An Inspector Calls – Quotations Grid

Class andWealth,

ResponsibilitGuilt and

GenderWomen and

ConflictGenerational

AppearanceReality/
Characters it
Speaker To… Quotation Page
relates to

Stage Arthur Birling is a heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly
1 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions easy manner but rather provincial in his speech.
Stage
His wife is about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior. 1 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions
Stage
Sheila is a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited. 1-2 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions
Stage Gerald Croft is an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very
2 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions much the easy well-bred man-about-town.
Stage
Eric is in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive. 2 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions
Stage At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and
2 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions are pleased with themselves.
When you’re married you’ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to
Mrs Birling Sheila 3 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
spend nearly all their time and energy on their business.
Sheila Eric You’re squiffy 3 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila Gerald Is it the one you wanted me to have? 5 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Mrs Birling The men I think Sheila and I had better go into the drawing-room and leave you men - 5 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
A hard headed businessman … a hard-headed, practical man of business…we hard-headed
Birling Gerald 6-7 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
practical businessmen.
There’s a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future. Don’t worry.
We’ve passed the worst of it … You’ll hear some people say that war’s inevitable. And to
Birling Gerald 6-7 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
that I say – fiddlesticks! … The Titanic – unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. … There’ll be
peace and prosperity and rapid progress…
I have an idea that your mother – Lady Croft ... feels you might have done better for
Birling Gerald 8 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
yourself socially.
Clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear – and not
Eric and
Birling only something to make ‘em look prettier – but – well, a sort of sign or token of their self- 9 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Gerald
respect.
Eric and A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself…a man has to mind his own
Birling 9-10 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Gerald business and look after himself and his own.
Stage
An impression of massiveness, solidity and purpose. 11 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Directions
Inspector Birling A chain of events 14 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Inspector I can’t accept any responsibility 14 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric Birling As you were saying, Dad, a man has to look after himself. 14 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Inspector A lively good-looking girl 14 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Inspector They wanted the rates raised so that they could average about twenty-five shillings a week. 14 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
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 An Inspector Calls – Quotations Grid
I refused, of course.
Birling Inspector She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go. 15 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector All It’s better to ask for the earth than to take it. 15 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric Birling Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices. 16 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Sheila Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along. 17 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city and big town in
this country, Miss Birling…I thought that it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we
Inspector Sheila 20 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies in the
dingy little back bedrooms.
Gerald Inspector After all, y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals. 22 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Alright, Gerald, you needn’t look at me like that. At least I’m trying to tell the truth. I
Sheila Gerald 23 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
expect you’ve done things you’re ashamed of too.
Sheila Inspector If she’d been some miserable plain little creature, I don’t suppose I’d have done it. 24 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
And so you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good customer and also of a man
Inspector Sheila 24 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
well known in this town, to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that?
It’s the only time I’ve ever done anything like that, and I’ll never, never do it again to
Sheila Eric 24 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
anybody.
Why – you fool – he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he
Sheila Gerald 26 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
knows that we don’t know yet. You’ll see.
And you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing
Inspector Gerald 27 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
things?
Gerald Inspector I suppose I asked for that. 28 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila and
Inspector You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt. 29 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Gerald
We all started out like that – so confident, so pleased with ourselves, until he began asking
Sheila Sybil 30 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
us questions.
Sybil Inspector S: You seem to have made a great impression on this child, Inspector. 30 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector Sybil I: We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.
Sybil All Girls of that class – 30 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do, then the
Sheila Sybil 30 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector will just break it down.
You seem to be conducting it in a rather peculiar and offensive manner. You know of
Sybil Inspector course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he’s still a magistrate 31 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
–
Sybil Inspector S: He’s only a boy. 32 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector Sybil I: No, he’s a young man.
Sheila All We really must stop these silly pretences. 32 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Inspector I don’t like your tone, nor the way you’re handling this inquiry. 33 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila All And probably between us we killed her. 35 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil Gerald And surely you don’t mean Alderman Meggarty? 35 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Gerald Inspector/ I want you to understand that I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her. I 37 I/B/Syb/She/E/G

