Melina Marchetta Quotes

“What do you want from me?" he asks.
What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him.
More.”
― Melina Marchetta, Jellicoe Road

“But grief makes a monster out of us sometimes . . . and sometimes you say and do things to the people you love that you can't forgive yourself for.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“Maybe memories should be left the way they are.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Griggs." Anson Choi feigns surprise. "What's her name?"
"I didn't actually catch her name," Griggs continues.
"Lily," Raffaela says over her shoulder and this time I give her a sideways look.
"Great to know that I'm in love with a girl with a cool name."
"It's Taylor's middle name," Raffaela calls back again.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“I want to tell him that deep down each time Hannah looked at him she was grateful it was him because Jude did something that the others didn't. He came back for her.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“Do I have to be here to belong to you?' Froi asked. 'Can't I belong to you wherever I am?”
― Melina Marchetta, Quintana of Charyn

“Froi saw the rage in Arjuro’s eyes, his clenched fists.

‘If I could find the men who did those things to you as a child I would tear them limb from limb.’

Froi embraced him.

‘One day,’ Froi said, clearing his voice of emotion, ‘I’ll introduce you to my queen and my king and my captain; and Lord August and Lady Abian, who have given me a home; and the Priestking and Perri and Tesadora and my friend Lucian; and then you’ll understand that I would never have met them if you hadn’t journeyed to Sarnak all those years ago, Arjuro. And if the gods were to give me a choice between living a better life, having not met them, or a wretched life with the slightest chance of crossing their path, then I'd pick the wretched life over and over again.’

He kissed Arjuro’s brow. Finnikin called it a blessing between two male blood kin. It always had made Froi ache seeing it between Finnikin and Trevanion.

‘I'd live it again just to have crossed all of your paths. Keep safe, Arjuro. Keep safe so I can bring your brother home to you.”
― Melina Marchetta, Quintana of Charyn

“What do you think would happen if we kissed right here, right now?" he asks, digging his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants, grinning right back at me.
"I think it would cause a riot."
"Well, you know me," he says, lowering his head towards me. "Causing a riot is what I do best."
Santangelo approaches before Griggs gets any closer and pulls him away. "Are you guys insane?" he says, irritated.
"It's called peaceful coexistence, Santangelo. You should try it and if it works we may sell the idea to the Israelis and Palestinians," I say, throwing his own words back at him.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“Why do I feel like something's missing in my life without them and they don't feel the same about me?”
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

“I’m frightened that one morning there will not be enough to keep me going.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“These guys fart a lot as well. I'm not saying that girls don't. We just aren't as passionate about them. The smell is sometimes overwhelming and I want to gag. They don't just limit these attacks to the classroom-they can come at you from anywhere around the school. The corridor, the stairwell, the canteen line. There's one area we call Fart Corridor because it belongs to the Year Eights and Nines, who are the biggest perpetrators. They make no apologies and feel no embarrassment. If a girl did one at St. Stella's she'd be an outcast for the rest of her natural life. Here, it's a badge of honor.”
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

“Hannah’s house has been unfinished ever since I can remember. Deep down I think that’s always been a comfort to me, because people don’t leave unfinished houses.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“...and if I could bottle the look on his face, i’d keep it by my bedside for the rest of my life.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“Maybe that’s why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It’s not the pain they’re getting over, it’s the love”
― Melina Marchetta

“And in that dark silence where it seems that everyone is someplace but me, it all comes back.”
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

“And then he told me to close my eyes. And I think I've been frightened to do just that ever since.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“There's no such thing as Atticus Finch.'
I shrug. 'It'd be good if there was, though.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road