Winter Arcane

“The good thing about death is it kills you once while life kills you for a lifetime. In fact death rescues you from life.”
― Bangambiki Habyarimana, The Great Pearl of Wisdom

“You're an interesting person, Jack." Sullivan said. "I wish I could figure out what you were thinging when you punched Stern and turned on Isabel."

"Well, I think that's the thing." Holloway said. "I think it's clear that sometimes I just don't think."

"I think you do." Sullivan said. "It's just you think about you first. The not thinking part comes right after that.”
― John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation

“Ah, demons, is it?” exclaimed the boy, in his high, reedy voice. “And what of your own? Are they not encouraging you to luxuriate in self-reproach?”

“Luxuriate!”

“To be sure. When we blame ourselves, we feel no one else has a right to blame us. What a luxury that is!”
― Mark Hodder, The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

“So this was it, she thought. So many times she'd wondered. True sacrifice was the surrender of one sacred thing in favor of keeping another. No matter how prudent or cautious one was, in the end something precious was lost. Whether the claim was in the name of family or duty or honor or truth, it exacted a terrible price. To her dismay, she did not feel the pride or pleasure that Bledig had claimed when he spoke of the sacrifices he had made for her and their children. For Alwen, sacrifice brought grief and guilt, and an unbearable sense of uncertainty.”
― Roberta Trahan, The Well of Tears