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 An Inspector Calls – Quotations Grid
made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her, and didn’t like the idea of her
All
going back to the Palace bar. I didn’t ask for anything in return.
Birling Inspector I only did what any employer might have done. 37 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector Birling Your daughter isn’t living on the moon. She’s here in Brumley too. 37 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila Gerald That’s probably about the best thing you’ve said tonight. At least it’s honest. 38 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila Gerald You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here. 40 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector Birling Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges. 41 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil All I think she had only herself to blame. 43 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil All She’d impertinently made use of our name. 44 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of… And in spite of what’s happened to
Sybil All 44 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
the girl since, I consider I did my duty.
I think you did something terribly wrong – and that you’re going to spend the rest of your
Inspector Sybil 45 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
life regretting it.
Sybil Inspector Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility. 45 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in
Sybil Inspector 46 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
her position.
Inspector Sybil I: You’re not even sorry now, when you know what happened to the girl? 47 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
S: I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at
Sybil Inspector
all.
Inspector/ He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to
Sybil 48 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
All him.
Birling All I understand a lot of things now I didn’t understand before. 51 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric Inspector I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty – and I threatened to make a row. 52 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
I hate these fat old tarts round the town – the ones I see some of your respectable friends
Eric Birling 52 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
with –
Eric Birling E: Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble 54 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Eric B: Don’t talk to me like that. Your trouble is – you’ve been spoilt –
Eric Sybil Then – you killed her…my child – your own grandchild – you killed them both 55 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric Sybil You don’t understand anything 55 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Eric You hysterical young fool 55 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling Inspector Look, Inspector – I’d give thousands – yes, thousands 56 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Inspector All No, I don’t think any of you will forget. 56 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths
and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and
chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We
Inspector All 56 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I
tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will no learn that lesson, then they will
be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Goodnight.
Birling Eric You don’t seem to care about anything. But I care. I was almost certain for a knighthood. 57 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric Birling What does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not? 57 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil Eric S: I’m absolutely ashamed of you. 57 I/B/Syb/She/E/G

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 An Inspector Calls – Quotations Grid
Sybil and
Eric E: I’m ashamed of you as well – yes both of you.
Birling
I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it. But now you’re beginning all over
Sybil and
Sheila again to pretend that nothing much has happened – … you don’t seem to have learnt 57-8 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling
anything
Sybil Sheila Sy: Don’t be childish, Sheila. 59 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sh: I’m not being. If you want to know, it’s you who’s being childish – trying not to face
Sheila Sybil
the facts.
Sheila Sybil It was true…that’s what’s important – and not whether a man is a policeman or not. 59 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila Eric He never seemed like an ordinary police inspector 59 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila and
Birling The fact is, you allowed yourselves to be bluffed. 60-1 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric
Sheila and
Sybil Really, from the way you children talk, you might be wanting to help him instead of us. 61 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Eric
Gerald All That man wasn’t a police officer. 62 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil All Didn’t I say I couldn’t imagine a real police officer talking like that to us? 62 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sheila All (Bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now. 63 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Sybil and
Eric You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all. 64 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling
It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters…And I say the girl’s
Eric All 65 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
dead and we all helped to kill her – and that’s what matters
Sybil and
Sheila You’re just beginning to pretend all over again. 65 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling
Gerald,
Eric Sybil and You may be lettering yourselves out nicely, but I can’t. 68 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Birling
You’re forgetting one thing I still can’t forget. Everything we said had happened really
Sheila Birling had happened. If it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done. 70-1 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
… You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped.
Eric All And I agree with Sheila. It frightens me too. 71 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
Now look at the pair of them – the famous younger generation who know it all. And they
Birling Sybil 72 I/B/Syb/She/E/G
can’t even take a joke –