“What I mean and what I say is two different things," the BFG announced rather grandly.
What people say and what they mean are often two very different things. Sometimes people don't even realize that there is a disconnect between the two, but the giant is wise enough to realize the gap.
"You is trying to change the subject," the Giant said sternly. "We is having an interesting babblement about the taste of the human bean. The human bean is not a vegetable."
This quote showcases the interesting turns of phrase that the BFG uses. It demonstrates the balance between seriousness and silliness that is present throughout the book.
"Meanings is not important," said the BFG. "I cannot be right all the time. Quite often I is left instead of right."
The BFG demonstrates the importance of not taking yourself too seriously, and being willing to admit and accept that you can be wrong too. He then adds a dash of humor to his musing by changing "wrong" for "left."
"You mean you can hear things I can't hear?" Sophie said.
"You is deaf as a dumpling compared with me!" cried the BFG. "You is hearing only thumping loud noises with those little earwigs of yours. But I am hearing all the secret whisperings of the world!"
The BFG reveals one of his special qualities. His enormous ears help him hear everything, allowing him to catch dreams and blow them to children without being caught or seen, most of the time.
"Just because we happen not to have actually seen something with our own two little winkles, we think it is not existing."
The BFG explains that things that you may not see or understand can still exist.
"Ah, but they is not killing their own kind," the BFG said. "Human beans is the only animals that is killing their own kind."
"Don't poisonous snakes kill each other?" Sophie asked. She was searching desperately for another creature that behaved as badly as the human.
"Even poisnowse snakes is never killing each other," the BFG said. "Nor is the most fearsome creatures like tigers and rhinostossterisses. None of them is ever killing their own kind. Has you ever thought about that?"
The BFG's quote shows the cruel brutality of the human species towards each other, and its dishonorable position as the only species to kill its own on purpose, several times.
"The human beans is making rules to suit themselves" the BFG went on.
People often make up rules in order to benefit themselves, not others or other creatures.
"I do not," the BFG answered firmly. "One right is not making two lefts."
The giant rephrases the old truism that two wrongs don't make a right, with his own distinct spin on the saying.
There was a frantic scurry among the Palace servants when the orders were received from the Queen that a twenty-four-foot giant must be seated with Her Majesty in the Great Ballroom within the next half-hour.
The omniscient, third-person narrator surfaces again in this instance, cluing the reader in on the reactions of ordinary adults to the presence of a giant. This makes for hilarious reading and adds to the silly and whimsical tone.
"This place we're flying over now isn't n the atlas, is it?" the pilot said, grinning.
"You're darn right it isn't in the atlas!" cried the Head of the Air Force. "We've flown clear off the last page!"
This quote shows the very different reactions found among the adults of the army who are going to tie up the giants and bring them back to England so they can't eat people any more.
