Ben Galley > Quotes

“You can't hammer in a nail with words..."
"No, but you can start a war with them.”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“I am not becoming someone different, I am simply getting to know the person I already am…”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“Hindsight is a beautiful thing, mage. The past is for the memory, the present is for the mind.”
― Ben Galley, Pale Kings

“People say a story is a window into another mind, another world. I believe they are more mirrors that windows. In them, we glimpse ourselves dressed up as the characters. And like any reflection, the truth we see can be hard to swallow.”
― Ben Galley, Chasing Graves

“For the brief moments the song lasted, it was pure joy, stirred up from deep within, in that place not a soul can find, not until it comes alive with music and laughter.”
― Ben Galley, Dead Stars - Part Two

“I’ve been shot at, hacked at, pummelled with catapult-stones, doused in flaming oil, tipped into drowning-pits, even covered by a landslide. I’ve seen every kind of violence humans know how to wreak, and I have learnt that you are creatures beyond cruel, beyond vengeful, beyond dishonest. So, yes, Knight. You are all villains in my mind.”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“What looks like magic is just science we don’t understand yet.”
― Ben Galley, Chasing Graves

“I supposed when you had immortality to waste, spending it on books wasn’t such a bad idea. I saw the sense in it. Books – at least the good sort – were doors into worlds beyond our miserable own.”
― Ben Galley, Grim Solace

“With another screech, the golem wrenched itself free of its wreckage and began to claw itself forward, trailing its ruptured spine. It was as if necromancy, not golem-magic, was pulling its strings.”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“What do you think of when we talk of magic?"
Merino scratched his head. "Rabbits in hata. Doves. Cards," he said.
"Now, that's magic. What about magick, with a k?"
"I would say you have atrocious spelling.”
― Ben Galley, Bloodrush

“Insults fade after years of use, becoming blunt like battle-weary blades. Insults rely on probing the open wounds of shame and guilt. She had neither.”
― Ben Galley, Dead Stars - Part One

“Farden, I swear to the gods, I will carry you through this door myself if you don’t hurry up!”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“People don’t like the reflection of what I am to them. I may be different, all stone and dust instead of skin and blood. But they still see themselves. Copied. Faked in stone. They see their Architect’s work in something that isn’t flesh, and they can’t help but be offended by it, scared by it. Fear breeds hate”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“Animals had purer, more ancient souls than we humans did, and for most of my life, I had privately held onto the notion that if animals ever learned to speak, they would melt our minds to shit with all the wisdom we’ve”
― Ben Galley, Grim Solace

“I feel sorry for you, Task.’
‘Don’t bother.’
‘No, not because you’ve suffered, or you’re cursed, but because you don’t realise.’
He threw her a quizzical look.
Lesky reached out a hand and placed it on his stone. He tensed, but felt nothing, just the warmth of her skin.
‘You don’t realise how human you are. All of us. Alabast, Ellia, me, Huff, even you, with a mind made out of stone. We all walk around pretendin’ we’re not broken in some way. Most spend their lives hiding it. But we are broken. And you know what? That’s fine. In fact, it’s perfect because it’s imperfect. Each crack, each blemish, each scar, whether of the skin or in the mind, they make us whole. We’re made through livin’, not by bein’ born. What we learn is what shapes us. Some choose a friendly shape, others somethin’ more jagged and sharp. That is what it means to be human, Task. We can choose. You say your master made a mistake? Made you broken? I think he made the finest golem there is. One who’s more than stone, not just some mindless machine. One who can make actually make a choice for himself. One who’s got a conscience. A heart.”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“Beware the monster behind the door, watch out for the spiders all over the floor. Be brave like your father, proud warrior and all, Something is gnawing at bones in the hall. Maybe you’ll run, or maybe you’ll fight, Maybe sleep soundly all through the night. Never you mind, now close your eyes, Pray you sleep well, not be food for the flies.”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“A cold smile hovered on his face, as a snake would smile at a group of trapped mice.”
― Ben Galley, Pale Kings

“A person who longs to change the past will only see themselves as a product of what could have been. The longing changes nothing of the present.”
― Ben Galley, Chasing Graves

“She stepped slowly back, devoid of all emotion. There was no fondness in her eyes.”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“They held firm, their courage bolstered by the powerful mage standing with them, pulsating with magick.”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“You know what seventy-five thousand florins means, lads?"
Finrig muttered absently, making a show of playing with his fingernails.
"Any clues? It means homes. Wives. Crops. An honest life ..." The look in Finrig's eyes was faraway and hopeful. His hands were now clasped as though he was praying, and he tilted his head to the Lonely Star. But the Wit has never been able to hold a straight face for long, and he was soon grinning and cackling. He winked at his crew. "And by that, lads, I mean dirty great big houses with big bastard tables laden with meat. I mean all the wine you can guzzle and all the faerie-tail you can fuck. I mean retirement, lads! At last!”
― Ben Galley, Bloodrush

“The savagery of our distant ancestors survives just beneath the surface of our civility,”
― Ben Galley, Grim Solace

“Alabast staggered over to the discarded clothes with startling accuracy, as if he had been fuelled by the alcohol. He had been considering that possibility more and more recently, and whether it was a sign to shape up. He shook the horrid thought from his head. He couldn’t get blind drunk on vegetables, exercise and a good night’s sleep.”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“Task knew all about skinbags and their money. There was pointless lunacy in the metal of coins, capable of driving a man to evil. He had often wondered why they simply didn’t manufacture more of it, and make everybody happier in the process.”
― Ben Galley, The Heart of Stone

“Have we really reached a point where prejudice is the natural state of things, and tolerance is more alien than hatred?”
― Ben Galley, Heroes Wanted: A Fantasy Anthology

“Trying to get answers from this creature was like manhandling a fat cow.”
― Ben Galley, Pale Kings

“Hundreds of miles away, in the west, a yellow dawn was breaking over an empty, snow-covered countryside. The cold morning light shone through skeletal trees, scattered patterns across winter snowdrifts. The wilderness was undulating, with rolling hills and patches of scrawny woods springing up between boulders, frozen streams, and endless snow. Apart from the drip of melting ice and the rattle of wind in the bone-like branches, not a sound could be heard.”
― Ben Galley, The Written

“Lycans were incredibly dangerous. Their massive claws and vicious teeth were matched only by their inhuman strength and lightning speed. And of course, it only took a single bite or scratch to curse you.”
― Ben Galley, The Emaneska Series Bundle

“As you can imagine I usually just end up eating my guests.”
― Ben Galley, The Emaneska Series Bundle

“What do you think of when we talk of magic?"
Merion scratched his head. "Rabbits in hats. Doves. Cards," he said.
"Now, that's magic. What about magick, with a k?"
"I would say you have atrocious spelling.”
― Ben Galley, Bloodrush