The Princess of Burundi Quotes

“Death comes to us all, that is the only thing we can be certain of. It makes no difference whether it is a thief in a garbage dump or a policeman in the line of duty. When someone dies at the hands of another, the pain for the survivors is the same.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“If we just had the time, he thought, and would often say, we could manage these kids as well. All they lacked was time and resources.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“Lindell had seen too many of these women who subordinated themselves, but could also feel the temptation of giving in to a more traditional woman’s role. It would be so easy to be like her mother. So seemingly secure.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“It was about a class system, the fact that the underclass, Oskar and Albin, always slipped off the roofs of the rich folk.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“Berglund was certainly aware of the fact that there were two cities, two Uppsalas: Oskar’s and the skånkarna’s, with their academic degrees. You didn’t hear people talk about it much anymore, but you still felt the effects of this division.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“What a way to go,” he said. “Everyone putting your life under the microscope. What if we paid that kind of attention to people while they were alive?”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“A person has to find a place where they fit in, that’s all.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“I’ve felt the same thing,” she said. “We all love our kids, but we want so much. The kids are everything to us, and yet they aren’t our life, so to speak. Some women love to putter around at home but I almost went crazy that first year. Sitting around the playground shooting the breeze with other moms was not my thing.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“It had also become harder to discuss this with his colleagues. All too often Sammy’s speeches about the importance of good neighborhoods and schools were met only with dismissive comments. It was self-evident, it was written on every wall, they seemed to say,”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“He didn’t blame anyone or anything anymore. Life was what it was.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi

“Life was a mixture of coincidence and hopes that often ran out in the sand.”
― Kjell Eriksson, The Princess of Burundi