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“There is no point in erecting a structure,” said Muzzlehatch, taking no notice of Titus’s question, “unless someone else pulls it down. There is no value in a rule until it is broken. There is nothing in life unless there is death at the back of it. Death, dear boy, leaning over the edge of the world and grinning like a boneyard.”

— Mervyn Peake Titus Alone (1959)

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More quotes by Mervyn Peake

There is danger in deep water, and danger is more real than beauty in a boy’s mind.

Gormenghast (1950)

There is something about a swarm that is damaging to the pride of its individual members.

Gormenghast (1950)

“Let him play,” whispered Cheeta. “Let him make believe that he’s alive again.”

Titus Alone (1959)

Autumn returned to Gormenghast like a dark spirit re-entering its stronghold.

Titus Groan (1946)

His days were full of meaningless ceremonies whose sacredness appeared to be in inverse ratio to their comprehensibility or usefulness.

Gormenghast (1950)

All Mervyn Peake quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Mervyn Peake (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.