Quotes from The Lantern Bearers

Rosemary Sutcliff ·  307 pages

Rating: (1.8K votes)


“It may be that the night will close over us in the end, but I believe that morning will come again. Morning always grows out of the darkness, though maybe not for the people who saw the sun go down. We are the Lantern Bearers, my friend; for us to keep something burning, to carry what light we can forward into the darkness and the wind.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“Why should a deserter take the trouble to light Rutupiae Beacon?” Aquila demanded, and his voice sounded rough in is own ears.

“Maybe in farewell, maybe in defiance. Maybe to hold back the dark for one more night.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“The wind blustered in from the sea, setting the horses’ manes streaming sideways, and the gulls wheeled mewing against the blue-and-grey tumble of the sky; and Aquila, riding a little aside from the rest as usual, caught for a moment from the wind and the gulls and the wet sand and the living, leaping power of the young red mare under him, something of the joy of simply being alive that he had taken for granted in the old days.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed horribly lonely, and there was a small aching need in him for somebody to notice, even if they were not glad, that he had come home.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“For a moment they stood looking at each other in the firelight, while the old harper still fingered the shining strings and the other man looked on with a gleam of amusement lurking in his watery blue eyes. But Aquila was not looking at him. He was looking only at the dark young man, seeing that he was darker even than he had thought at first, and slightly built in a way that went with the darkness, as though maybe the old blood, the blood of the People of the Hills, ran strong in him. But his eyes, under brows as straight as a raven's flight-pinions, were not the eyes of the little Dark People, which were black and unstable and full of dreams, but a pale clear grey, lit with gold, that gave the effect of flame behind them.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers



“So Aquila took his father’s service upon him. It wasn’t as good as love; it wasn’t as good as hate; but it was something to put into the emptiness within him; better than nothing at all.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“Quietness rose within Aquila, easing his wild unrest as the salve was cooling the smart of his gashed side. But that was always the way with Brother Ninnias-- the quietness, the sense of sanctuary, were things that he carried with him.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


“I sometimes think that we stand at sunset,' Eugenus said after a pause. 'It may be that the night will come close over us in the end, but I believe that morning will come again. Morning always grows again out of the darkness, though maybe not for the people who saw the sun go down. We are the Lantern Bearers, my friend; for us to keep something burning, to carry what light we can forward into the darkness and the wind.”
― Rosemary Sutcliff, quote from The Lantern Bearers


About the author

Rosemary Sutcliff
Born place: in West Clandon, Surrey, The United Kingdom
Born date December 14, 1920
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Popular quotes

“Soon, droves of children start to show up, keeping us rather busy. We start tallying up the number of Trolls, Batmans, Lego men, and princesses we see. The most popular costume? Batman and Superwoman with the fabrics and accessories varying from child to child. But my favorite so far is the girl who dressed as Little Debbie, but then again, I may be biased.

“I think she might be my new favorite,” Emma says as a little girl dressed as a nurse walks away.

“That’s because you’re a nurse, but you can’t play favorites,” I say, reminding Emma of the rules.

She levels with me. “This coming from the guy whose favorite child was dressed as Little Debbie.”

“Come on.” I lean back in my chair and motion to my head. “She had the rim of blue on her hat. That’s attention to detail.”

“And good fucking parenting,” Tucker chimes in, and we clink our beer bottles together.

Amelia chuckles next to me as Emma shakes her head. “Ridiculous. What about you, Amelia? What costume has been your favorite so far?”

“Hmm, it’s been a tough competition. There has been some real winning costumes and some absolute piss-poor ones.” She shakes her head. “Just because you put a scarf around your neck and call yourself Jack Frost doesn’t mean you dressed up.”

“Ugh, that costume was dumb.”

“It shouldn’t be referred to as a costume, but that’s beside the point.” I like how much Amelia is getting into this little pretend competition. She’s a far cry from the girl who first came home earlier. I love that having Tucker and Emma over has given me more time with Amelia, getting to know the woman she is today, but also managed to put that beautiful smile back on her face.

“So who takes the cake for you?” I ask, nudging her leg with mine.

Smiling up at me, she says, “Hands down it’s the little boy who dressed as Dwight Schrute from The Office. I think I giggled for five minutes straight after he left. That costume was spot on.”

“Oh shit, you’re right,” I reply as Emma and Tucker agree with me. “He even had the watch calculator.”

“And the small nose Dwight always complains about.” Emma chuckles. “Yeah, he has to be the winner.”

“Now, now, now, let’s not get too hasty. Little Debbie is still in the running,” Tucker points out.

Amelia leans forward, seeming incredibly comfortable, and says, “There is no way Little Debbie beats Dwight. Sorry, dude.”

The shocked look on Tucker’s face is comical. He’s just been put in his place and the old Amelia has returned.

I fucking love it.”
― Meghan Quinn, quote from The Other Brother


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― Min Jin Lee, quote from Pachinko


“Actually, it’s kind of a love story.”
― Ruth Emmie Lang, quote from Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance


“Standing to leave, he looked at her one last time, hating her and loving her just the same. She was yet another thing tying him to the city, his duty to her like a straitjacket holding him against his will. A locked box he couldn’t find a way out of.”
― Lisa Maxwell, quote from The Last Magician


“اللزوم البرهاني ((وضع النفس فى موضع الآخرين من أجل فهم أفضل لوجهة نظرهم))”
― Luc Ferry, quote from A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living


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