed to be approached and jollied into a nice talk or a nice cup of tea; whereas a back-flung head, with eyes closed and a secret smile on the upturned face, was the signal of someone who needed to be left alone with her thoughts.

One of the many happy things about physics is that it works anywhere in the world. No matter whether you’re in Bishop’s Lacey or Bombay, friction is friction.

I do not encourage early morning chirpiness, even in those I love. It is generally a sign of a sloppy mind, and is not to be encouraged... Flavia de Luce – Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d.

There is a certain type of person to whom a closed door is a challenge – a dare, a taunt, a glove thrown down – and I am one of them. A closed door is more than a mystery to be solved: It’s an insult. A slap in the face.

I could have gone either north or south but decided to strike off north because it was my favorite direction.

There’s a lot to be said for being alone. But you and I know, don’t we, Flavia, that being alone and being lonely are not at all the same thing?

I put a hand gently on her shoulder and held out my handkerchief. She looked at it skeptically. “It’s all right,” I said. “They’re only grass stains.

You lie like one of us.

I have to admit, though, that Cynthia was a great organizer, but then, so were the men with whips who got the pyramids built.