6 Best Donna tartt Quotes

“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several days before we came to terms with the fact that something had to be done.”

The very first line of the novel, immediately establishing the central event and the retrospective nature of the narrative.

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”

A philosophical statement made by Julian Morrow, encapsulating the group's dangerous aestheticism and their pursuit of intense experiences.

“It is a very chancy business to be a child, and no mistake.”

Richard reflecting on the vulnerability of youth and the unforeseen dangers that can befall young people, particularly in the context of the group's actions.

“I suppose at heart I have always been a coward.”

Richard's self-assessment, reflecting his passive role in the group's decisions and his inability to truly break free from their influence.

“There is nothing more boring than the truth.”

A cynical remark made by one of the characters, highlighting their disdain for conventional morality and their preference for a more complex, often fabricated, reality.

“Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack in the mirror, even exist? The tragic hero, the man who must be destroyed by his own virtue?”

Richard pondering the nature of tragedy and whether the group's downfall was due to an inherent flaw or a perversion of their own ideals.