Natalia > Natalia's Quotes

“I am who I choose to be. I have always been what I chose, though not always what I pleased.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory

“You don't pay back your parents. You can't. The debt you owe them gets collected by your children, who hand it down in turn. It's a sort of entailment. Or if you don't have children of the body, it's left as a debt to your common humanity. Or to your God, if you possess or are possessed by one.

The family economy evades calculation in the gross planetary product. It's the only deal I know where, when you give more than you get, you aren't bankrupted - but rather, vastly enriched.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

“One corner of his mouth crooked up, then the quirk vanished in a thoughtful pursing of his lips. "He's bisexual, you know." He took a delicate sip of his wine.
"Was bisexual," she corrected absently, looking fondly across the room. "Now he's monogamous."
Vordarian choked, sputtering.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar

“When you give each other everything, it becomes an even trade. Each wins all.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

“Do it for yourself. The universe will be around to collect its cut later.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold

“Yes," Vorkosigan agreed, "I could take over the universe with this army if I could ever get all their weapons pointed in the same direction.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honour

“I am not a fate worse than death, dammit!”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

“A true Vor, Miles told himself severely, does not bury his face in his liegewoman's breasts and cry—even if he is at a convenient height for it.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, The Warrior's Apprentice

“I'm not getting it all sorted, she worried. I'm not getting it right.
You are brilliant, the Voice reassured her.
It is imperfect.
So are all things trapped in time. You are brilliant, nonetheless. How fortunate for Us that We thirst for glorious souls rather than faultless ones, or We should be parched indeed, and most lonely in Our perfect righteousness. Carry on imperfectly, shining Ista.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Paladin of Souls

“The world demands I make good choices on no information, and then blames my maidenhood for my mistakes, as if my maidenhood were responsible for my ignorance. Ignorance is not stupidity, but it might as well be. And I do not like feeling stupid.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion

“War is not its own end, except in some catastrophic slide into absolute damnation. It's peace that's wanted. Some better peace than the one you started with.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, The Vor Game

“I miss it every minute, and I have no wish at all to go back.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

“He's not too short. He's just... concentrated.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold

“In my experience, milady, we can never get back to exactly where we started, no matter how hard we try.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem

“I am not schizoid. A little manic-depressive, maybe."
"'Know thyself.'"
"We try, sir.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Borders of Infinity

“I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar

“…the trouble with oaths of the form, death before dishonor, is that eventually, given enough time and abrasion, they separate the world into two sorts of people: the dead, and the forsworn.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

“Learn everything that existed in the universe, and whatever was left, that
dwarfish-man-shaped hole in the center, would be him by process of elimination.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Mirror Dance

“- Did you really save the world ?...
- Mostly I was saving my own ass. Just happend that the world was in the same spot.”
― Jim Butcher, Blood Rites