One side effect of reading a lot of fantasy (and comedy) is that I sometimes stumble upon quotes that really make me stop and think about what I thought I knew about life.
Usually they’re funny … or in my case they are, at least. Sometimes they’re just introspective. Always, though, they smack you over the head with their palm and say, “Did you not ever stop and think of that?” No, Sir Book Quote, I had not. That has duly been rectified and now it’s all I can think about and gosh I wasn’t ready for that, either!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is book quotes that fit a certain theme. I chose this one because I read a lot of books, both funny and otherwise, that have passages that make me go hmmm.
Which are the best sorts of passages. Especially if they make you laugh at the same time! I wouldn’t expect quotes that are too deep in this post, since I’m feeling in a bit of a silly mood. But hopefully they make you stop and wonder a little at what you assumed to be true, too!
Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt
That I exist in the minds of other people is an everyday waking nightmare. The fact that there is a version of me, filtered through your perception, that I have no access to and is inaccurate in ways I will never know, fills me with such dread I can barely breathe. Who gave you permission to think about me? Because I did not. If I had my way, my existence in this universe would be like that of the mathematical formula for the volume of a sphere. Something fascinating to learn about in the moment, but then never thought of again.
Swordheart
“Farms are far more alarming places than I realized,” said Zale.
“You should see when it’s time to slaughter the chickens.”
“I pray you, do not tell me about the running around with the head cut off. I am aware that they do that, and I would like to not think about it ever again.”
“See, I just kill humans,” said Sarkis. “And once I kill them, they don’t run around or anything. That’s civilized.”
“You should see when it’s time to slaughter the chickens.”
“I pray you, do not tell me about the running around with the head cut off. I am aware that they do that, and I would like to not think about it ever again.”
“See, I just kill humans,” said Sarkis. “And once I kill them, they don’t run around or anything. That’s civilized.”
Death Warden
“I am Mistress Pirott. The students call me ‘the parrot’ behind my back because of my longness of nose and shrillness of voice. I care nothing about this. Both are facts, and there is no shame in them. Should the history books one day report that Mistress Pirott, history teacher at Saint Priscilla’s Academy, is long of nose and shrill of voice, I shall rejoice in my grave, for the truth has been preserved. And if such a little truth can be preserved, how much more confidence can we have in the larger ones?”
The Midnight Library
The paradox of volcanoes was that they were symbols of destruction but also life. Once the lava slows and cools, it solidifies and then breaks down over time to become soil – rich, fertile soil.
She wasn’t a black hole, she decided. She was a volcano. And like a volcano she couldn’t run away from herself. She’d have to stay there and tend to that wasteland.
She could plant a forest inside herself.
She wasn’t a black hole, she decided. She was a volcano. And like a volcano she couldn’t run away from herself. She’d have to stay there and tend to that wasteland.
She could plant a forest inside herself.
The Gilded Wolves
Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by gilded wolves. And for whatever reason, it made him feel perfectly at home. Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war. Not that Séverin was complaining. It was just that, like other wolves, he wanted his share.
The Extraordinaries
For the most part, he’d accepted that some people were born to be Extraordinaries, and some people were born to be medicated so they didn’t spin out of control. Fair? Not really, but Nick was learning that his brain could do things that others couldn’t. In a way, he had his own superpower, even if it was called a disorder.
Exit Strategy
I was having an emotion, and I hate that. I’d rather have nice safe emotions about shows on the entertainment media; having them about things real-life humans said and did just led to stupid decisions.
A Time of Blood
“Each small step taken for a greater good, and then before you know it, you have walked a thousand leagues from where you used to be. And how do you return to that place, return to the person you were? Or if you cannot do that, how do you become the person that you wish to be?”
The Last Human
Not so many years ago, Shenya the Widow was a void-cold killer. And as hobbies—no, passions—go, it was extraordinarily fulfilling. Hunt all night, feast at dawn, take one’s pick of the choicest males before the long day’s sleep … oh yes. She still fantasizes about it—though, sadly, fantasy is all she has left. This is because Shenya the Widow has been conquered, mind and body, by an ancient and terrible force.
Motherhood.
Motherhood.
The House in the Cerulean Sea
“I am but paper. Brittle and thin. I am held up to the sun, and it shines right through me. I get written on, and I can never be used again. These scratches are a history. They’re a story. They tell things for others to read, but they only see the words, and not what the words are written upon. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. I am parched parchment. I have lines. I have holes. Get me wet, and I melt. Light me on fire, and I burn. Take me in hardened hands, and I crumple. I tear. I am but paper. Brittle and thin.”
I love that quote from The House in the Cerulean Sea!
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: LGBT+ Book Quotes
It was such a quotable book!
Ah Murderbot, so incredibly quotable! And I love the one from The Midnight Library a lot! Great list! I really liked this weeks topic!
Thank you! I’ve enjoyed seeing what quotes everyone chose. Murderbot is definitely an easy one to pull quotes from. The hardest part is always choosing which quotes!
I think I’m going to have to start in on Murderbot asap!
You definitely should! It’s a fabulous series.
I love that one from The Gilded Wolves.
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #317
That book has so many wonderful quotes!
Great quotes! I love that you have TWO T.J. Klune quotes here. And also, that quote from The Midnight Library tells me that I really need to bump it all the way up my TBR and pick it up ASAP!
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday ~ Non-Eurocentric SFF
Klune is so highly quotable. I could just do a TTT post with quotes from his books. xD I could probably do several of them, actually.
The Midnight Library was a good one! There were some wonky pacing issues, but it’s such a beautiful, poignant story and definitely worth a read!
Great list!! I love that quote from Exit Strategy! I think the whole book of House in the Cerulean Sea is so quotable! <3
My TTT!
Leslie recently posted…T.T.T. Romance!
It really is! Have you read Klune’s other works? I pretty much find them all extremely quotable. xD
These are fantastic! I love the Midnight Library quote a lot:-)
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Fantasy A-Z #wyrdandwonder
It was such a gorgeously written book! I recommend Haig for all sorts of uplifting, highly quotable reads.
These are amazing! I haven’t even read the books yet and these got me thinking hard!
Hasini @ bibliosini recently posted…Sunday Sum-Up #15: A Slow Week and A 5-Star Read!
Thanks! You should definitely read the books. 😉
There’s nothing like a good quote that rattles your brain. And you’ve chosen great ones. I really must read The House in the Cerulean Sea soon!
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Book Quotes That Offer Words of Advice Or Encouragement
Yes! I agree. I love quotes that leave you with plenty to think about. And you really should! It’s such a gorgeous, uplifting book. I usually sell patrons on the fact that it’s a heartwarming and funny book in a time when we can all use those kind of books. 😉
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