“Whatever bond you think you have, money will make that shit dissolve.”
― King of Ashes
― King of Ashes
“She made a fool of me.”
“And who’s not a fool? Who gets from the birthing chair to the grave
with dignity? What prize do the gods hand out to people who never let
themselves care about anything enough to be disappointed by the loss?
Look around you, Captain. Everyone who laughs at you or cringes away?
They’re all thinking of some time when it was them. Some race they ran
and came in last, someone they wooed who didn’t want them, some
moment of glory they reached for and wound up with an empty hand for the
trouble. We’re all fools. Everyone. That’s why we hate fools so much.
They’re the echoes of when we were vulnerable in front of the world
ourselves, and that’s hard for us to forgive.”
― Blade of Dream
“And who’s not a fool? Who gets from the birthing chair to the grave
with dignity? What prize do the gods hand out to people who never let
themselves care about anything enough to be disappointed by the loss?
Look around you, Captain. Everyone who laughs at you or cringes away?
They’re all thinking of some time when it was them. Some race they ran
and came in last, someone they wooed who didn’t want them, some
moment of glory they reached for and wound up with an empty hand for the
trouble. We’re all fools. Everyone. That’s why we hate fools so much.
They’re the echoes of when we were vulnerable in front of the world
ourselves, and that’s hard for us to forgive.”
― Blade of Dream
“All you ever see is a part of someone’s life”
― Daughter of Crows
― Daughter of Crows
“Grief, my mother once told me, is love’s most honest expression. The last and hardest aspect of truly, truly caring for someone. She said it at her own mother’s funeral rites, tears in her eyes even as she tried to comfort a boy too young to understand why he was so sad, why his grandmother couldn’t be there anymore. She explained through choking sobs that without grief, love would be meaningless. Because it is impossible to truly love something that cannot be lost.”
― The Strength of the Few
― The Strength of the Few
“It is one thing to admit to being feared, or hated. Quite another to admit that you are unloved, and lonely, and that it is taking all your strength to hide it.”
― The Raven Scholar
― The Raven Scholar
Ishmael’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Ishmael’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Poetry and Spirituality
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