Michael G. Manning > Quotes

“Stupid never dies.”
― Michael G. Manning

“Quite a bit of his swearing was pure nautical genius.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Line of Illeniel

“The key word is shouldn’t,” he said grimly. “It isn’t a word I like to hear when it comes to battle. That word has killed more men than any other word, except perhaps one.” He waited for my inevitable question. I sighed and asked, “What word is that?” “Charge,” he replied with a smile.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Line of Illeniel

“Her face lit up happily, in that annoying way women have when they get what they want.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Blacksmith's Son

“As long as you’re my apprentice, you will owe nothing, you will accept no debts. Consider it part of your training.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Choice of Magic

“Yet we still have choices. Perhaps not good ones, and sometimes they seem insignificant, but they are still choices. At the very least every morning”
― Michael G. Manning, The Archmage Unbound

“I’m starting to think Mordecai bound you to someone’s grandmother instead of the earth, because that’s what you’re starting to sound like!” barked Harold in a slightly louder voice. “Just like my Nanna, next you’ll be complaining about your rheumatism.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Final Redemption

“The next time I think about saying ‘I’m sorry’ to someone, I should just walk up and slap them. It will be faster, and the same thing will be accomplished.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Silent Tempest

“Grieving is always a painful thing, in that nothing can be done for it. It is an illness that cannot be cured, merely shared.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Final Redemption

“The ability to destroy is the least form of power, though it is the first form that any power will take. Even an infant is able to destroy things, weak though it may be. Using your talent to build, to create, or to restore, those are the greater forms of power; and those forms require time and cultivation to mature.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Archmage Unbound

“You cry over a lost lamb, or a chicken, or a man dying, but it’s all the same. None of them want to die. The only difference is love and necessity. I kill chickens to eat, because I have to. I’ve learned not to cry over it. I cried for Blue because I loved him, not because a dog is somehow better than a chicken.” She pointed at the warden’s body. “I did not love that man at all, and we killed him out of necessity. I’ll cry no more over him than I would a chicken.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“Each of us has our own self-image, but what few realize, is that every person around us also possesses an image of us, no less real than our own. Every person close to us has a version of us in their hearts that no one else can replicate or replace.”
― Michael G. Manning, The God-Stone War

“know that its posture was called, ‘rampant’.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Blacksmith's Son

“What name do you use then, for two people who help each other?” “Why are they helping each other?” “Simply to be kind, because they like one another,” explained Daniel. “Ah,” said Garlin. “That is very rare, but when it does happen, we call those people ‘fools’.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“Accusations without evidence are merely insults.”
― Michael G. Manning, Secrets and Spellcraft

“I’m just glad I finally understand why you don’t have any friends. They’re probably scared the ugly might be contagious.”
― Michael G. Manning, Secrets and Spellcraft

“Friendship, and love…” he began, “… are unifying emotions. They bind you to others in such a way that they are no longer ‘other’; they are a part of your ‘self’. If you hurt a friend, you hurt yourself.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“the secret of remaining sane was to silence the thoughts of an idle mind.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“The greatest mystery may lie in the nature of aythar itself. Although it is present in much greater concentrations in living beings it is also present in small amounts within all inanimate objects. The amount of aythar present seems to vary in direct proportion to the level of awareness possessed by the object. Sentient beings possess it in large quantity, relative to inanimate things, such as rocks. Animals possess varying amounts in proportion to their level of intelligence. Plants contain less, yet still more than non-living things. Since aythar is present within everything, so far as we can tell, it may well be a fundamental property, or even a necessity for existence. Because self-awareness is directly proportional to the amount of aythar within something scholars conclude that even inanimate matter has some minimal level of awareness. ~Marcus the Heretic,”
― Michael G. Manning, The Blacksmith's Son

“ability to destroy is the least form of power, though it is the first form that any power will take. Even an infant is able to destroy things, weak though it may be. Using your talent to build, to create, or to restore, those are the greater forms of power; and those forms require time and cultivation to mature.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Archmage Unbound

“If other furniture items could see his actions that day, and if that same furniture then had dreams… well they’d have been horrific nightmares of wooden destruction at the hands of a metal clad monster, i.e. Dorian Thornbear.”
― Michael G. Manning, The God-Stone War

“The sun was shining down like the wrath of a vengeful god,”
― Michael G. Manning, The Archmage Unbound

“I have no idea. Just don’t let fear make your decisions.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“You’re going to go in there and humiliate yourself. The only question is whether you’ll get out alive.”
― Michael G. Manning, Secrets and Spellcraft

“yesterday. I know it wasn’t your fault, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face you.” “Shhh, it’s fine,” I said soothingly. “Neither of us was in any shape to talk. You did the most important things.” After a brief pause, I added, “You spoke to her?” “Mm hmm,” said Irene, the pitch of her reply rising as she tried to keep from crying. Neither of us could go on, so we sat silently for a short time, and then we stood up and brushed ourselves off. Words could come later, when they weren’t so damned hard to say. The sun was up, and I could hear the sounds of people moving around outside. Another day of hard labor was already in progress. I hadn’t lowered the shield the night before because there hadn’t been much point with everyone asleep. Plus, I had felt safer sleeping with it active. I remedied that now, testing the new links between the repaired pedestal”
― Michael G. Manning, Mordecai

“Your parents’ love has made you strong; now my hatred will take that strength and make you powerful. Your hearts will become weapons which will destroy anyone who stands before you.” And someday I will turn those weapons against those who have done this to us…”
― Michael G. Manning, The Silent Tempest

“As I stare at this page, wondering what to say to you, Dear Reader, my first impulse is to say that perhaps this section should be titled, ‘Forewarning’. Presumably”
― Michael G. Manning, Betrayer's Bane

“Do you understand now, baratt?” “Yes,” said Daniel. I understand that you are proud of what should be your greatest shame.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Mountains Rise

“Blaming yourself does your enemy’s work for him.”
― Michael G. Manning, Scholar of Magic

“I seem to be the world’s worst apologist. The next time I think about saying ‘I’m sorry’ to someone, I should just walk up and slap them. It will be faster, and the same thing will be accomplished.”
― Michael G. Manning, The Silent Tempest