Nevil Shute quotes

Nevil Shute was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer, recognized for his gripping stories and technical accuracy. His novels often explore themes of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. He became widely known for works such as “A Town Like Alice” and “On the Beach.” Here are 17 of his quotes:

Differential equations won't help you much in the design of aeroplanes - not yet, anyhow. (Nevil Shute)
It has been said that an engineer is a man who can do for ten shillings what any fool can do for a pound; if that be so, we were certainly engineers. View quote
Nevil Shute
It's no good going on living in the ashes of a dead happiness. View quote
Nevil Shute
It's not the end of the world at all," he said. "It's only the end for us. The world will go on just the same, only we shan't be in it. I dare say it will get along all right without us. View quote
Nevil Shute
Everybody pays lip service to the safety of the aeroplane, but nobody is prepared to pay for it. View quote
Nevil Shute
You cannot argue stupidity, you just have to accept it patiently as one of those things. View quote
Nevil Shute
He was one of that great class of Englishmen who love their wives and trust them unquestioningly with their money and their honour, but are apt to hedge a little over their motor-cars. View quote
Nevil Shute
Aircraft do not crash of themselves. They come to grief because men are foolish, or vain, or lazy, or irresolute or reckless. One crash in a thousand may be unavoidable because God wills it so - not more than that. View quote
Nevil Shute
After two wars, I have been in danger too often to bother very much about being killed, and when it comes, I would prefer that it should happen in an aeroplane, since aeroplanes have been the best part of my life. View quote
Nevil Shute
When I was first sent from H.M.S. King Alfred to be interviewed by Goodeve in the Admiralty, I was furious. The War seemed to me, in June of 1940, to be desperately serious, and England in imminent peril of invasion. View quote
Nevil Shute
The only failure that can be laid to the account of the League is its failure to inspire the nations with faith in its ideals. And that means propaganda. And propaganda costs money. If the nations had spent one-tenth of what they have spent in armaments on the League, there would have been no war. (Nevil Shute)
His agitation was subsiding; already he was becoming aware that he had not got it in him to make these men believe that what he said was true. He had had so much of this in the past; he was accustomed to being right and being disbelieved on vital issues. It was what happened to him; other people could put across their convictions and win credence, but he had never been able to do that. Now it was happening again. View quote
Nevil Shute
Personal unpleasantness always upset his work; he could not think clearly if his mind was full of hard things that had been said about him, and he liked thinking clearly. Rows frightened him; he would go to considerable lengths to avoid them. View quote
Nevil Shute
They sat by the lake for a couple of hours, talking, finding out about each other. View quote
Nevil Shute
If you're going to make your life in a new country you should go before you're twenty-five. After that you start to get associations, little grooves and anchors, that make it difficult to change. View quote
Nevil Shute
She did not understand what all that meant, but it was evidently something very near his heart, and so she said, "How splendid!" View quote
Nevil Shute
All good designers are difficult men or they could not be good designers; I think everybody at the table was more or less aware of that. We set ourselves to mollify the great man, and I say that with sincerity. A great man he was, a great designer, and a superlative engineer. But not an easy man to deal with. No. View quote
Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute

Occupation: British Writer
Born: January 17, 1899
Died: January 12, 1960
Quotes count: 17
Wikipedia: Nevil Shute

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