Beartown (Beartown, #1)

by Fredrik Backman

“Winners have a tendency to be forgiven in this town.”

“That most people don’t do what we tell them to. They do what we let them get away with.”

One of the first things you learn as a leader, whether you choose the position or have it forced upon you, is that leadership is as much about what you don’t say as what you do say.

Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple.

Peter said nothing. But in the car on the way home he turned to Leo and explained: “When I was little, my dad used to hit me if I spilled my milk, Leo. That didn’t teach me not to spill things. It just made me scared of milk. Remember that.”

I only need one man: my son. And you’re not alone. You’ve never been alone. You just need to be better at choosing the company you keep.”

it’s always easier to lecture other people about morality when you’ve never had to answer for anything yourself.

Sometimes life doesn’t let you choose your battles. Just the company you keep.

You have friends when you’re fifteen years old. Sometimes you get them back.

Down to his very marrow, David wishes he could drive back to Hed, take the boy in his arms, and tell him that he knows now. But he can’t bring himself to unmask someone who clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. Big secrets make small men of us, especially when we’re the men others have to keep secrets from. So David drives home, puts his hand on his girlfriend’s stomach, and pretends he’s crying about the baby. His life will be successful, he will achieve everything he’s ever dreamed of—career and success and titles—he’ll coach unbeatable teams at legendary clubs in several different countries, but he will never let any player in any of them wear number “16.” He will always keep hoping that Benji is going to turn up one day and demand his jersey.