The BFG Cunning and Cleverness Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Sophie was silent for a few moments. Then suddenly, in a voice filled with excitement, she cried out, “I’ve got it! By golly, I think I’ve got it!” (15.34)

Classic “eureka” moment going on here. A lightbulb might as well appear above Sophie’s head.

Quote #5

“How is you going to be sitting on the Queen’s windowsill, may I beg?” the BFG said. “You are going to put me there,” Sophie said. “And that’s the lovely part about it. If someone dreams that there is a little girl sitting on her window-sill and then she wakes up and sees that the little girl really is sitting there, that is a dream come true, is it not?” (15.93-94)

The beauty in Sophie’s plan is she uses every tool at her disposal. She knows the BFG can control dreams, so she uses that as a way to spread the news to the Queen. It’s called making use of your resources.

Quote #6

A man does not rise to become the Queen’s butler unless he is gifted with extraordinary ingenuity, adaptability, versatility, dexterity, cunning, sophistication, sagacity, discretion and a host of other talents that neither you nor I possess. Mr. Tibbs had them all. He was in the butler’s pantry sipping an early morning glass of ale when the news reached him. In a split second he had made the following calculations in his head: if a normal six-foot man requires a three-foot-high table to eat off, a twenty-four-foot giant will require a twelve-foot-high table. (20.2)

Here we meet another impressively clever person: Mr. Tibbs. The super-long list of abilities Mr. Tibbs has (that you and I don’t) is a clue that the next section is going to make him put all those special talents to the test. Let the comedy commence.