"“That’s…that’s magic.” “Pretty cool, isn’t it? If I had more time, I’d tell you how it worked.” “He would,” Lena said. “Even if you ask him to stop.”"

"“Are you a doctor?” “Better. I’m a librarian.”"

"“Hey, I’m just playing devil’s advocate.” “Since when did the devil need your help?”"

"Young Isaac had dreamed of fame. Young Isaac was an idiot."

"“This is the worst excess of conjecture and wishful thinking,” snapped Jackson. “We don’t know if Isaac is capable of any of this.” “He believes he is,” said Bi Wei. “I once met a woman who believed she was abducted by aliens who looked like the Teletubbies,” Jackson shot back. “That doesn’t make it true.”"

"“What are you doing?” asked Nicola. “Making sure I know what I’m doing.” “Better late than never,” Lena murmured."

"In short, Fahrenheit 451 was never meant to be an instruction manual."

"History is the world’s most egotistical gossip."

"Those forced to make impossible choices are rarely loved. If it’s approval and reputation you care about, then you have no place here."

"The hotel offered a complimentary continental breakfast. My first thought upon seeing it was rather less than complimentary."

"We all know Pastor Tom Briggs is a walking skidmark in a bad suit, and his congregation is a stain on Christians everywhere…. Freedom of speech is easy when it’s speech we approve of. The true test of freedom is what we do when people like Briggs and his ilk mount their soapboxes and and show their asses to the world. Fortunately, freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from mockery and other consequences."

"In the words of a coworker, my give-a-shit gauge was stuck on Empty these days."

"“Do you, um, happen to have a copy of that Wells novel here?” “Priorities,” Lena whispered. Right. The end of the world took precedence over an unpublished H. G. Wells. Barely."

"I had said before that all stories were magic. It had never occurred to me that all magic was stories."

"The nice thing about people like Jellybean Man was that I knew exactly where I stood. There was no subtlety, no subterfuge or second-guessing. It was a refreshing change from talking to politicians."

"Modern fantasy is little more than juvenile escapism and anachronistic longing for a time that never existed. I’ve never understood the appeal."

"No plan survives the first encounter with your enemy, so why bother to make one?"

"Jig had never worried about pursuing his destiny. Generally, destiny pursued him. Then it knocked him down and kicked him a few times for good measure."

"No night is so dark, no situation so dire, but the intervention of the gods cannot make it worse."

"The royal children have skulls of granite, it’s true, but they come by that honestly."

"Unfortunately for you, ignorance makes a poor shield."

"He seemed to think that killing was something to be done only as a last resort. It was a strange philosophy, one that would take some getting used to."

"What do I do? Tymalous Shadowstar didn’t answer. Hello? A little help would be nice. Still nothing. It figured. There was never a god around when you needed one."

"Despite common belief, the goblin language did include a word for trust. It was derived from the word for trustworthy, which in the goblin tongue, was the same as the word for dead."

"Maybe this was why gods stayed on another plane of existence. If they stayed here in the mortal world, their followers would be too tempted to punch them in the face."

"Madmen in the noble line are as common as rat turds in the grain shed."

"He hoped he hadn’t killed the guard. He had come here to help the goblins. Though eliminating some of the stupider guards might be construed as helping. He would have to think about that later."

"Plans were for adventurers. He preferred the goblin approach. Blind panic might not work all the time, but at least it saved you the stress of planning."

"The difference between a Hero and an ordinary man is that when the ordinary man comes upon a flaming death swamp full of venomous dragon snakes, he turns around and goes home. The Hero strips down and goes for a swim."

"There were always people eager for attention who were happy to confirm whatever explanation the reporters wanted, so long as he gave them their fifteen minutes of fame."

"“Damn, Boss. See, this is why everyone likes it better when you’re away on your road trips.” “Don’t call me Boss. Also, staff meeting upstairs in the Wheeler room in 30 minutes.” “That’s cold, Boss. What did we do to deserve that?” “Keep it up, and I’ll make you sit through a PowerPoint presentation.” He raised his hands in surrender. “Cruel and unusual punishment.”"

"Keep your enemies close, but your friends closer. That way your friends are between you and your enemies."

"If there ever comes a day when I deliberately embrace ignorance, I’ll have lived one day too long."

"“Everywhere I go, I meet men like him,” Riana muttered. “Follow them into Straum’s lair or let them toss me into the dungeons. They offer you a choice between hells and expect you to thank them for it.”"

"Jig’s life would be much simpler if she were dead. That more than anything else, convinced him she was still alive."

"“Once in a while I get a kid in from the student agency to do some heavy cleaning. You’d be amazed how efficient budding sociologists and historians can be.”"

"We are grateful to Mr. Keith for writing this wonderful story of the childhood of Will Rogers and for consenting to have it reprinted. Since the research was done in 1936, Keith was able to personally interview the folks who knew my father best and that makes this biography truly unique. We are especially glad this book will again be in schools and libraries so that it can be read and enjoyed by generations who were not lucky enough to know my Dad."

"The fact was that, while Misty was moral, Vincent was good. Watching him sleep it was revealed to Misty that the good do not necessarily have to maintain morality: they were born with it, while people like Misty, who were not good, had to strive mightily for goodness. That was what a moral system was: it helped you be good when you weren’t very nice."

"A wizard am I, whom many dread, With power like a God. So come with me to yonder bed, And see my mighty rod."

"My father would have loved this book as Mr. Keith interviewed every person who was important in Dad's life and then wove their memories of him into a story that is timeless and easily read."

"Bud Wilkinson was a big, blond, articulate man with a soft, modulated voice and a smile that would charm the birds out of the trees. When he was standing talking with somebody, he would sometimes shuffle his feet, bob his head, and, clasping his hands in front of him, rub them softly together. You felt comfortable in his presence and drawn to him even before you were introduced."

"They went outside to watch the new day dawn. Although the land lay hidden in dark shadow, the tops of the river cottonwoods glowed with a fiery beauty. Yellow leaves floated down the ebony surface of the river. All around them the hundreds of tipis sat dewy and still, their occupants slumbering. They reminded Pedro of ducks on a pond, heads under their wings. Even the dogs slept. Sound carried tenfold in the cool, dry air. A man with a rope in his hands was walking solitary and silent to the herding grounds to tend to his horses. Although he was almost an arrow shoot away, the gentle thup, thup, thup of his moccasins striking the frosty buffalo grass carried plainly to their ears. Together, they watched the dull lodge skins on their tipi assume an orange cast. Pedro thought, few things are prettier than the east side of a tipi at dawn."

"A glad look came into the old man's eyes. "Throw yore gear right thar in thet south bedroom," he invited, pointing to its door. "It's all yores," he added. "Purty cool in thar. You can look out the west window into the pony pasture an' see yore hoss. Then come on in the dinin' room. Tonia's gittin' supper ready.""

"The boy felt happy and excited. He liked the sweet air and the delightful chill of it at night no matter what the daytime heat had been. He would never forget his feeling of enchantment the previous afternoon when, seated on the prairie with a plate of food, he kept seeing the sky in all directions beneath his horse's belly no matter where the animal grazed around him. He was exhilarated by the lonely magnificence of the country, and the sense of freedom it inspired. It was like being in a boat on the ocean with no land in sight."