Key quotes

• Arthur Birling: 'Its one of the happiest nights of my life… your engagement to Shelia means a tremendous lot to me.'
• Arthur Birling: 'We may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices.'
• Arthur Birling: 'Just because the miners came out on strike, there's a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the future. Don't worry.'
• Arthur Birling: 'We employers are coming together to see that our interests – and the interests of Capital – are properly protected.'
• Arthur Birling: 'You'll hear some people say that war is inevitable. And to that I say – fiddlesticks!'
• Arthur Birling: 'There's a fair chance that I may find myself into the next honours list.'
• Arthur Birling: 'By the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense.'
• Arthur Birling: 'A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own – and –'
• Arthur Birling: 'As it happened more than eighteen months ago – nearly two years ago – obviously it has nothing to do with the wretched girl's suicide.'
• Arthur Birling: 'I can't accept any responsibility.'
• Arthur Birling: 'If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody… it would be very awkward wouldn't it?'
• Arthur Birling: 'It's my duty to keep labour costs down.'
• Arthur Birling: 'If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth.'
• Arthur Birling: 'Perhaps I ought to warn you that that [the Chief Constable is] and old friend of mine. We play golf together.'
• Arthur Birling: 'I don't like your tone nor the way you're handling this enquiry.'
• Arthur Birling: 'I've got to cover this up as soon as I can.'
• Arthur Birling: 'Why you hysterical young fool – get back – or I'll –'
• Arthur Birling: 'I care. I was almost certain for a Knighthood in the next honours list.'
• Arthur Birling: 'There's every excuse for what both your mother and I did.'
• Arthur Birling: 'There'll be a public scandal… and who here will suffer for that more than I will?'
• Arthur Birling: '(jovially) But the whole thing's different now'