Inspector Goole: Key Quotations Flashcards
“Need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression…
“Need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression… of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.”
“He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks …
“He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks … carefully, weightily and has a disconcerting habit of looking
hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking”
“Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been …
“Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been … taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong
disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course”
“it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves …
“it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves … in the place of these young women counting their pennies in their
dingy little back bedroom”
“it’s better to …
“it’s better to … ask for the Earth than to take it”
(To Gerald) “And you think young women ought …
(To Gerald) “And you think young women ought … to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?”
“A girl died tonight. A pretty, lively sort of girl, …
“A girl died tonight. A pretty, lively sort of girl, … who never did anybody any harm. But she died in misery and agony- hating life-
”
“If there’s nothing else …
“If there’s nothing else … we have to share our guilt”
(the young ones) “Are the most …
(the young ones) “Are the most … impressionable”
“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities …
“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities … as well as privileges”
“You’ve had children. You must have known what she was feeling…
“You’ve had children. You must have known what she was feeling… And
you slammed the door in her face”
“And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don’t need to know anymore. Neither do you. This girl killed herself- …
“And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don’t need to know anymore. Neither do you. This girl killed herself- … and died a horrible death.
But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it. (He looks from one to the other of them carefully)But then I don’t think you ever will. Remember what you did”
“But remember this…
“But remember this… One Eva Smith has gone- but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with
us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say
and do. We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come
when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.”
