"If you write a story, you only have to say the word ‘castle’ and you can see the towers and the woods and the village below... But in a play it’s... it all depends on other people."

"What do you think it would feel like to be someone else?"

"Daniel Mays – Tommy Nettle"

"Benedict Cumberbatch – Paul Marshall"

"Patrick Kennedy – Leon Tallis"

"Charlie von Simson – Jackson Quincey"

"Felix von Simson – Pierrot Quincey"

"Juno Temple – Lola Quincey"

"Keira Knightley – Cecilia Tallis"

"Harriet Walter – Emily Tallis"

"James McAvoy – Robbie Turner"

"Saoirse Ronan – Briony Tallis – Age 13"

"Romola Garai – Briony Tallis – Age 18"

"Brenda Blethyn – Grace Turner"

"Paul Marshall: Bite it! You have to bite it."

"Tommy Nettle (on France): No-one speaks the fucking lingo out here. You can't say, "Pass the biscuit", or "Where's me 'and grenade?"; they just shrug. 'Cause they hate us too. I mean, that's the point: we fight in France and the French fuckin' 'ate us! Make me 'Ome Secretary and I'll sort this out in a fuckin' minute. We got India and Africa, right? Jerry can have France and Belgium and whatever else they want. 'Oo's fuckin' ever been to Poland? It's all about room, empire! They want more empire; give 'em this shit hole, we keep ours, and it's Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your fucking aunt! Think about it."

"[to Briony] Five years ago you didn’t care about telling the truth. You- all your family, you just assumed that for all my education, I was still little better than a servant, still not to be trusted!. Thanks to you, they were able to close ranks and throw me to the fucking wolves!."

"[to Briony] How old do you have to be before you know the difference between right and wrong? What are you, eighteen? Do you have to be eighteen before you bring yourself to own up to a lie? There are...soldiers of eighteen old enough to be left to die on the side of the road! Did you know that!?"