Kelley > Kelley's Quotes

“Seriously, there ought to be a cartography class for women who want to map out a man's geography to remember fondly later.”
― Sierra Woods, The Resurrectionist

“As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.”
― Andre Norton

“Honor was never taking the easy way when it was also the wrong one. Never telling a falsehood unless the truth was painful and unnecessary, or a lie was necessary to save others. Never manipulating the truth to serve only yourself. Protecting the weak and helpless; standing fast even when fear made you weak. Keeping your word.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Exile's Honor

“Give your enemy a face, If he is human, do not dehumanize him. Know him and know why he is your enemy. If your enemy is within you, understand what it is and why you are afraid. Put a face on your fear. When you understand it, and it is no longer vague and shapeless, you will find that your fear is no longer so formidable.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Brightly Burning

“If it is stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.
(a Shin'a'in saying)”
― Mercedes Lackey, Owlknight

“Adventure, yeah. I guess that's what you call it when everybody comes back alive.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Spirits White as Lightning

“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.”
― Mercedes Lackey

“To treat a person like a carpet, it is necessary that one do the walking, and one allow himself to be walked on.
--Shin'a'in saying”
― Mercedes Lackey, Owlflight

“You are human and mortal; we are the sum of our weak moments and our strong.”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Black Gryphon

“Truth and trust are the means by which civilization holds off barbarism.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Alta

“Mister Cameron - I have read the unexpurgated Ovid, the love poems of Sappho, the Decameron in the original, and a great many texts in Greek and Latin histories that were not though fit for proper gentlemen to read, much less proper ladies. I know in precise detail what Caligula did to, and with, his sisters, and I can quote it to you in Latin or in my own translation if you wish. I am interested in historical truth, and truth in history is often unpleasant and distasteful to those of fine sensibility. I frankly doubt that you will produce anything to shock me. ”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Fire Rose

“If they projected the fact that they are dangerous any harder, there would be little puddles of "danger" on the floor around them. Look, it's "danger", don't step in it!”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Eagle & the Nightingales

“Do you know the kind of things that live up there?...things without names 'cause no one who's seen 'em has lived long enough to give them any name besides 'AAAARG!”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Oathbound

“Not forgiving someone hurts you worse than it hurts him...even if he doesn't deserve to be forgiven...Not forgiving someone is like not pulling a thorn out of your foot just because you weren't the one who put it there.”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Wizard of London

“Established religion is like established anything else. It's easy. It offers answers you can get prepackaged and predigested, right off the shelf, and the same for everybody. No thinking required, much less hard thinking. Like a board game--you follow the rules, you go to heaven. That's why established religion gets the assholes. They aren't "good" Christians. I rather doubt they ever gave up a thing they valued for any reason or anybody. People like that aren't good anything. What they believe, they believe because it's appropriate; it's what everybody believes because it's the right thing to do--in short, it's easy. Our way isn't easy. We get assholes too, but they usually give up and get out, or get it knocked out of them.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Burning Water

“. . . from what he knew about the Creatures of the Dark they wouldn't waste their time laying elaborate traps. They'd just eat someone.”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Phoenix Unchained

“First commandment: there ain't no such thing as "one true way" and the way you find is only good for you, not anybody else, because your interpretation of what you see and feel and understand as the truth is never going to be the same as anyone else's.
Second commandment: the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself.
Third commandment: leave the world better than you found it.
Fourth commandment: if it isn't true, going to do some good, or spread a little love around, don't say it, do it, or think it.
Fifth commandment: there are only three things worth living for; love in all it's manifestations, freedom, and the chance to keep humanity going a little while longer. They're the same things worth dying for. And if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Burning Water

“The dragonets found the carpenters to be even more fascinating than the furniture, and followed the poor men from pen to pen, crowding around to watch, tasting the wooden planks, trying to steal the tools. It made for an interesting day for everyone, as the boys tried to keep the dragonets away from the carpenters, and the dragonets tried to get at the carpenters, and the carpenters worked probably a great deal faster than they ever had in their lives, sure that the dragonets would go from tasting the wood to tasting them. ”
― Mercedes Lackey, Alta

“We're none of us quite so sure of our place in the world that we can't be rocked off our feet by bad times. It's the getting back up again that counts. Not that you fall, but getting back up again counts for more in the long run.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Intrigues

“The freedom to swing your fist ends at my nose.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Sacred Ground

“Better watch out said a second voice from somewhere under the Beetle. Don't park those two kraut cars too close together; it's springtime, and they might decide to mate. then Charlie'll be stuck with a garage full of little orange safety cones”
― Mercedes Lackey

“Assume the attitude of prayer, and in time, the attitude will become prayer.”
― Mercedes Lacey

“A quaint conceit, don't you think?”
― Mercedes Lackey, Magic's Price

“Zen Hugs - the hugs that you would get, if we were there, if we could hug you, but we aren't, and we can't.”
― Mercedes Lackey, The Ship Who Searched

“How DARE the villainous cads be as clever as the heroes.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Reserved for the Cat

“It's only gossip if you repeat it. Until then, it's gathering information.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Intrigues

“I need, therefore I imagine.”
― Carlos Fuentes

“Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain