a duck

“My guard will run you through if he catches you looking at my face," said Arianna.
"I don't think so. I think it might be treason to kill a duke," said Luciano.
"But you're not a duke," said Arianna.
"I will be if you marry me," said Luciano.
"Yes, you would be," said Arianna.
"Would?"
"If you are asking me."
"I'm asking."
"And if I accepted."
"Do you?"
"I do. With all my heart.”
― Mary Hoffman, City of Flowers

“How can you tell when a piece is finished?'I asked.

'You can't,' he said flatly. 'All you can tell is when you can't do any more to it. And then you need to stop because if you don't, you will spoil it.”
― Mary Hoffman, David

“I hardly think a girl is much of a threat. I presume you searched her for weapons? But if she attempts to suffocate me with her straw mattress, I promise to call out for help.”
― Mary Hoffman, City of Masks

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
― Mark Twain