Death, destruction and national catastrophe

Of course, this was supposedly in the national character; it was proverbial that the Englishman displayed emotion only when faced by some truly earth-shaking crisis, like a cricket match, or the ill-treatment of an animal, or a rise in the price of beer; for such trivia as death, destruction and national catastrophe he was supposed to reserve an indifference that bordered on insanity.


Mr American, pp.510-11, Pan Books, paperback edition 1982.


Tags: Flashman, Flashman quotes, emotion.

Chain lightning

If there was a man in those days who could move faster in a crisis than H. P. Flashman, I never met him — but there was a woman who could have given me a head start, Uliba-Wark of Tigre, the nearest thing I ever saw to chain lightning with a link snapped.


Flashman on the March, p.115, Harper Collins, paperback edition 2005.


Tags: Flashman, Flashman quotes, lightning.

Momentarily lost

Blustering hadn’t helped me, and a look at Rudi’s mocking face told me that whining wouldn’t either. Robbed of the two cards which I normally play in a crisis, I was momentarily lost.

Royal Flash, p.93, Pan edition, 8th printing, 1978.

Tags:
Flashman, Flashman quotes,William Elphinstone, Elphy Bey.