Hannah M. Lynn > Quotes

“Perhaps all monsters are born. Then again, perhaps it is just a way of hiding the darkness we all carry within us. A darkness we force ourselves to keep hidden from the world for we can barely imagine what terrible misdoings would occur if we were to let that darkness grow. Because the truth that we all know is this. Darkness grows.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child

“I do not know wars, but I know of battles. Battles waged in my family’s name when my first suitor came calling when I was just eight. Battles I waged when I refused to let men’s hands wander where they felt they had a right to, or when I refused to follow them on a walk, down a path or into an olive grove. I know of the battles I have waged as I stood in a marketplace and demanded that men look not at my breasts, or my eyes, or my legs but at the fruit which I was selling. These were not battles of blood, it is true, but they are battles. Battles that I have fought and won.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child

“Then again, perhaps it is just a way of hiding the darkness we all carry within us. A darkness we force ourselves to keep hidden from the world for we can barely imagine what terrible misdoings would occur if we were to let that darkness grow. Because the truth that we all know is this. Darkness grows.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child

“One is not worth more than the other. Men are not more worthy. Fathers are not more worthy. Do you think a god would be here defending a girl who had killed her father? Of course not. She would be hanged, or worse.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, A Spartan's Sorrow

“Since when did truth play a part in gossip?”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child

“Talented with both sword and bow, she could loose two arrows mere moments apart and still hit targets some distance from one another with perfect accuracy. Her arms rippled with muscle as if carved by the hand of a god. Her long hair, worn in a single braid down her back and so dark it was almost black, was a vivid contrast to the azure of her eyes and the curvature of her pink lips.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“I fucked up. I really fucked up”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Peas, Carrots and an Aston Martin

“We have come here today for justice. Murder, matricide—these are bleak words and true ones. But there are other truths, too, such as the loyalty that a man would show to a god. The suffering he would endure for him. For eight years, Orestes ignored the will of the gods, to try and protect his mother from a fate that he had not decided, that he did not want. “In our darkest moments, we should recognise not just what has been lost, but who continues to stand beside us. Orestes arrived here in the company of a god, a sister and a friend, and their devotion is unquestionable. Love like that does not come from fear or coercion. He is not an evil man. His deeds were not entirely of his own volition. And, despite everything, I believe his love for his mother remained true to the end. Which is why, in my final ruling on the matter, I find him … not guilty.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, A Spartan's Sorrow

“Do not worry yourself. My Queen knows what she is doing,” Theseus shouted. It was the first time he had called her this, at least in Athens, and it felt so natural. She was his Queen, and this acknowledgement, along with the wonderful horses in front of her, filled her heart.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“You? It was not you who was not enough. You were too much for him, Sister. Always too much. Too strong. Too powerful. Too smart. Too compassionate. Too brave. Too loving. He tried to knock these wonderful qualities out of you and bring you down to his level, but he could not succeed. He did not replace you because you were inadequate, my darling Sister, believe me. He replaced you because he knew you were more than he could ever live up to.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“In our darkest moments, we should recognise not just what has been lost, but who continues to stand beside us.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, A Spartan's Sorrow

“But he was not here to end a Gorgon's life, he realised with a sadness he could never have predicted. He was here to bring peace to a priestess.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child

“These people had waited on her for years. Some had looks of pity on their faces, while others seemed smug, as if enjoying another’s downfall, particularly someone with so far to drop. Then there were those who were undoubtedly relieved that they would no longer share a roof with the Oirapata.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“You want a man who can control you. Who can best you.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“She felt her knees crumbling beneath her and she reached out to him, but he let her fall.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“We are standing outside the temple of a goddess,” Tisiphone continued, still in human form. “It was not to a god that mighty Apollo came, for a solution to this problem, just as it would not have been to his father that Orestes would have gone with his troubles as a child. The goddesses, the mothers, they are the ones we turn to. And yet it is a god’s word that we have to obey, one that tells us that a man must be avenged, but not a woman.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, A Spartan's Sorrow

“My place is where I wish it to be. I have beheaded men by the hundreds, put arrows through the hearts of hundreds more. I am here, in Athens, with you, my husband, because I choose to be. And if I were to leave and kill the Minotaur then that, equally, would be my choice. You seem to have forgotten who you took as a wife, Prince Theseus.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“And you know that, long before I met you, I was already a queen and could quite easily return to that life if I find myself dissatisfied with any aspect of this one. My husband included.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“cold shiver ran down Penthesilea’s spine. It was not the first time one of their women had reported that a man had made them act irrationally, although she could not recall it ever happening to any of the those in Themiscyra. The claims came from the nomads, who roamed the land, free to meet with men whenever they chose. There was a suspicion that some lived with their men, too, at least in the colder months. It was possible they even raised their children together. It was never spoken of. But this was different. She needed to know the truth. “You love him?” The Queen hesitated before answering. “From what I know of love, I believe I may.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“What would I gain from marriage? I have no desire to extend my lands and we have everything we need right here. And I have even less desire to become a trophy for some egotistical king feeding his gout with wine and red meat while his men die in far off lands, or to be a home for his seed, while simultaneously being usurped by whores in my own bed.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“It has everything to do with me. I cannot believe this is true. I cannot believe you have fallen out of love with me. Please, Theseus.” “Your begging is repugnant to me. For someone who once used to be a warrior, I am surprised you are not disgusted at yourself.” Those were the words that she needed to hear, for he was right. She was disgusted at herself. She was disgusted that she had believed his lies and trickery and honeyed words of love. She was disgusted by this snivelling woman she had become. She was disgusted by this slothful life she had been so content to lead, away from her women and her sisters and the steppes. As she rose to her feet Theseus stepped away, sensing the shift.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“She stood lit by the dying sun, her face smeared with grime and blood, her eyes wild and wide, and yet never in all her life had Penthesilea seen a more beautiful woman.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“I came for you and to reiterate my offer.” “Your offer of marriage?” She struggled to maintain a serious look as she spoke. The anger, that had been close to boiling over, disappeared entirely, and once again, her head flew back in laughter. “You cannot possibly want me as a wife! I am not like your Greek women. You do realise that. I am not placid, agreeable, reserved, content to spend my days lounging idly in the heat, eating grapes and figs and drinking more wine than is socially acceptable. That is not a life I have any desire for.” “Then it will not be the life you will lead. Nothing needs to change. You can live as you do here. Free to ride and fish—” “And fight?” “If you so wish.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“As is the case with many young men born to greatness, I was arrogant. And arrogance always displays its most ugly side when it feels it has something to prove.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“A pochi viene concesso di scegliere il proprio nome, anche se mi piacerebbe che questa libertà fosse più frequente. Un nome non è semplicemente un insieme di suoni, ma l’identità che offriamo agli altri prima ancora di mostrare il nostro viso. I nomi portano con sé la nostra storia e le nostre origini. Aiutano a dar forma al nostro posto nel mondo.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, La regina degli inferi

“Are those temples?” Derione asked, in a hushed voice, only now noticing them. “And, if so, why do they need to be so large?” “Because they are Greek. They revel in the ostentatious. It is like shouting a prayer and expecting it to be heard more readily.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“He did not replace you because you were inadequate, my darling Sister, believe me. He replaced you because he knew you were more than he could ever live up to.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“Remember, the grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you decide to water it.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, The Sweet Shop of Second Chances

“They revel in the ostentatious. It is like shouting a prayer and expecting it to be heard more readily.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Queens of Themiscyra

“It is not a life you would have chosen for her; I understand that. One of toil and uncertainty. But what is a burden for some, is freedom for another. A snake charmer earns his living where others would find their demise. A sailor spends years at sea, when others may perish in a week. You have raised her well. Trust her.”
― Hannah M. Lynn, Athena's Child