How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The atmosphere was dominated by a feeling of mutual respect […]. There existed in those days a true camaraderie in our profession, whatever the small differences in our approach. (1.38)
Stevens waxes nostalgic here for the good old days when butlers were just butlers, when everyone respected one another and everyone was equally committed to their work.
Quote #2
"If it is necessary to convey a message, I would ask you to do so through a messenger. Or else you may like to write a note and have it sent to me. Our working relationship, I am sure, would be made a great deal easier." (3.20)
Uh oh. Stevens and Miss Kenton's friendship runs into a snag when Stevens criticizes her one too many times. Note to self: if you want to get along with your coworkers or your underlings, do not micromanage.
Quote #3
[…] a rather tense atmosphere, characterized largely by distrust, seemed to prevail at this stage. And reflecting this unease, the visiting valets and footmen appeared to regard one another with marked coldness. (3.278)
The kind of friendship idealized in Quote #1 is conspicuously absent during the international conference. The spirit of workmanlike camaraderie is just as important between diplomats as it is between butlers.
Quote #4
By the very nature of witticism, one is given very little time to assess its various possible repercussions before one is called to give voice to it, and one gravely risks uttering all manner of unsuitable things if one has not first acquired the necessary skill and experience. There is no reason to suppose that this is not an area in which I will become proficient given time and practice. (5.12)
Wow, does this sound a bit like Mr. Spock to you? Stevens really has no social skills whatsoever. For him, a joke ("banter") is a potential minefield of awkwardness. Unlike his other butler duties, bantering cannot be mastered through "time and practice."
Quote #5
These were, let me say, overwhelmingly professional in tone—though naturally we might discuss some informal topics from time to time. (6.14)
Stevens really misses talking shop with his butler buddies, who may—along with possibly Miss Kenton and Lord Darlington—be the closest thing he has to friends.
Quote #6
"Do you realize, Mr. Stevens, how much it would have meant to me if you had thought to share your feelings last year? […] I suffered all the more because I believed I was all alone." (6.50)
Like bantering, expressing feelings is definitely out of Stevens's comfort zone. Interestingly, Miss Kenton seems to suggest here that expressing feelings is not irrelevant to establishing a strong professional relationship.
Quote #7
[…] there must surely come a time when [a butler] ceases his searching; a time when he must say to himself: "This employer embodies all that I find noble and admirable. I will hereafter devote myself to serving him." This is loyalty intelligently bestowed. (6.346)
For Stevens, loyalty ranks right up there with professionalism as the quality of a good butler—and a good friend.
Quote #8
"[…] He's a gentleman, and he fought a war with the Germans, and it's his instinct to offer generosity and friendship to a defeated foe. It's his instinct. Because he's a gentleman, a true old English gentleman. […] they've used it, manipulated it, turned something fine and noble into something else—something they can use for their own foul ends? […]" (7.174)
Friendship isn't just a personal issue but a political one as well. Mr. Cardinal's comments here suggest that Lord Darlington's notion of friendship has no place in contemporary international affairs. This contrasts with Lord Darlington's firm belief that friendship is the basis for peace.
Quote #9
"Indeed, as you say, we are old friends […]. I simply wondered if you were being ill-treated in some way. Forgive me, but as I say, it is something that has worried me for some time." (8.41)
Aw, Stevens … finally gotten around to expressing feelings, have you? There is certainly some sexual tension between Stevens and Miss Kenton, but as old friends, he can sincerely care for her well-being, even if she is married to someone else.
Quote #10
It is curious how people can build such warmth among themselves so swiftly. […] But, then, I rather fancy it has more to do with this skill of bantering. (8.85)
By the end of the novel, Stevens begins to appreciate bantering as a form of social intercourse, as a way to make friends more easily. He still sounds like a robot, though.