Isabel

“Oh, bullshit,” Wyatt said. I blinked. “This isn’t one of those stories, Avice. One moment of cack-handedness, Captain Cook offends the bloody locals, one slip of the tongue or misuse of sacred cutlery, and bang, he’s on the grill. Do you ever think how self-aggrandising that stuff is? Oh, all those stories pretend to be mea culpas about cultural insensitivity, oops we said the wrong thing, but they’re really all about how ridiculous natives overreact.”
― China Miéville, Embassytown

“Let’s say that matters hadn’t gone quite right with you, I mean personal matters, would you be able to find words to say exactly what was wrong?’ ‘I’m afraid so, yes, I would.’ ‘That might be useful, of course.’ ‘Like manufacturers’ instructions. In case of failure, try words.”
― Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore

“Sure, the guys in the pictures may have been lisping their ABCs while receiving their blow jobs, but here’s the thing: If anyone cornered them in the hallway of their high school and called them, oh, I don’t know, “Tinkerbell Tim,” these dudes looked like they could and would punch back. Or whack them in the face with their rock-hard cocks, whichever.”
― Anonymous

“A messy business, rescuing princes.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Burning Sky