"“You are a most vexing young woman, you know.” But his face bore a slight, whimsical smile. “I know,” she replied, feeling her own mouth curve into a matching expression. He blew out a breath. “As your brother, I could forbid you to go. But you and I both know that, even if I did so, you would do whatever you wish regardless. I suppose I have no choice but to accede to your request.”"

"“I am a weak man, Cousin,” he replied. “It was my weakness that led to my poverty, and brought me to Mars, and prompted me to steal that egg.” He gave a rueful grin. “It would be inconsistent for me to display any strength of character now.”"

"I do not pretend to understand how gears and levers can bring forth consciousness, sir, but it certainly appears that somehow they have."

"She was deeply concerned about Richardson’s abilities in this area. The man was plainly more interested in maintaining his own authority than he was in the actual running of the ship."

"If only things were not as they are, she reflected, they would certainly be different."

"That they cannot see beyond that limited horizon is the fault of society."

"Do not underestimate the importance of personal resentment in even the largest decisions."

"“It is a difficult question.” “All of the most interesting questions are difficult.”"

"Princes and Admirals, she thought, did not seem to be subject to the same rules as the rest of society."

"He took one step away, then turned back. “A kiss for luck?” Arabella’s hesitation before complying was, upon reflection, rather indecently brief."

"His eyes, as she had noted before, betrayed a keen intelligence but no emotion whatsoever—they might have been the eyes of some ancient tortoise, one who had seen a thousand empires rise and fall and cared nothing for any of them."

"The man could be frightfully keen...except when he was utterly obtuse."

"Although I believe he is personally profiting from the proceedings, I hope that an appeal to his honor as a gentleman may bear fruit."

"“The loan of a jacket is little hardship,” Fox replied mildly. “I retain my shirt, waistcoat, trousers, and much else besides. Truly the vast difference in the quantity of fabric allocated to fashionable men and women is inexplicable."

"“My dear Mrs. Singh,” Lady Corey sighed, interrupting. “The first thing you must learn about prevarication is to reduce detail to an absolute minimum.”"

"They think the privateer’s life one of nothing but adventure, violence, evasion, and escape. But, between letters of marque, bills of lading, rosters, inventories, and plunder contracts, it involves, in fact, more paperwork than any thing else."

"How absurd, she thought, that the sight of a man’s naked breast should be more objectionable than to see him possibly blown to bits."

"Wordlessly she gestured downward, to the hidden lower limbs which seemed to hold some unearthly power over men’s minds."

"“Flog me if you wish,” she said, though her trembling hands belied her brave words. “It will not change the fact that you were wrong, and I was right!”"

"“Gambling is a wretched vice,” Lady Corey replied with a sniff. “A snare for men of weak character.”"

"I mean, sure, like all prophecy the wording is vague."

"“You didn’t do any of these things because they were necessarily good unto themselves, but because you saw them as means to shape events to serve your own ends. The entire legacy of the Matriarch is the exploitation of others like pieces in some great game.” She laughed in his face. “You can see it that way if you like. The weak usually do, if they see it at all. But you disappoint me. Despite your study of history, you fail to understand power. It’s obvious you never will...There’s really only one choice you ever have to make in any act of creation. Will you be the instrument or the artist? If you’re only now coming to realize that you’ve been a tool all your life, there’s no one to blame for it but yourself. If you don’t like that state of affairs, then act! Impose your will upon the world and walk your own path. If you don’t, you’ll just end up being a token in someone else’s game; you’ll continue to be used as they see fit. That’s how the universe works. You don’t have to like it, but you’d do well to get used to it.”... “No, maybe that’s the way the world looks once you’ve already decided to take your path. Or maybe it’s just you’re so jaded, or you’ve bought into your own delusions. I don’t know which, and I don’t care. Those aren’t the only choices: use of be used. There is more than being tyrant or servant. I reject both options and I reject you. You’ve been dead for centuries, Margda, it’s about time you accepted that.”"

"Prophecy is first and foremost a self-serving gift."

"I gave destiny a push to make it happen. You study history, so stop your pathetic whining. You know better than most that destiny happens to us, it is never something we call forth."

"There will be paperwork, no government action can occur without it, but that can come later."

"The Archetype of Man had not leaped to any false conclusions, had not mistaken Jorl for a deity. Rather, it withheld judgment until it had compiled sufficient explanation."

"It all seemed like madness, but was madness anything other than desperation blended with hope?"

"We’ve met, and it wasn’t the highlight of my being dead."

"Was all of the universe a fixed game, if one only knew where and how to look?"

"“Oh! This isn’t possible. You’re dead.” “So are you, but we’re not going to let that get in our way.”"

"Ah, self-interest at last. Despite all of our differences, of race and time and distance, we achieve commonality. I understand self-interest."

"Your sense of volition, or the lack of it, is an illusion. Everything you’ve done needed doing and was set in motion long ago. Let go of your self-pity. Your feelings in these events matter no more than a leaf’s desire to steer the wind!"

"In all the rest of my life’s wanderings, I never met another person who spoke words to rival the beauty of mathematics."

"It seems to me, that the most unlikely events almost have to happen, or life would just be dull and no one would write anything down."

"I’m not accusing you of anything, but we both have studied too much history to ignore coincidence."

"As a historian, he understood that what in hindsight were taken to be grand events really consisted of a myriad of tiny, seemingly inconsequential choices. Often as not, great moments hung on coincidences and random luck."

"There’s a part of you that insists reality follow the same parameters it always has, even here. That attachment to the way things work in the living world precludes this kind of manipulation. I, on the other hand, had the privilege of spending a good portion of time, when I was alive, in the paroxysms of my own insanity. Rather liberating, in its own way."

"“So you’re saying, people not only may not want to hear a thing that’s true, that sometimes they make sure other people can’t either?” “Yeah. Not all people, and not all the time, but yeah.”"

"“Besides, prophecies are tricky stuff. It’s only after that people recognize them as important. At the time they’re spoken most people don’t want to hear about them.” “Really? But aren’t they truth?” “Especially then. Truth is tough.” “Why? I mean, it’s the truth. It just is.” “I think that’s so, in the abstract, but none of us get to really know the abstract. We only know what we think.”"

"She hated politics and she had no patience for the ultra-serious, wide-eyed dreamers who wanted to change your world whether you wanted to live with those changes or not."

"I’m dead, Jorl. You can’t tell me what to do."

"Never rush into anything—unless into is the direction you want to go."

"He thought about spiders, twisting thread into beautiful symmetry, taming chaos with ordered nets that greeted the dawn, hung with globes of dew that caught and held cores of sunlight, and tiny images of the world."

"“I should have killed or confused you when I had the chance. You are destruction. You are corrosion. You are death to order. Family, cast him out before he infects the rest of us as he has these.” “You may speak in your own defense, Tom,” said Aunt Agatha. “She’s right, though; I embody those things.” He held out his hands, open. “I bring you change.”"

"After a moment she let go of him and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry,” she said to both of them. “Don’t be, child,” said Trixie. “Sometimes crying is the best medicine you can give yourself.” “I never cry,” Maggie said, hearing the tears in her voice, and the anger. “Crying’s for people who are helpless.” “Who told you that?” asked Trixie. “Learned it from looking around.” “Well, it’s not true. You can’t always judge by appearances. Crying’s a power tool to cleanse the soul, if you use it right. I think you used it right. Do you feel helpless?” “No,” said Maggie."

"Any established power system grows decadent over time, if there is nothing with the strength or motivation to challenge it, and if it refuses to challenge itself."

"Freedom! That belabored word! It is a big, empty word, and yet, when some experience reminds us what freedom is, how clear and particular its meaning becomes, how unspeakably sweet, and full!"

"It’s always been an exceedingly curious thing to me, just how incurious most people are about all save their own little island of time and place in the world."

"Weigh then your wealth, and judge if it’s more dear To you than life. If not, your course is clear."

"“Come on,” I said. “We have to try. The effort is utterly pointless, but inaction seems an even greater agony.”"