Busra > Busra's Quotes

“More than anything, the journal wanted. It wanted more than it could hold, more than words could describe, more than diagrams could illustrate. Longing burst from the pages, in every frantic line and every hectic sketch and every dark-printed definition. There was something pained and melancholy about it.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“The key, Gansey found, was that you had to believe that they existed; you had to realized they were part of something bigger. Some secrets only gave themselves up to those who'd proven themselves worthy.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“And a final, anxious part — an ever-growing part — was occupied with the color of the fall sky, the leaves on the ground, the sense that time was passing without being replaced, that it was running out and spooling to the end.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue

“I am the lord of Redmont Fief. He is my tenant. I am his commander. End of story. Ipso facto. Case-o closed-o.”
― John Flanagan, The Burning Bridge

“Now, if you two will excuse us, we'll get back to the relatively simple business of planning a war.”
― John Flanagan, The Burning Bridge

“When you can’t see the reason for something, look for the possible result—and ask yourself who might benefit from it.”
― John Flanagan, The Burning Bridge

“Now that number was gone, covered up by the jet-black image of a chess piece. Neil's knowledge of chess was hazy at best, but he knew for sure that wasn't a king. "You did it," Neil said, too stunned to manage anything else. "Let Riko be King," Kevin said, with the exaggerated enunciation of the thoroughly sloshed. "Most coveted, most protected. He'll sacrifice every piece he has to protect his throne. Whatever. Me?" Kevin gestured again, meaning to indicate himself but too drunk to get his hand higher than his waist. "I'm going to be the deadliest piece on the board." "Queen," Andrew said somewhere behind Neil.”
― Nora Sakavic, The King's Men

“Excelsior," Gansey said bleakly.
Blue asked, "What does that even mean?"
Gansey looked over his shoulder at her. He was once more, just a little bit closer to the boy she'd seen in the churchyard.
"Onward and upward.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“It wasn't that he expected to see the dead. All of the sources said that church watchers had to possess the second sight, and Gansey barely possessed first sight before he put his contacts in. He just hope for something.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“Gansey strode between the pews as Adam’s father stared at him. He went directly to the bench, straight up to the judge. Now that he stood directly beside Adam, not looking at him, Adam could see that he was a little out of breath. Ronan, behind him, was as well. They had run.

For him.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue

“Listening to him tell the story now, it was clear to Adam that Glendower was more than a historical figure to Gansey. He was everything Gansey wished he could be: wise and brave, sure of his path, touched by the supernatural, respected by all, survived by his legacy.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“Failure is just a few seconds away from success.”
― John Flanagan, The Battle for Skandia

“How can you stay so calm?"
It helps if you're terrified.”
― John Flanagan, The Battle for Skandia

“Strange, he thought, how seldom people tend to look up”
― John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan

“People will think what they want to," he said quietly. Never take too much notice of it.”
― John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan

“Always expect something to go wrong," he told him. "Believe me, if you're wrong, you're not dissapointed. If you're right, you're ready for it.”
― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

“You surely can't be trying to blame us for Erak's habit of charging ashore waving an axe and grabbing everything that isn't nailed down? No offence, Svengal."
Svengal shrugged. "None taken. It's a pretty accurate description of Erak on a raid, as a matter of fact.”
― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

“An ordinary archer practices until he gets it right. A ranger practices until he never gets it wrong.”
― John Flanagan, The Kings of Clonmel

“Never give up because, if an opportunity arises, you have to be ready to take it.”
― John Flanagan

“There are always risks in battle. It's a dangerous business. The trick is to take the right ones.' [said Halt].
'How do you know which are the right ones?' Shigeru asked.
Halt glanced at his two younger companions. They grinned and answered in chorus, 'You wait and see if you win.”
― John Flanagan, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

“Crowley shook his head. "I sometimes wonder if it was a good idea having Halt train apprentices. He seems to teach them no respect for authority."

"Oh, he teaches us to respect authority," Gilan said innocently. "He just teaches us to ignore it when necessary.”
― John Flanagan, The Lost Stories

“As Patron-Sponser, I am charged with..."-he pasued and consulted the notes-"adding a sense of royal cachet to proceedings today."
He waited while a ripple of conversation ran around the room. Nobody was quite sure what adding a sense of royal cachet really meant. But everyone agreed that it sounded impressive indeed. Lady Pauline's mouth twitched in a smile and she looked down at the table. Halt found something of vast interest in the ceiling beams high above. Duncan continued.
My second duty is..."-again he consulted his notes to make sure he had the wording correct-"to provide an extremly expensive present to the bride and groom..."
Lady Pualine's head jerked at that. She leaned forward and turned to make eye contact with Lord Anthony. The Chamberlain met her gaze, his face completely devoid of expression. Then, very slowly, one eyelid slid down in a wink. He liked Lady Pauline and Halt a great deal and he'd added that duty without consulting them.”
― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

“Young men!” he snorted to Erak. “They think a pretty face can cure every ill.”
“Some of us can remember back that far. Halt,” Erak told him with a grin. “I suppose that’s all far behind an old hack like you. Svengal told me you were settling down. Some plump, motherly widow seizing her last chance with a broken-down old gray bear, is she?”
Erak, of course, had been told by Svengal that Halt had recently married a great beauty. But he enjoyed getting a reaction from the smaller man. Halt’s one-eyed stare locked onto the Oberjarl.
“When we get back, I’d advise you not to refer to Pauline as a ‘plump, motherly widow’ in her hearing. She’s very good with that dagger she carries and you need your ears to keep that ridiculous helmet of yours in place.”
― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

“George!' [Horace] said, the relief evident in his voice. 'Are you all right?'
'No! I am not!' George replied with considerable spirit. 'I have a whacking great arrow stuck through my arm and it hurts like the very dickens! How could anybody be all right in those circumstances?'...
'You saved my life, George,' Horace said gently...
George grimaced. 'Well, if I'd known it was going to hurt like this, I wouldn't have! I would have just let them shoot you! Why do you live this way?' he demanded in a high-pitched voice. 'How can you bear it? This sort of thing is very, very painful. I always suspected that warriors are crazy. Now I know.”
― John Flanagan, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

“Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won't enjoy being bested, but he'll make a good face of it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies.”
― John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan

“Don't concentrate on the obvious. They might want you to miss something else.”
― John Flanagan, The Sorcerer in the North

“Sometimes, he thought wryly, a reputation for being right all the time could be a heavy burden.”
― John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan

“Face your fears, Halt had always thought him, and more often than not they fade like mist in the sunshine”
― John Flanagan, The Sorcerer in the North

“What is this?" he asked. "Are you all conspiring against me? Even my horse?"
It was the last three words that made Will smile. "We figured you mightn't listen to a healer, a Ranger, or a knight of the realm, "he said. "But if your horse agreed with them, you'd have no choice but to pay attention.”
― John Flanagan, Halt's Peril

“As the old Ranger adage went "If a person doesn't expect to see someone, odds are he won't.”
― John Flanagan, The Kings of Clonmel