Youth, Rin thought, was an amplification of beauty. It was a filter; it could mask what one was lacking, enhance even the most average features. But beauty without youth was dangerous. The Empress’s beauty did not require the soft fullness
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“Thorn stood without motion, for only when you are truly still can you be the centre. She stood without sound, for only silent can you listen. She stood without fear, for only the fearless can understand their peril. Hers”
― Red Sister
― Red Sister
“I have been too young to know, and I have been too old to care. It’s in that oh-so-narrow slice between that memories are made. So”
― Red Sister
― Red Sister
“Amateurs obsess over strategy, Irjah had once told their class. Professionals obsess over logistics”
― The Poppy War
― The Poppy War
“When we get angry, we suffer. If you really understand that, you also will be able to understand that when the other person is angry, it means that she is suffering. When someone insults you or behaves violently towards you, you have to be intelligent enough to see that the person suffers from his own violence and anger. But we tend to forget. We think that we are the only one that suffers, and the other person is our oppressor. This is enough to make anger arise, and to strengthen our desire to punish. We want to punish the other person because we suffer. Then, we have anger in us; we have violence in us, just as they do. When we see that our suffering and anger are no different from their suffering and anger, we will behave more compassionately. So understanding the other is understanding yourself, and understanding yourself is understanding the other person. Everything must begin with you.”
― Anger
― Anger
“the magic of turning marks on a page into images, sounds, feelings; a whole other world into which you can escape when the one around you isn’t to your liking.”
― Among Wolves
― Among Wolves
Brian’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Brian’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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