Michael de Larrabeiti > Quotes

“All right," said Spiff. "Now this is what I say, anyone who thinks they've got a better plan can say so afterwards.”
― Michael De Larrabeiti, The Borribles Go for Broke

“The stink came from the prison cubicle next door. Old Ben was in there and Ben was the dirtiest man alive.”
― Michael Larrabeiti, The Borribles Go for Broke

“What are the options then? Immerse yourself in a regular job of work which will give you the illusion of solidity and safety through activity, so that you are prevented from ever having to address the real issues of your life...In this sense activity is the soul's worst enemy and should be avoided.”
― Michael de Larrabeiti, Journal of a Sad Hermaphrodite

“It's impossible to lose that which does not belong to you.”
― Michael De Larrabeiti, The Borribles

“Normal kids are turned into Borribles very slowly, almost without being aware of it; but one day they wake up and there it is. It doesn't matter where they come from as long as they have what is called a “bad start.” A child disappears from a school and the word goes round that he was “unmanageable”; the chances are he is off managing by himself. Sometimes it's given out that a kid down the street has been “put into care” because whenever he got home from school the house was empty; no doubt he's been Borribled and is caring for himself someplace. One day a shout might be heard in a supermarket and a kid with the goods on him is hoisted out by a store-detective. If that kid gets away he'll become a Borrible and make sure he isn't caught again. Being caught is the end for a Borrible.

So Borribles are outcasts but unlike most outcasts they enjoy themselves and wouldn't be anything else. They delight in feeling independent and free and it is this feeling that is most important to them. Consequently they have no real leaders, though someone may pop into prominence from time to time, perhaps because he has had a good idea and wants to carry it through. They manage without authority and they get on well enough together, though like everybody, they quarrel.”
― Michael De Larrabeiti, The Borribles

“It was the middle of the night, and Bingo couldn't sleep. The ground was hard, but he was used to that. . . .His blanket was dirty and smelled disgusting, but he was used to that too. A tune kept going through his head, and he couldn't get it out of his mind. It was the Wendels' victory song.”
― Michael de Larrabeiti, The Borribles Go for Broke

“That which falls off a lorry belongs to he who follows the lorry.”
― Michael De Larrabeiti, The Borribles

“None of that matters now," said Twilight. "Look behind you."
The Borribles did, and there, just a little beyond the rim of the bridge, they saw a halo of harsh whiteness reflected on the underneath of the dark sky. It was the beam of a car's headlights as it got into position on the north side of the bridge, the side the runaways had left only moments before.”
― Michael de Larrabeiti, The Borribles Go for Broke