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Half a War

by Joe Abercrombie · 2015

Words are weapons Princess Skara has seen all she loved made blood and ashes. She is left with only words. But the right words can be as deadly as any blade. She must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal… more

27 quotes ★ 4.03 (38,686) Fantasy

Quotes from the Book

Trust is like glass. Lovely, but only a fool rests lots of weight on it.
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Death waits for us all. Nothing’s forever. Life’s about making the best of what you find along the way. A man who’s not content with what he’s got, well, more than likely he won’t be content with what he hasn’t.
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A look of fury, a look of pain, a look of hatred you can trust. A smile can hide anything.
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The world is full of monsters, after all. Perhaps the best one can hope for is to have the most terrible on your side.
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Everyone finds a way to make their side the right one, after all.
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The faster you run from the past, the faster it catches you. All you can do is turn to face it. Embrace it. Try and meet the future wiser for it.
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Madmen and fools feel no fear. Heroes fear and face the danger anyway.
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A man who's not content with what he's got, well, more than likely he won't be content with what he hasn't.
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I suppose love falls where it falls.' 'Generally, one can see it toppling from afar, and make an effort to get out of the way.
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What better foundation for an alliance than mutual hatred and suspicion?
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You want to be merciful. To stand in the light. I understand it. I admire it. But, my queen...Only the victors can be merciful.
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Words are weapons. They should be handled with proper care.
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Rejoice in what you have. Power, wealth, fame, they are ghosts! They are like the breeze, impossible to hold. There is no grand destination. Every path ends at the Last Door. Revel in the sparks one person strikes from another.” She huddled into her cloak of rags. “They are the only light in the darkness of time.
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Young love is a treasure truly wasted on the young,
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Nobility is shown not by the respect one is given by the highest, but the respect one gives to the lowly.
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Modesty’s for folk with nothing to boast of.
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Life's a queue of small irritations with the Last Door at the end.
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The gods love to laugh at a happy man, however.
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He tried to tell himself the dead are dead, but he knew Jenner had been right. Their ghosts stick in the minds of those that knew them, loved them, hated them. Those that killed them most of all.
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And, almost without realizing it, respect can develop. Liking. Even love.' Laithlin's voice seemed suddenly broken. "Almost...without realizing it.
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If you judge your thoughts worth hearing, pronounce them proudly, push them to every corner of the chamber, fill the hall with your hopes and desires and make every listener share them! If you are ashamed of your thoughts, better to leave a silence.
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Aye, but do they really kneel to him, or to the elf-weapons his guards carry?” “What matters is that they kneel.” “Are fear and respect really the same?” “Of course not,” said Yarvi, walking on and leaving more of his many guards to clear away the crowd. “Respect soon blows away in a storm. Fear has far deeper roots.” Teams of
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look of fury, a look of pain, a look of hatred you can trust. A smile can hide anything.
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You are too full of your own hopes to hold anyone else's.
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For a man reckoned clever, he got wedged in a lot of stupid corners.
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She surely can cook a fight from the most peaceful ingredients. But nothing worth doing is easy. I love her in spite of it. I love her because of it. I love her.” And his face broke out in that grin again. “Every day’s a new adventure, that’s for sure.
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But I'd rather not add to my regrets. The gods know I got a queue of the bastards.
3

About Joe Abercrombie

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About the book

Words are weapons

Princess Skara has seen all she loved made blood and ashes. She is left with only words. But the right words can be as deadly as any blade. She must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal edge if she is to reclaim her birthright.

Only half a war is fought with swords

The deep-cunning Father Yarvi has walked a long road from crippled slave to king’s minister. He has made allies of old foes and stitched together an uneasy peace. But now the ruthless Grandmother Wexen has raised the greatest army since the elves made war on God, and put Bright Yilling at its head – a man who worships no god but Death.

Sometimes one must fight evil with evil

Some – like Thorn Bathu and the sword-bearer Raith – are born to fight, perhaps to die. Others – like Brand the smith and Koll the wood-carver – would rather stand in the light. But when Mother War spreads her

Book details

First published
2015
Genre
Fantasy
Goodreads rating
4.03 (39k ratings)

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