Checkpoint Quotes

“And while he mused over the last few weeks, the thought kept bothering him that, without his knowledge, of course, the whole company had been part of a cruel experiment, and they were sacrificed so insights on the structure of warfare could be gathered, which, in other words, meant that no one was to blame for what happened to the soldiers and commander... an army bureaucrat had had the bright idea that the time was ripe for a study of the impact on soldiers of a sudden shift in the enemy's standing (in other words, when friend becomes foe, or vice versa). What happened presumed not a reality-based result--the outcome of earlier events in this same reality--but instead a faux reality, .a strategy game like Battleship...”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“Ultimately, said the colonel, the checkpoint is a two-way street, somebody is always crossing from one side to the other, meaning, added the colonel, that there would always be work for those charged with its maintenance. But, the commander dared interject, does that mean our position in the conflict will change, or that we'll turn our backs on old alliances and form new ones? The colonel's face fell, and he said the commander couldn't have heard any such thing from him. He, meaning the colonel, had merely served as a bearer of tidings, a courier, a screw in an intricate mechanism, no more. If the colonel was nothing but a screw, thought the commander, then what could he--meaning the commander--say for himself? He wasn't a screw or even a tack, smaller yet, or as thin as a straight pin...”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“Instead he began moving slowly toward the people who were waiting in line to buy tickets for the New World. 'New Belgrade?' asked the man at the bus station counter and the commander had to gently but confidently repeat: 'The New World'. 'I don't see much difference there,' said the man...”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“He went over to it again and at that very moment Mladen's eyes popped open, he sat up, and looked around. 'Nice,' he said, 'nobody's here. The whole area is only ours, yours and mine, or, if you prefer, yours or mine. A big difference for such a small word, eh?”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“Repeat a word or phrase long enough, and you'll end up thinking you came up with it yourself. And when you think you've created a word, you can allow yourself to feel that you created the world.”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“One speaks the languages one speaks and everyone will always speak the language they speak, and the language of the victors will always be on top, and so it goes. Besides, it would be funny if the victor were to speak the language of the loser, just as it was entirely natural for the loser to speak the language of the victor. But what about when the victor and loser speak the same language? What then?... 'Then quick, think up a new language. That, at least, is easy!”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint

“But if you admit you don't know, you always have the edge over those who guess.”
― David Albahari, Checkpoint