124
" There's a song that I hear at the back of my heart that I feared for so long, when I sensed you were there. And I think of those times when you crept into my dreams and I thought you a threat to curse my sweet king. But it was the boy in your belly that whispered to mine, and even before that, you lived in my spirit.
Because I think of those times when I was a child. I prayed to the gods and I begged for a sign. I know that they sent you, despite the blood of all those you loved shed at the hands of my kin. For you were the one who found him in exile and though it took time, you led Froi to his home.
And you've sent me this trinket that hardened my heart, because I wanted your words and a sign of true peace. But I’ve opened it now after all these long weeks, and Froi stares at it, speechless, when I hold out my hand. And we see it before us, our spirits shaking. The brilliance of color: the same ruby ring.
Oh, you’ve outdone me twice now, you queen of forgiveness. The ring’s a promise of peace, and I’m greedy with hope. It’s a song that we sing in a tongue that we share. And though you say it’s a gift from a king to a king, I say it’s a sign from a queen to a queen. "
― Melina Marchetta , Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, #3)
126
" The ruthless, in the end, are the ones that will succeed.Those not held down by moral, by law, by emotion will triumph.Ruthlessness is the father of victory.Ruthlessness brings victory, but it also brings pain. The loss on one’s own hands and at the hands of others will burden one forever. But pain, too, is an advantage. Pain is a driving force. Pain can incinerate worlds.Pain creates drive, but it will take its toll.The victory that it brings lasts for a while, but the loss lasts forever.Loss without victory brings bitterness.Bitterness has advantages as well.Bitterness always remembers.Bitterness is the father of vengeance.But while it can lead to vengeance, it can also lead to self-destruction.Ruthlessness, pain, and bitterness are dangerous.If you are not careful, they will betray you. If you are not careful, they can very well destroy you.But to the shrewd, even this can be made an opportunity.Even ruin has its benefits.When ruination is at hand, there is nowhere to go but higher.Ruination is a chance for rebirth.Rebirth is a chance to correct old mistakes.Rebirth is a chance to destroy your enemy forever. "
138
" The black mother perceives destruction at every door, ruination at each window, and even she herself is not beyond her own suspicion. She questions whether she loves her children enough- or more terribly, does she love them too much? Do her looks cause embarrassment- or even terrifying, is she so attractive her sons begin to desire her and her daughters begin to hate her. If she is unmarried, the challenges are increased. Her singleness indicates she has rejected or has been rejected by her mate. Yet she is raising children who will become mates. Beyond her door, all authority is in the hands of people who do not look or think or act like her children. Teachers, doctors, sales, clerks, policemen, welfare workers who are white and exert control over her family’s moods, conditions and personality, yet within the home, she must display a right to rule which at any moment, by a knock at the door, or a ring in the telephone, can be exposed as false. In the face of this contradictions she must provide a blanket of stability, which warms but does not suffocate, and she must tell her children the truth about the power of white power without suggesting that it cannot be challenged. "
― Maya Angelou , The Heart of a Woman