Deborah Obida

“Kings are only kings because one ancestor was quicker than another to place a crown on his own head.”
― Rin Chupeco, The Heart Forger

“What is this?” he went on now, spearing an unfortunate object on a fork and raising it to eye level. “This . . . this . . . thing?”
“A parsnip?” Jem suggested.
“A parsnip planted in Satan’s own garden,” said Will. He glanced about. “I don’t suppose there’s a dog I could feed it to.”
“There don’t seem to be any pets about,” Jem—who loved all animals, even the inglorious and ill-tempered Church—observed.
“Probably all poisoned by parsnips,” said Will.
“Oh, dear,” Tessa said sadly, laying her fork down. “And I was so hungry too.”
“There’s always the dinner rolls,” said Will, pointing to a covered basket. “Though I warn you, they’re as hard as stones. You could use them to kill black beetles, if any beetles bother you in the middle of the night.”
― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

“It's never too late to change what you are, it took me a long time to figure that out.”
― Erin Morgenstern, The Starless Sea

“Faithful people suffer and evil people prosper all the time [...]. Besides, if our actions are driven only by reward or punishment--eternal or otherwise--then they are motivated by greed and selfishness, not faith or love. That is where so many people go wrong, even those who say they believe [...]. They obey because the think it will make their *lives* better, rather than *themselves*. And that is very much the wrong reason.”
― James Islington, The Light of All That Falls