Irene Samara

“He would not beg Zoya to stay. It was not in his nature to plead with anyone, and that was not the pact they shared. They did not look to each other for comfort. They kept each other marching. They kept each other strong. So he would not find another excuse to get her talking again. He would not tell her he was afraid to be left alone with the thing he might become, and he would not ask her to leave the lamp burning, a child's bit of magic to ward off the dark.
But he was relieved when she did it anyway.”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

“But if you loved a thing, the work was never done”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

“The less you say, the more weight your words will carry.
Don’t argue. Never deign to deny. Meet insults with laughter.

“You didn’t laugh at the Fjerdan captain,” I observed.
“That wasn’t an insult. It was a challenge,” he said. “Know the difference.”

Weakness is a guise. Wear it when they need to know you’re human, but never when you feel it.
Don’t wish for bricks when you can build from stone. Use whatever or whoever is in front of you.
Being a leader means someone is always watching you.
Get them to follow the little orders, and they’ll follow the big ones.
It’s okay to flout expectations, but never disappoint them.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“I think fatigue suits you, Zoya. The pallor. The shadows beneath your eyes. You look like a heroine in a novel. "
"I look like a woman about to step on your foot. "
"Now, now. You're managing remarkably well. And the smiling hasn't killed you yet."
"Yet.”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars