27
" Even Dad likes it," said Caddy, and her father agreed that he did. In a way. Being a broad-minded, tolerant, artistic sort of person. Or so people told him..." Oh, yes?" said Saffron, rolling her eyes." Yes," said Bill, sounding a little bit peeved. " So you thank your lucky stars, my girl, because in some families you would have come home to very big trouble! A nose stud! At your age! If you come down with blood poisoning, don't blame me! "
30
" It seems to me, that you people spend a great deal of time talking about honour, but strip away the high sounding words and you are no different from any other race. Family? Has Priam not killed wayward sons? When a king dies do his sons not go to war with one another to succeed him? Men speak of how you reacted to your father's death. They say it was amazing, for you did not order your little brother's execution. Your race thrives on blood and death, Helikaon. Your ships raid the coasts of other nations, stealing slaves, burning and plundering. Warriors brag of how many men they have killed, and women they have raped. Almost all of your kings either seized their thrones with swords and murder, or are children of men who seized power with swords and murder. So put all this talk of honour to one side. "
― David Gemmell , Shield of Thunder (Troy, #2)
33
" Come on. I know you're not a stupid man.'
'I'm quite stupid. Ask anyone.'
'Finbar, are there superheroes living among us?'
Finbar snorted with laughter and Kenny started to feel a little thick. 'Superheroes? In tights and capes, flying around? If there were superheroes, Mr. Journalist, don't you think they'd be in New York or somewhere like that? There's not that many tall buildings for Spiderman to swing from in Dublin, you know? He'd have maybe two good swings and then hang there looking disappointed.'
'These people don't wear tights and capes, Finbar.'
'So they're naked superheroes? That's grand for now, but when the good weather is over they're going to regret it.'
'They look like us. They dress like us. But they're not like us. They're different.'
'You,' Finbar said. 'Are sounding very racist right now. "
― Derek Landy , Death Bringer (Skulduggery Pleasant, #6)
34
" The dilemma for women who love to write may not have so much to do with finding the elusive literary voice, as with being reluctant to use the one that's already lurking inside, just waiting for the chance to speak up. Many of us, especiall,y those from the generations taught to be good, accommodating girls, are afraid of sounding too strong, too loud, too unconventional, or simply too much like the self we're afraid to reveal to the world. Most of us have at least an inkling of what form our writing voice should take, if only we might find the courage to reveal it. "
― Nava Atlas , The Literary Ladies' Guide to the Writing Life
35
" As most of us know, the proper attitude toward ourselves is called “good self-esteem.” But self-esteem is
an art. An art of balance. A balance between thinking too little of ourselves, and thinking too much of
ourselves.
The name for thinking too much of ourselves is “egotism.”
So, how do we adopt the proper attitude toward our gifts—speaking of them honestly, humbly,
gratefully—without sounding egotistical? Just this: the more you see your own gifts clearly, the more you
must pay attention to the gifts that others have. The more sensitive you become to how unusual you are, the
more you must become sensitive to how unusual those around you are. The more you pay attention to
yourself, the more you must pay attention to others. The more you ponder the mystery of You, the more you
must ponder the mystery of all those you encounter, every loved one, every friend, every acquaintance,
every stranger.
Self-esteem is an art. It is the art of balance. A balance between thinking too little of ourselves, and
thinking too much of ourselves. But we can only think too much of ourselves if we lose sight of others.
Look at yourself, but equally look at them—with wonder.
That is the proper attitude we all should set as our goal. "
― , What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
36
" Oh, magic hour when a child first knows it can read printed words! For quite a while, Francie had been spelling out letters, sounding them and then putting the sounds together to mean a word. But, one day, she looked at a page and the word " mouse" had instantaneous meaning. She looked at the word, and a picture of a gray mouse scampered through her mind. She looked further and when she saw " horse," she heard him pawing the ground and saw the sun glint on his glossy coat. The word " running" hit her suddenly and she breathed hard as though running herself. The barrier between he individual sound of each letter and the whole meaning of the word was removed and the printed word meant a thing at one quick glance. She read a few pages rapidly and almost became ill with excitement. She wanted to shout it out. She could read! She could read!From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came to adolescence and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On that day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived. "
37
" If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. "
39
" The winds and seas, the powers of water and earth an light, all that these do, and all that the beasts and green things do, is well done, and rightly done. All these act within the Equilibrium. From the hurricane and the great whale's sounding to the fall of a dry leaf and the gnat's flight, all they do is done within the balance of the whole. But we, insofar as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility. "
― Ursula K. Le Guin , The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3)