01UndatedWhen you expect nothing from the world - not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe - everything is a wonder and every moment a gift.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
02UndatedSee, that’s the difference,” Mauvin said. “I suffer a loss and people console me. Royce suffers a loss and whole towns evacuate.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
03UndatedIt was a trap after all,” Alric said. He turned to Royce. “My apologies for doubting your sound paranoia.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
04UndatedOne truth doesn't refute another. Truth doesn't lie in the object, but in how we see it.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
05UndatedI know nothing about war. But let me tell you what I believe. I think running from responsibility breeds self-loathing and despair. I think people can, and do, rise to the occasion, and even a single person can make an incredible difference. What they need are leaders who believe in them, a belief that gives birth to hope. With hope, people can do remarkable things, amazing things.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
06UndatedWe may indeed die here, that's true. But we will all die anyway-is there any denying that? When you think of all the possible ways you might go, this is as fine a place as any, isn't it? I mean, to end one's life surrounded by friends, in a comfortable, dry room with plenty to read... that doesn't sound too awful, does it?""What is the advantage of fear, or the benefit of regret, or the bonus of granting misery a foothold even if death is embracing you? My old abbot used to say, 'Life is only precious if you wish it to be.' I look at it like the last bite of a wonderful meal-do you enjoy it, or does the knowledge that there is no more to follow make it so bitter that you would ruin the experience?" The monk looked around, but no one answered him. "If Maribor wishes for me to die, who am I to argue? After all, it is he who gave me life to begin with. Until he decides I am done, each day is a gift granted to me, and it would be wasted if spent poorly. Besides, for me, I've learned that the last bite is often the sweetest.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
07UndatedRoyce looked back down at the stream below. "She doesn't even know me. What if she doesn't like me? Few people do.""She might not at first. Maribor knows I didn't. But you have a way of growing on a person." He smiled. "You know, like lichen or mold.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
08UndatedYou can go back to blacksmithing in Hintindar and live a quiet happy life. Do me a favor and marry some pretty farm girl and train your son to beat the crap out of imperial knights.""Sure," Hadrian told him. "And with any luck he'll make friends with a cynical burglar who'll do nothing but torment him.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
09UndatedI am officially turning him over to you. He's your problem now. You'll have to watch out for him and that won't be easy. He's naive, gullible, immature, horribly unsophisticated, ignorant about anything worth knowing, and idealistic to a fault." He paused to make a show of thinking harder. "He's also indecisive, pathetically honest, a horrible liar, and too virtuous for words. He gets up twice each night to relieve himself, wads his clothes rather than folds them, chews with his mouth open, and talks with his mouth full. He has a nasty habit of cracking his knuckles every morning at breakfast, and, of course, he snores. To remedy that, just put a rock under his blanket.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
10UndatedWhen you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are—or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn’t. The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
12UndatedThat’s what a good wife does, keeps your dreams alive even when you don’t believe anymoreMichael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
13UndatedFulfillment comes from striving to succeed, to survive by your own wits and strength. Such things make each of us who we are. You lose that in captivity, lose yourself, and that loss saps your capacity for joy.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
14UndatedI just want to say, for the record, as far as Royal protectors go, you're not very good.""It's my first day," Royce replied dryly."And already I am trapped in a timeless prison. I shudder to think what might have happened if you had a whole week.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
15UndatedAnd if you can't trust an ancient talking tree, what was the point of having one?Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
16UndatedIf given a choice between a potentially great hardship and doing nothing, people gravitate toward what was most familiar and comfortable. That was why leadership was needed. To do what was necessary rather than what was easy.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
17UndatedRaithe enjoyed a good campfire. Something comforting about the dancing light, the smell of smoke, and the way his face and chest were hot but his backside cold. He sensed a profound meaning in this duality as well as in the enigma of flickering flames. The fire spirit spoke in spitting sparks and shifts of choking smoke, but the meaning of each remained a mystery. Everything in nature was that way. All of it spoke to him--to everyone--in a language few could understand. What secrets, what wisdom, and what horrors might he learn if only he knew what it all meant.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
18UndatedThere always seemed to be a better way, except when it came to people. Once broken, people couldn't be repaired.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
19UndatedVerily, for nine hundred years have I lost. Everyone I knew is dead, the empire gone, and who knows in what state the world is left. Should what thy sister reports prove true, much hath changed in the wMichael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
21UndatedThat living has no value - it's what you do with life that gives it worth.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
22UndatedDon't worry, my son, if you don't believe in Maribor and the blessings He provides. Belief in Him isn't a requirement. It doesn't stop Him from believing in you. (capital H's added for reverence)Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
23UndatedI just never noticed how little of me existed before. I was a shadow without a person.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
24UndatedTake my advice: live your life to the fullest. Breathe the air, taste the wine, kiss the girls, and always remember that the tales of another are never as wondrous as your own.Michael J. Sullivan / quote ↗
