❁ maggie ❁

“[W]hen questioned by an anthropologist on what the Indians called America before the white man came, an Indian said simply, “Ours.” —Vine Deloria, Jr., Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto”
― Angeline Boulley, Warrior Girl Unearthed

“You must be careful with that, Roos. It’s a dangerous thing, to try and give someone everything. One day, you might find you’ve given away things you should’ve kept. Some parts of us must remain inviolate if we are to survive as a person.”
― Johanna van Veen, My Darling Dreadful Thing

“You had everything that mattered, but you could never believe it. He loved you, and you loved him. But you had to cling to this path that you thought was your fate. You killed him, even though it didn’t mean anything at all. It wasn’t fate that cursed you, General. It was you. How you scorned me for being so afraid! And yet you were the one who was too afraid to be yourself, and to claim what was given to you.”
― Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World

“As later experiences would confirm, to deal with a man like that, a man like George, you have to pull the rug out from under him. Not all at once, of course; a small tug here, another one there. You don’t back down when he tries to wield his power. Instead, you trip him up by slipping him little lies. Correct him whenever you can. Confuse him. Make him feel foolish. Men like him hate being wrong, hate being embarrassed, hate not being in control. Men like him don’t know what to do when that happens, and they resort to childish displays of anger, temper tantrums, sulking. In spite of this, he won’t be able to do a single thing about it because in the end he’s the one who is weak. The only power he has is the power you are willing to give him, and you’ve given him nothing. Not a scrap.”
― Monika Kim, The Eyes Are the Best Part