“Never allow yourself to believe you should be silent.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“You have risen from the ashes before. The only way to survive, " he said, "is to believe you always will.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“When you dream of change, it shines bright, like fire, and burns away all the rot that came before it. It's swift and inexorable. You cry for justice, and justice is done. The world stands with you in your fight. But if there was one thing I had learned in these last few weeks, it was that change had never been that simple. That kind of revolution existed only in daydreams.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“I imagined, too. And so imagination became my nemesis; my mind created monsters out of nothing.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“War has often been called a game, with good reason. Both have combatants. Both have sides. Both carry the risk of losing.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“Permission to disregard your orders, Underqueen."
"Permission not granted. Permission categorically denied.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“The only way to survive is to believe you always will.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“We like to think we’re brave, but in the end, we’re only human.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“Perhaps this is for the best,' Warden said. 'You already dwell too deep in shadows.'
'I would have gone into the shadows for you.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“Just going outside put me at risk of winding up dead or captured. If I let that daunt me, I'd never do anything.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“The wonderful thing about living in a morally bankrupt world is that every human being can be bought in one way or another. Everyone accepts a currency. Money, mercy, the illusion of power – there are always ways to purchase loyalty.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“We sat with our arms around each other, holding too tightly and not tightly enough.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“She was adamant that any organisation that labelled one group of people as evil would eventually do the same to others. That to treat any one person as less than human was to cheapen the very substance of humanity.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“The room was an hourglass that hadn't yet turned.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“We canna grieve for those who’ve gone. Not before we’ve fought to change the world that took them.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“How did you get here, then?'
'We walked,' Maria said, 'hence the "dejected snowman" look we're all modelling.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“Some people believe that if they keep their heads down and stick to their safe routine and trust that nothing bad will befall them, then it won’t. They see things happening to others, but they think they’re different; they’re special; it could never happen to them. They believe that nothing can get better, but also that nothing can get worse. They’re cowards, in one way, because they won’t fight, but they’re also brave, because they’re willing to accept their lot in life. Glupava smelost, we called it. Foolish courage.”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“Every revolution begins with breakfast,’ I quoted as they left. ‘Is this your revolution, Jaxon?”
― Samantha Shannon, quote from The Song Rising
“My dad once told me that women know things that men don't. That sometimes they have a certain look in their eyes, but when you see it, you should never ask them what they're thinking. If you do they might tell you something you don't want to hear.”
― Joseph Delaney, quote from Revenge of the Witch
“Knowing the truth is not always a kindness.”
― Rosamund Hodge, quote from Cruel Beauty
“Josephine!"
A stentorian bellow shook the candles in their sconces.
Unconsciously, Amy grabbed Richard’s arm, looking about anxiously for the source of the roar. About the room, people went on chatting as before.
"Steady there." Richard patted the delicate hand clutching the material of his coat. "It’s just the First Consul."
Snatching her hand away as though his coat were made of live coals, Amy snapped, "You would know."
"Josephine!"
The dreadful noise repeated itself, cutting off any further remarks. Out of an adjoining room charged a blur of red velvet, closely followed by the scurrying form of a young man. Amy sidestepped just in time, swaying on her slippers to avoid toppling into Lord Richard.
The red velvet came to an abrupt stop beside Mme Bonaparte’s chair. "Oh. Visitors."
Once still, the red velvet resolved into a man of slightly less than medium height, clad in a long red velvet coat with breeches that must once have been white, but which now bore assorted stains that proclaimed as clearly as a menu what the wearer had eaten for supper.
"I do wish you wouldn’t shout so, Bonaparte." Mme Bonaparte lifted one white hand and touched him gently on the cheek.
Bonaparte grabbed her hand and planted a resounding kiss on the palm. "How else am I to make myself heard?" Affectionately tweaking one of her curls, he demanded, "Well? Who is it tonight?"
"We have some visitors from England, sir,"his stepdaughter responded. "I should like to present…" Hortense began listing their names. Bonaparte stood, legs slightly apart, eyes hooded with apparent boredom, and one arm thrust into the opposite side of his jacket, as though in a sling.
Bonaparte inclined his head, looked down at his wife, and demanded, "Are we done yet?"
Thwap!
Everyone within earshot jumped at the sound of Miss Gwen’s reticule connecting with Bonaparte’s arm.
"Sir! Take that hand out of your jacket! It is rude and it ruins your posture. A man of your diminutive stature needs to stand up straight."
Something suspiciously like a chuckle emerged from Lord Richard’s lips, but when Amy glanced sharply up at him, his expression was studiedly bland.
A dangerous hush fell over the room. Flirtations in the far corners of the room were abandoned. Business deals were dropped. The non-English speakers among the assemblage tugged at the sleeves of those who had the language, and instant translations began to be whispered about the room – suitably embellished, of course.
"It’s an assassination attempt!" a woman next to Amy cried dramatically, swooning back into the arms of an officer who looked as though he didn’t quite know what to do with her, but would really be happiest just dropping her.
"No, it’s not, it’s just Miss Gwen," Amy tried to explain.
Meanwhile, Miss Gwen was advancing on Bonaparte, backing him up so that he was nearly sitting on Josephine’s lap. "While we are speaking, sir, this habit you have of barging into other people’s countries without invitation – it is most rude. I will not have it! You should apologise to the Italians and the Dutch at the first opportunity!"
"Mais zee Italians, zey invited me!" Bonaparte exclaimed indignantly.
Miss Gwen cast Bonaparte the severe look of a governess listening to substandard excuses from a wayward child.
"That may well be," she pronounced in a tone that implied she thought it highly unlikely. "But your behaviour upon entering their country was inexcusable! If you were to be invited to someone’s home for a weekend, sirrah, would you reorganise their domestic arrangements and seize the artwork from their walls? Would you countenance any guest who behaved so? I thought not."
Amy wondered if Bonaparte could declare war on Miss Gwen alone without breaking his peace with England. "So much for the Peace of Amiens!" she started to whisper to Jane, but Jane was no longer beside her.”
― Lauren Willig, quote from The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“Greg accepted this with some incredulity, then his eyes widened at the ramifications of what she was saying. “Then, I’m your birthday gift?”
She nodded slowly, then tilted her head, and said, “That’s an odd smile. What are you thinking?”
Greg was thinking he was the luckiest son of a bitch alive as his mind automatically readjusted his earlier imaginings of a large, ugly woman stripping and climbing on top of him, to this woman doing so. He allowed himself to enjoy the fantasy for a moment, but then realized that his body was enjoying it way too much, a noticeable bulge was growing in his pants. He gave his head a shake.
-Gregg & Lissianna”
― Lynsay Sands, quote from A Quick Bite
“I’m a complicated man, with complicated taste buds.”
― Barry Lyga, quote from I Hunt Killers
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