Home > Work > The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2)
1 " But in a time of war, knowledge made interesting friendships. Soon, the scholars and the thieves were . . . well, thick as thieves. "
― Ken Liu , The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2)
2 " We suffer because we are the grass upon which giants tread. "
3 " History is the long shadow cast by the past upon the future. Shadows, by nature, lack details. "
4 " Experience humbles. "
5 " Words and actions must be read under the guiding light of intent. "
6 " Your Highness, do not use the word 'envy' so casually when you do not know the paths others have trod on. Few women - no, few people - have the advantages you possess. If you lament that you cannot live as you like, perhaps it is because you have not tried to live as yourself at all. "
7 " Different times require different wisdom. "
8 " A poet marshals the words and phrases and stanzas for the purpose of moving the listener’s heart; an engineer marshals components and devices and effects for the purpose of changing the world. "
9 " When you try something repeatedly and it doesn’t work, continuing along the same path would be madness. "
10 " What if the plot you think you see is but an echo of your own fears projected onto an innocent act? "
11 " Talent is like a pretty feather in the tail of a peacock, daughter. It brings joy to the powerful but only sorrow to the bird. "
12 " The dreams of the great lords of the world were built upon the blood and bones of the common people. "
13 " A piece of jade wrapped in a dust rag remains a piece of jade,” said Zomi. “But dog turds wrapped in silk will still stink up the room. "
14 " What courage it took for the starving and the poor to continue the mere act of existence, of survival, of endurance. Such quiet acts of heroism were not celebrated, and yet they made up the foundation of civilization, far more than all the honorable sentiments of the Ano sages and the pretty words of the nobles. "
15 " Great lords—whether mortal or immortal—do what they do because their concerns are not ours. We suffer because we are the grass upon which giants tread. "
16 " True courage is to insist on seeing when all around you is darkness. "
17 " Scholarship required the sharpening of bright minds against other bright minds, "
18 " a learned man should not make those craving knowledge run after him! "
19 " There was little logic to the men’s reasoning, but sometimes logic was not as important as belief. "
20 " Crowds were delicate things. Sometimes all it took was a single example for a loose flock of sheep to turn into a wolfish mob. "
