Quotes from An Artificial Night

“Just once, I want to meet the villain in a cheerful, brightly lit room. Possibly one with kittens.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“I stared at her. "But she drugged us."

"That is no longer news, dumbass. Are you going to ask why she drugged you?"

"Allright," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Why?"

"Because, dear October, you're the most passively suicidal person I've ever met, and that's saying something. You'll never open your wrists, but you'll run headfirst into hell. You'll have good reasons. You'll have great reasons, even. And a part of you will be praying that you won't come out again.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Who would come for her?" he snarled, rallying.
Behind me, a voice shouted, "Tybalt, King of Cats. My claim precedes yours.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“How many miles to Babylon?
Three-score and ten.
Can I get there by candle-light?
Yes, there and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light,
You will get there by candle-light”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“You'd challenge me and lose. You know it, I know it, but you'd still do it. Sometimes your sense of honor confuses the hell out of me.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Children's games are stronger than you remember once you've grown up and left them behind. They're always fair, and never kind.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Never rush anyone who's personally witnessed continental drift.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Love is a powerful thing; it makes us all equals by making us briefly, beautifully human.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“If you wish to find your answers, you’ll need to begin thinking, not merely reacting.
-- Lily”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Are the fae ever sane? We live in a world that isn't there half the time. We claim that windmills are giants, and because we say it, it's true. Our lives become myth and legend, until even we can't tell what we truly are from what we're told we ought to be. How can we live that way and be considered sane? My lord was never sane, but he was my love once. He always will be, somewhere. Wherever it is that the once upon a times go when they die.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“That’s all childhood is, after all: strong arms to hold back the dark, a story to keep the shadows dancing, and a candle to mark the long journey into day.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“I am so tired of this gothic crap,” I muttered. “Just once, I want to meet the villain in a cheerful, brightly lit room. Possibly one with kittens.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Answers are bitter things, and once you get them, they’re yours and you can’t give them back. Did I want to know badly enough that I was willing to live with whatever answer she gave me?
-- Toby”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“It wasn't fair to play games with the hearts of people who loved me. And they did love me--I had to admit that, or nothing would ever make sense again.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“There’s nothing more stubborn than youth, with the possible exception of old age.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Not all the sparks that fly when the mortal lands and Faerie meet are bright ones.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“dear October, you’re the most passively suicidal person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Toby, if I say challenging him is futile, that you'll change nothing and only grant the omen you saw this morning power over you...if I say you can save your life and your heart by walking away from this, will it matter?" Part of me--most of me--wanted to say, "Yes, it would matter; please tell me to stay here. If you tell me, I'll stay." I didn't want to go. I'm not a hero; I never have been. I just do what has to be done. But when you get right down to it, isn't that the definition of hero?”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Don’t be. I went off to play the hero myself, once. I’d do it again, if I had to.” His smile turned wistful. “I’d do it all again, and I’d do it differently. When certain people wanted to walk away, well . . . it would be different. But we can’t change the past, and now I get to watch you ride away. I saw you born. I watched you grow from a confused little girl into one of my finest knights. I shouldn’t have to see you die.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Heroes never listen. That's why they're heroes.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“I didn’t want to go. I’m not a hero; I never have been. I just do what has to be done.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Because, dear October, you’re the most passively suicidal person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something. You’ll never open your wrists, but you’ll run head-first into hell. You’ll have good reasons. You’ll have great reasons, even. And part of you will be praying that you won’t come out again.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Quentin quieted and watched her for a moment, hungrily, like he was trying to memorize every detail. Maybe he was. Forever is a long time. You have to burn the edges of memory onto your heart, or they can fade, and sometimes the second loss is worse than the first one.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“It’s not that I enjoy surprising everyone I know; it’s more that I almost never know where I’m going before I actually get there.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“nestled against her, enjoying the feeling of security given by knowing someone bigger and stronger than I was would stop anything from hurting me. That’s all childhood is, after all: strong arms to hold back the dark, a story to keep the shadows dancing, and a candle to mark the long journey into day.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“I am older than you can dream, child. All things are easy to me."

"Actually, I doubt that," I said. When there's nowhere left to run, take refuge in cockiness. "I dream some pretty old dreams.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“The Luidaeg.
Something woke in me that remembered how to hope, because I recognized her as soon as I knew her name--the sea witch, Blind Michael's sister, who sent me to him in the first place. There were figures in the darkness behind her, but none of them mattered; the Luidaeg would save me if anyone could. I owed her, after all. She needed me alive to pay my debts.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“Come here, she said. "I need to hold someone, and you need to be held. It's a fair trade. Just for a little while, and then we can go on being what we are.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

“My lord was never sane, but he was my love, once. He always will be, somewhere. Wherever it is that the once upon a times go when they die.”
― Seanan McGuire, quote from An Artificial Night

About the author

Popular quotes

“When, on your dangerous mission gone,
You underrate our foes as dunces,
Be wary, not of sudden gun,
But of your partner at the dances.”
― Stanley Kunitz, quote from The Collected Poems of Stanley Kunitz

“Crafts had presumably bludgeoned his wife with a blunt instrument, severed her body into manageable pieces with the chain saw, frozen them until hard in the freezer, and then transported them to the lake-there to be reduced to little pieces by the rented wood chipper.”
― quote from The Anatomy of Evil

“Loosely translated Der schlechte Affe hasst seinen eigenen Geruch means that people are most deeply offended by moral failings that mirror their own.”
― Matt Ruff, quote from Bad Monkeys

“People are vicious. They will turn on you.”
― Elizabeth Chandler, quote from The Back Door of Midnight

“My promise is fulfilled,” he said.
“It is,” she coolly replied. “I shall be sorry to lose you as a soldier. I would be inclined to offer you a more agreeable weapon should you like to stay.”
“I am well-trained, woman, unlike most of your men,” the giant scoffed. “The weapon in my hand does not matter as much as the skill behind it.”
“I cannot disagree.” She smiled at him and handed him a few rations for his impending journey. “That should last you a day if you are careful. I would give you more, but unfortunately cannot spare anything beyond that.” She stood back from him, expecting him to take his leave, but he only stood in his place, looked down at the rations in his hand, and sighed. “If you wish to revisit your home, you are more than welcome to return to it. I shall not attempt to stop you or alert the others, as promised.”
The giant gave her a pensive look and remained in his place.
She waited for an explanation owing to his dejected looks and immobility, but received none, leading her to believe the matter of his captivity was graver than she had expected.”
― Michelle Franklin, quote from The Commander And The Den Asaan Rautu

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.