How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[…] a reply to the effect that those of our profession, although we did not see a great deal of country in the sense of touring the countryside and visiting picturesque sites, did actually "see" more of England than most, placed as we were in houses where the greatest ladies and gentlemen of the land gathered. (1.5)
Stevens contests the view that you have to travel England to really know it. He himself has special access to some of the most significant personages in English history just by virtue of butlering at a "great house."
Quote #2
[…] you will agree that such is often the way with matters one has given abiding thought to over a period of time; one is not struck by the truth until prompted quite accidentally by some external event. (1.15)
Stevens seems to come upon important insights about his life by accident on his trip: he loses his way, his radiator overheats, he runs out of gas… and each of these minor diversions results in some new epiphany.
Quote #3
If you are not familiar with Mrs. Symons's books—a series running to seven volumes, each one concentrating on one region of the British Isles—I heartily recommend them. (1.18)
Stevens's experience of the English countryside proves very different from Mrs. Symons's portrayal. Instead of picturesque countryside and touristy landmarks, Stevens often gets lost in and surprised by out-of-the-way views.
Quote #4
The feeling swept over me that I had truly left Darlington Hall behind, and I must confess I did feel a slight sense of alarm—a sense aggravated by the feeling that I was perhaps not on the correct road at all, but speeding off in totally the wrong direction into a wilderness. (2.4)
The West Country is hardly wilderness, but Stevens may as well be exploring Antarctica given how little exposure he's had to the world outside Darlington Hall and its immediate vicinity. This is exactly the kind of discomfiting experience he needs to get a new perspective on his own life.
Quote #5
And I believe it was then, looking at that view, that I began for the first time to adopt a frame of mind appropriate for the journey before me. (2.16)
Often in the novel, stopping to enjoy the "view" is an opportunity for Stevens to get a new "view" on his own life.
Quote #6
But I see I am becoming preoccupied with these memories […] I know I shall greatly regret it later if I allow myself to become unduly diverted. (3.155)
Early in the novel, Stevens tries hard to be a good tourist and appreciate the countryside, but he keeps getting distracted by his memories.
Quote #7
"I wonder if it wouldn't have been better if the Almighty had created us all as—well—as sort of plants. You know, firmly embedded in the soil. Then none of this rot about wars and boundaries would have come up in the first place." (3.421)
Mr. Cardinal's comment seems appropriate for Stevens's adventure. When Stevens is in nature, enjoying a view, he often questions his behavior during his years of service to Lord Darlington in a way he would never do while working at Darlington Hall.
Quote #8
[…] perhaps in the nature of coming away on a trip such as this is that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thoroughly. I have also, no doubt, been prompted to think along such lines by the small event that occurred an hour or so ago. (4.8)
Not only the landscape but also the people he meets spur Stevens to reevaluate his life.
Quote #9
I allowed the Ford to run out of petrol. What with this and the trouble yesterday concerning the lack of water in the radiator, it would not be unreasonable for an observer to believe such general disorganization endemic to my nature. (6.90)
Not surprisingly, Stevens isn't a good driver. Despite his protests, disorganization does seem to be a characteristic of Stevens later in life, as he admits to committing a number of minor errors as Mr. Farraday's butler in the Prologue.
Quote #10
The skyline was broken here and there by the shapes of barns and farmhouses some way away over the fields, but otherwise, I appeared to have left behind all signs of community. (6.92)
Again the English countryside is depicted as a decidedly unfamiliar wilderness.
Quote #11
The pier lights have been switched on and behind me a crowd of people have just given a loud cheer to greet this event. (8.60)
Stevens's last view at the end of the novel is of the English Channel from the Weymouth pier. The general vacation mood of the area suggests that Stevens has somehow come to terms with his troubled memories… or at least stuffed them into the recesses of his mind.