Shrimayee > Shrimayee's Quotes

“You do not kneel or bend, I told myself. To anyone. You continue.”
― Somaiya Daud, Mirage

“If the Fates control our future, I don’t understand to what end. Here in Auveny, the belief is that the Fates judge us. That if we are generous, honest, not too chatty, placable, forgiving, they might twist our threads so we find love and earn our heart’s weight in gold. Everyone has heard of the miller’s kind daughter who marries richly, of the maid who coaxes the man out of a beast, of faithful girls in locked towers waiting for their knights. But I don’t believe in anything that supposes it knows me better than I know myself.”
― Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns

“We stare at each other. We both sound witless, but at least I have an excuse: What do I say to a prince who kissed me, then told me to get the hell out of his kingdom, then protected me from a beast, before getting engaged overnight?”
― Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns

“Sometimes I want to kiss him and sometimes I want to ruin him, but most of the time, I want those actions to be one and the same.”
― Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns

“If he only knew that he's still alive due to my continued disobedience of their wishes. I deserve at least another thank-you note for that, but will I get one? Doubtful.”
― Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns

“Maybe Aurora only cared for me because it was easy to do. Because she held all the power. And now that the situation is reversed, she is no longer interested.”
― Heather Walter, Misrule

“Sometimes we do not like what we see. But we have to look anyway. We have to know.”
― Heather Walter, Misrule

“Tragedy teaches us things about ourselves and about others.”
― Heather Walter, Misrule

“After all, power makes everyone monstrous. At least a little.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“Truth and lies were both tools, to be used when most necessary.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“Subtlety was cultivated out of necessity, by people who knew that power needed to be treated with care --who understand how easily it could be stolen or taken.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“When she is crowned in jasmine, in needle-flower, in smoke and in fire, he will kneel before he and name her," repeated Rao, in common Zaban. And suddenly Malini was shivering, every inch of her afire with a mad elation that rose up, up in her blood. "He will give the princess of Parijat her fate: He will say..." He swallowed. Raised his eyes, which were fierce and wet. "Name who shall sit upon the throne, princess. Name the flower of empire. Name the head that shall reign beneath a crown of poison. Name the hand that lit the pyre." The silence was deep; a drumming tense silence, drawn taut as a bowstring. "He will name her thus," finished Rao. "And she will know.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“Oh, vows could be broken. Of course they could. And yet Priya was… not entirely a safe person to lie to. And worse still, Malini did not want to break a promise to her.
There was a sound, somewhere below them. Priya’s jaw hardened.
“Promise me this, or one way or another, you die here.”
“You’ll kill me after all, Priya?”
“No, you fool woman,” Priya said, eyes blazing. “No. Never me.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“This face. This face right in front of me. The face you've shown me, the fact that you kissed me. I know it. I know you,' said Priya, 'I know exactly who you are. There are other versions of you that I don't know. But this one...' Her fingers were against Malini's lips. 'This one is mine.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“It would be foolish to try to take what was not hers to take. Royal sons were the ones who wore the crown. Royal women were...

Well.

She thought of her fellow princess Alori, and of highborn Narina, and how they had screamed when the flames had touched them. How they smelled as they burned, as their crowns of stars splintered around their skulls, as even the sweetness of perfume and flowers could not block out the acrid scent of burnt hair and silk, or the smell of flesh, fat, marrow burning and burning and burning.

Royal women are only crowned in death, Malini thought furiously.”
― Tasha Suri, The Jasmine Throne

“If you fear the past, it becomes your future.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“Pain is bearable only when you know with absolute certainty it'll end quickly.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“...nothing in life is simple. It's all utter maddening chaos and contradicting emotions.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“Fate has never once shied away from the opportunity to take a massive shit on my life..”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“Being ignorant isn’t a crime, Crabby, it’s a curable ailment.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“It’s sick, and it’s wrong, but for one moment in this strange pipe, in this strange city, embracing this not-so-strange boy, this monster feels happiness.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“People love to say Heartless aren’t human. But to this day, I still wonder if they’re perhaps more human than the humans themselves.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“Almosts, I'm starting to learn, are fuller of regret than absolutes - much sadder than certain yeses and nos. Yes and no mark ends and beginnings. But almosts cling, hovering on the boundary, never quite realized but still there.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“You think you're clever, do you?"
"No." I purse my lips and tilt my head. "I know I'm clever.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“I suppose when you want something badly enough, when you lose the thing most precious to you, people just become toys, puppets to move around to achieve your goals.”
― Sara Wolf, Bring Me Their Hearts

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment.
“No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.”
"I can't.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“If you hurt me, I wouldn't cry. I would hurt you back.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about pain, about anything? If I stopped trying to belong? Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince