The collection / 30 fragments

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Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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01c. 1997 AD

We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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02c. 1997 AD

...when you go down a dark alley and you feel that tingling across the back of your neck, that's not just a bad feeling, that's a biological gift from God - the Gift of Fear...when you ignore that gift - when you go down the dark alley and say, Y'know, I'm sure it'll be okay - that's when you find real pain.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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03c. 1997 AD

And y'know what they decided the number one threat was? The destructive and disruptive capability of a small group. That's what they're worried about most...they're terrified of a small group with a committed goal.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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04c. 1997 AD

Since the moment I saw her yesterday, I've been looking through the sparkly prism of exhilaration that comes with any old flame. But now, for the first time, I'm not just seeing what I want. I'm seeing what my friend needs.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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05c. 1997 AD

Today, I don't believe in destiny. But I do believe in history...There's nothing more powerful than history...

Brad Meltzer / quote

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06c. 1997 AD

History doesn't choose individual people. History chooses everyone. Every day. The only question is: How long will you ignore the call?

Brad Meltzer / quote

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07c. 1997 AD

...history is a selection process - it chooses moments and events, and even people - it hands them a situation that they shouldn't be able to overcome, and it's in those moments, in that fight, that people find out who they are.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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08c. 1997 AD

History isn't written by the winners - it's written by everyone - it's a jigsaw of facts from contradictory sources. But every once in a while, you unearth that one original document that no one can argue with...

Brad Meltzer / quote

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09c. 1997 AD

History is simply what's behind us.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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10c. 1997 AD

...if you think the worst you'll get the worst, but if you think the best...""and then everything will blow up in your face anyway. Don't you get the punchline yet? Its the great cosmic practical joke: Knock knock, who's there? Big kick in the Ass.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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11c. 1997 AD

...can I tell you something...? I don't think you're in love with the past. I think you're scared of the future.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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12c. 1997 AD

You see, it doesn't matter if they're wrong. From 9/11 to recent shootings here in the United States, there's nothing more dangerous than a true believer on his own crazy mission.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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13c. 1997 AD

In this world, there was nothing scarier than trusting someone. But there was also nothing more rewarding.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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14c. 1997 AD

We make a great bad guy, and they all say they hate us. But at the end of every day, people want to trust us. Because we're their government. And people trust their government.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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15c. 1997 AD

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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16c. 1997 AD

In the end, one detail is unarguable: There will always be those searching for treasure. Never forget: We are a country founded on legends and myths. We love them, especially legends of treasure. Looking for treasure isn't just part of being an American, it is America.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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17c. 1997 AD

...this cryptic game of hide-and-seek is what makes it one of the greatest historical mysteries. So many of the symbols can be interpreted in so many different ways, there's always the possibility that all we're really looking at is a blank slate onto which anything can be read.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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18c. 1997 AD

Nico was wrong. The Book of Fate isn't already written. It's written every day.Some scars never heal.Then again, some do.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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19c. 1997 AD

there's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood. And understanding someone else.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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20c. 1997 AD

She wasn't tracking down her father to learn more about him. She was tracking him down to learn more about herself.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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21c. 1997 AD

The past may not hurt you, but it won't challenge you, either.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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22c. 1997 AD

The worst lies in life are the ones we tell ourselves.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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23c. 1997 AD

Indeed, to this day, I think if you blame everything on the government, you're not just wrong, you're being reckless. It's as silly as blaming everything on the Freemasons, or the Illuminati, or insert-bad-guy-here. But I do believe that someone must ask the hard questions, especially of our elected officials as well as powerful men who become members of so-called secret societies. Remember: Governments don't lie. People lie. And if you want the real story, you need to find out more about those people.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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24c. 1997 AD

No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.

Brad Meltzer / quote

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