An Inspector Calls - Character Quotes

"Heavy-looking, rather portentous man"  

"its the same port you father gets" 

"a man has to make his own way" 

"just a knighthood , of course" 

"this wretched girl's suicide" 

"if you don't come down hard on these people they'd soon be asking for the earth" 

 "(angrily to the inspector) [...] you apologise at once" 

"this isn't going to do us much good"

"I've got to cover this up as soon as possible"

(unhappily) look inspector, I'd give thousands - yes, thousands"

"We've been had, that's all"

"A rather cold woman and her husband's social superior" 

“Arthur you’re not supposed to say such things”

“When you're married you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business.”

“That - I consider - is a trifle impertinent, Inspector”

“Yes, I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence – quite deliberate – “

“Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation.”

“I'll tell you what I told her. Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility."

“As if a girl of that sort would refuse money.”

“(very distressed now) No – Eric – please – I didn’t know – I didn’t understand-“

“Gerald you’ve argued this very cleverly and I’m most grateful”

"half-shy, half-assertive"

"(still uneasily) well I don't think it's very funny"

"Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?"

"I was in a state a chap could easily turn nasty"

"Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!"

“I wasn’t in love with her or anything- but I liked her- she was pretty and a good sport-”

"Said I didn’t love her- and all that. In a way, she treated me- as if I were a kid. 

“You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble"

"you killed her-and the child she’d have had too- my child- your own grandchild- you killed them both- damn you, damn you-” 

“(shouting) And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her- and that’s what matters-” 

“A pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited”

"is it the one you wanted me to have?"

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people.”

"recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half stifled sob, and then runs out"

"if they didn't get rid of that girl, I'd never go near the place again and I'd persuade mother to close our account with them"

"I’ll never, never do it again to anybody"

"Why- you fool- he knows. Of course he knows." 

“You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl."

“No, he’s giving us the rope- so that we’ll hang ourselves”

 "(Bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now”

“It frightens me the way you talk” 

“An attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy"

“You couldn’t have done anything else” (sacking Eva Smith)

"shes had a long, exciting and tiring day"

“It’s a favourite haunt of women of the town”

"[Daisy] gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help”

"I made her take some money to keep her going there…I want you to understand that I didn’t install her there so I could make love to her"

“She told me she’d been happier than she’d ever been before”

“That man wasn’t a police officer…I’m almost certain”

“But how do you know it’s the same girl? ... We’ve no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl”

“Everything’s all right now Sheila. What about this ring?”

“Need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.”

 "she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course”

"(dryly) I don't play golf"

“it’s better to ask for the Earth than to take it”

"I'm waiting... To do my duty"

 "we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies in their dingy little back bedroom”

"But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it. "

"there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us,"

"if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish"