Top 100 Michael J. Sullivan Quotes
#1. The two of them just sort of clicked, like old friends who'd just met. Friends-at-first-sight, if there was such a thing.
Michael J. Sullivan
#2. Just another game he played in a world where heroes were legends and honor was a myth.
Michael J. Sullivan
#3. Any chance he's turned a new leaf and taken up sailing for real?"
"About as likely as me doing it."
Hadrian eyed Royce for a heartbeat. "I put him at the top of the list.
Michael J. Sullivan
#4. You look concerned."
"Just that if you've started another war, I'd like a heads-up is all."
"The level of confidence you have in my diplomatic skills is overwhelming."
"What diplomatic skills?
Michael J. Sullivan
#5. Slaying dragons, melting witches, and banishing demons is all fun and games until someone loses a sidekick - then it's personal. The bad guy isn't just the "bad guy" anymore, he's the BAD GUY!
Michael J. Sullivan
#6. Royce stared at him a second. "What?"
"You heard me-you hear every stupid thing anyone ever says. That's the most annoying thing about you. Well, not the most -it's actually really hard to order them. The list is so ridiculously long.
Michael J. Sullivan
#8. Sharks don't eat seafood because they like it, but because chicken can't swim.
Michael J. Sullivan
#9. Revenge is a bittersweet fruit that leaves the foul aftertaste of regret.
Michael J. Sullivan
#10. I swear, the reason for full moons is so the gods can more clearly see the mischief they create.
Michael J. Sullivan
#12. It was a trap after all," Alric said. He turned to Royce. "My apologies for doubting your sound paranoia.
Michael J. Sullivan
#13. Oh my,' Myron said to Hadrian as he twisted to get a better view. 'I don't even think of horses when I look at her.
Michael J. Sullivan
#14. Suri had a wolf named Minna. They were the best of friends and roamed the forest together. She had tattoos, was always filthy, afraid of nothing, and could do magic. From the first time I met her, I wanted to be Suri ... I still do.
- THE BOOK OF BRIN
Michael J. Sullivan
#15. What kind of meal would you like?"
"Something edible would be a pleasant surprise.
Michael J. Sullivan
#16. I knew him, you know, your beloved Novron. Ah, but yes, you already discovered that little fact. Here's something the books won't tell you. He was an ass.
Michael J. Sullivan
#17. You don't win battles with hate. Anger and hate can make you brave, make you strong, but they also make you stupid. You end up tripping over your own two feet. (Hadrian)
Michael J. Sullivan
#18. Anger and hate can make you brave, make you strong, but they also make you stupid.
Michael J. Sullivan
#19. What is it?" Hadrian asked.
"Fighting," he replied at last.
"Fighting? Who?" Hadrian asked.
"I can't hear the color of their uniforms." Royce smirked. "Soldiers, though. I hear swords on armor.
Michael J. Sullivan
#20. Life is only precious if you wish it to be.' I look at it like the last bite of a wonderful meal - do you enjoy it, or does the knowledge that there is no more to follow make it so bitter that you would ruin the experience?
Michael J. Sullivan
#21. Each killing steals a bit of humanity until a murderer is nothing more than an animal. A hunger replaces the spirit. A want for what was lost, but as with innocence, the soul can never be replaced. Joy, love, and peace flee such a vessel and in their stead blooms a desire for blood and death.
Michael J. Sullivan
#22. When you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are - or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn't. The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.
Michael J. Sullivan
#23. Mouse?" Royce muttered. "I just can't seem to get rid of this horse, can I?
Michael J. Sullivan
#24. I want to know how long we have before he rises. If I cut off his head, will he stay down longer?"
The servant rolled his eyes. "He's not getting up! You killed him."
"My Tetlin ass! That's a god. Gods don't die. They're immortal."
"Really not so much," ...
Michael J. Sullivan
#25. When you leave," Gwen said, "take Mouse. Give Ryn's horse to Myron."
"What does Myron need with a horse?" he asked. Gwen just smiled, and Royce knew better than to question further. "Okay, but I'm warning you now. He'll spoil it rotten
Michael J. Sullivan
#27. See, that's the difference," Mauvin said. "I suffer a loss and people console me. Royce suffers a loss and whole towns evacuate.
Michael J. Sullivan
#28. Breathe the air, taste the wine, kiss the girls, and always remember that the tales of another are never as wondrous as your own.
Michael J. Sullivan
#29. We don't want anyone suspecting us of stacking the deck the way we are.
Michael J. Sullivan
#30. Power rises to the top like cream and dominates the weak with cruelty disguised as
and often even believed to be
benevolence.
Michael J. Sullivan
#31. Hadrian leapt to his feet. Royce was already up.
"Don't bother," Esrahaddon told them. "She's dead, and there's nothing you can do. The monster cannot be harmed by your weapons. It - "
The two were out the door.
Michael J. Sullivan
#32. If anyone had asked Royce Melborn what he hated most at that moment, he would've said dogs. Dogs and dwarves topped his list, both equally despised for having so much in common - each was short, vicious, and inexcusably hairy.
Michael J. Sullivan
#33. Gwen," Etta said, "I don't know what in the kingdom you were thinking when you told us to pack our stuff-you know we ain't got no stuff.
Michael J. Sullivan
#34. She noticed the bandage on Mauvin's arm. "You're wounded?"
"More embarrassed than anything. But that's bound to happen when you're a Pickering fighting beside Hadrian. Doesn't really hurt that much, honest.
Michael J. Sullivan
#35. Stained upon my hands, the blood of innocents brands my soul with such a crime forgiveness gapes appalled.
Michael J. Sullivan
#36. Right. And our first job is to teach her to give a speech on the Grand Balcony in three days."
"That does not sound too difficult. Has she done much public speaking?"
Amilia forced a smile. "A week ago she said the word no.
Michael J. Sullivan
#37. And now she has you seizing control of my army."
"Your army? I thought this was Gaunt's."
"So did he.
Michael J. Sullivan
#38. And why would she do that?" Hadrian shouted to the upper story.
"She told you herself. Farlan was going to have the sheriff investigate." "Yeah, investigate you!"
"But I didn't kill anyone. Well, not anyone in Vernes ... well, not recently.
Michael J. Sullivan
#39. How terrible it must be to give up your life when you've never taken the chance to live it. How cheated you must feel, like losing a coin before spending it. To what can you hang on to and feel pride? Nothing. - Mauvin on lack of Nobility
Michael J. Sullivan
#40. Life is all about conflict. The pursuit of happiness - that's life, not the achievement. It's all about the journey, my friend.
Michael J. Sullivan
#41. We've talked about this before, Royce," Arcadius yelled at him. "You aren't to hurt the students."
"You said don't kill," Royce replied. "If you don't want misunderstandings, then be specific. The little baron boy will live. Trust me, I know where to stick a knife.
Michael J. Sullivan
#43. Fools believe silence is a void needing to be filled; the wise understand there's no such thing as silence.
Michael J. Sullivan
#44. Arista was tortured with thoughts of roasted pig dripping with fruit glaze, beef served in a thick, dark gravy, and mountains of chicken, quail, and duck.
Michael J. Sullivan
#45. Hadrian turned to look out at the lake. "I hear they have good fishing."
Royce lifted his head to look at him. "You're a very odd man."
"You were the one talking about evil geese .
Michael J. Sullivan
#46. Hadrian discovered that the most fascinating thing about plummeting in total darkness wasn't the odd sense of euphoria instilled from the free fall or the abject terror derived from anticipating sudden death, but that he had the opportunity to contemplate both.
Michael J. Sullivan
#47. I hope you're planning on heading to the kitchens. I'm starved - practically eating my fingers here. He chuckled.
Michael J. Sullivan
#48. So you have been paying attention."
"I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
"You have no idea how stupid I think you are, and honestly, we don't have time for that conversation."
Hadrian scowled.
Michael J. Sullivan
#49. Arista," the wizard said, "sharks don't eat seafood because they like it, but because chickens don't swim. We all do the best we can with the tools we have, but at some point you have to ask yourself where the tools came from.
Michael J. Sullivan
#50. That's why you shouldn't make vows. The moment you do, fate starts conspiring to shove them down your throat.
Michael J. Sullivan
#51. Royce hated keeping secrets from Hadrian, and it weighed heavily on his conscience, which was amazing, because he had never known he had one. Royce defined right and wrong by the moment. Right was what was best for him - wrong was everything else.
Michael J. Sullivan
#52. You ready?" Royce asked. "For what?" "Turn around. Let's go back-to-back and link arms.
Michael J. Sullivan
#53. There," Hadrian said. "Problem solved, and you aren't wanted for murder. Isn't that nice?"
"It's only nice not being wanted for murder if you've actually killed someone. Otherwise, what's the point? Besides, what makes you think I'm not wanted for murder?
Michael J. Sullivan
#54. Happiness comes from moving toward something. When you run away, ofttimes you bring your misery with you.
Michael J. Sullivan
#55. The thing about the old is that we never change so much as the young. We slip in degrees, adding rings like trees
a new wrinkle here, a shade less color there, but the young transform like caterpillars into butterflies. They become whole new people as if overnight.
Michael J. Sullivan
#56. The smallest of the children fascinated Myron, and he watched them in amazement. They were like short drunk people, loud and usually dirty, but all were surprisingly cute and looked at him in much the same way that he looked at them.
Michael J. Sullivan
#57. You're a bastard, you know that?"
"Being an orphan, I have no idea, but you might be right. Now, can we eat?
Michael J. Sullivan
#58. That living has no value - it's what you do with life that gives it worth.
Michael J. Sullivan
#59. Arcadius was nothing but an old hack, what Cenzars used to refer to as a faquin, an elven term for the most inept magician - knowledge without talent.
Michael J. Sullivan
#60. They smiled too much, were quick to compliment and support, but behind the stretched lips and soft words was a judgment. No one was ever good enough - at least not until they were dead. The dead were exemplary.
Michael J. Sullivan
#61. I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope.
Michael J. Sullivan
#62. That night there was more than one killer in the forest, the next day a lot more ghosts.
The Book of Brin
Michael J. Sullivan
#63. If this hast been done to language, I fear to know the fate of all else.
Michael J. Sullivan
#64. When the dead betray the living, the victims are memories.
The Book of Brin
Michael J. Sullivan
#65. Road - tomorrow?" Myron asked. "Am I going back to the abbey?"
"Better - you're going to be a hero.
Michael J. Sullivan
#67. It was like waiting for the sunrise and a chicken to hatch - if the sun marked the end of the world and the chicken was an all-devouring demon.
- THE BOOK OF BRIN
Michael J. Sullivan
#68. And if you can't trust an ancient talking tree, what was the point of having one?
Michael J. Sullivan
#69. Royce looked back down at the stream below. "She doesn't even know me. What if she doesn't like me? Few people do."
"She might not at first. Maribor knows I didn't. But you have a way of growing on a person." He smiled. "You know, like lichen or mold.
Michael J. Sullivan
#70. Religion and tradition remain allies in a system that's still perceived to be fair.
Michael J. Sullivan
#71. His Majesty is in a state meeting. He's requested that he not be disturbed."
"The man is already disturbed. I'm just here to beat some sense into his feeble little brain.
Michael J. Sullivan
#72. You can't kill Myron, Royce," Hadrian said, rapidly pulling the monk away as if he had found a child playing with a wild bear. "It would be like killing a puppy.
Michael J. Sullivan
#73. Royce nodded. "Invest in crossbows. Next time stay hidden and just put a couple bolts into each of your target's chests. All this talking is just stupid."
"Royce!" Hadrian admonished.
"What? You're always saying I should be nicer to people. I'm trying to be helpful.
Michael J. Sullivan
#74. Success," he continued, "is achieved most consistently through cruelty and deception. Determination of the spirit certainly helps, but faith in Ferrol is a currency as valuable as a pair of shoes two sizes too small.
Michael J. Sullivan
#75. Don't worry, my son, if you don't believe in Maribor and the blessings He provides. Belief in Him isn't a requirement. It doesn't stop Him from believing in you. (capital H's added for reverence)
Michael J. Sullivan
#76. The world had been sanitized like Disney had done to Times Square. They had gotten rid of God, family, and country along with the graffiti.
Michael J. Sullivan
#77. Alenda reminded herself that "normal" no longer existed. If she should see a bear in a feather cap riding a chicken, that too might be normal now.
Michael J. Sullivan
#78. Well, I did see The Crown Conspiracy while in Colnora. I found the sets pathetic and the orchestration horrible, but the story was good.
Michael J. Sullivan
#79. If this keeps up, we're going to own Melengar," Hadrian mentioned.
"What's this we stuff?" Royce asked. "You're retired, remember?"
"Oh? So you'll be leading the Nationalist advance, will you?"
"Sixty-forty?" Royce proposed.
Michael J. Sullivan
#80. It was possible he had no idea his head was gathering material fit for a squirrel's nest; it was also possible he knew and thought it made him more attractive in a rustic, manly sense
Michael J. Sullivan
#81. What length will a mother go to on behalf of her child? How long is time? What is the depth of love? -
Michael J. Sullivan
#82. We'd get out of it." She stared at the huge bell for a moment and then added, "I hate the sound of that bell." A gusty breeze rustled the leaves and threw a lock of hair in her face. She brushed it back and turned away from the oak and the bell. "Over there" - she pointed
Michael J. Sullivan
#83. Did you save any?" Royce asked.
"Any what?"
"Of those eggs. If you did, we could cook them for breakfast in the morning."
Hadrian lay silent for a moment confused; then it hit him and he almost laughed.
Michael J. Sullivan
#84. When faced with certain death, running is sensible, but I think a man can make an unhealthy habit of it. Running can take on an importance of its own and become an excuse to avoid living a normal life.
Michael J. Sullivan
#85. When you expect nothing from the world - not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe - everything is a wonder and every moment a gift.
Michael J. Sullivan
#86. You're not going to charge us for the tower, I hope," Hadrian said. "But if you are, it was Royce's fault and should come out of his share.
Michael J. Sullivan
#87. Mystics were about as common as two-headed unicorns. The few who existed lived apart from the world of men, remaining untainted by influence and corruption. Having a wolf as her best friend demonstrated the sort of wisdom he appreciated.
Michael J. Sullivan
#88. She's different."
"Everyone is different."
"Then let's say I like the ways in which she's different. A wise man once told me no man can escape death, but it's how we run that defines us. And if I have to run, I think I'd like to go where she's going.
Michael J. Sullivan
#90. No one said a word for some time. Everyone stared at Hadrian in wonder, including Albert, whose mouth hung agape.
It was the duchess who finally found words to sum up their collective thoughts. "Well, aren't you just an astonishment topped with surprises!
Michael J. Sullivan
#91. I just never noticed how little of me existed before. I was a shadow without a person.
Michael J. Sullivan
#92. You think you're a very clever fellow, don't you?" Saldur challenged.
"No, Your Grace," Merrick replied. "Clever is the man who makes a fortune selling dried-up cows, explaining how it saves the farmers the trouble of getting up every morning to milk them. I'm not clever - I'm a genius.
Michael J. Sullivan
#93. Been meddling, have you?" Royce asked, looking around at the hive of activity.
"You must admit they didn't have much in the way of a defense plan,"
Hadrian said, pausing to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Royce smiled at him. "You just can't help yourself, can you?
Michael J. Sullivan
#95. That was why nights were so frightening. Without the distraction of light, the doors to other senses were unlocked.
Michael J. Sullivan
#96. Were you really that powerful before?" Esrahaddon showed him a wicked smile. "Oh, my dear boy, you couldn't begin to imagine.
Michael J. Sullivan
#97. Myron took the moment to sit down on the stone bench behind him and whispered to Hadrian, You were right. Life outside the abbey is much more exciting than books.
Michael J. Sullivan
#98. Stealing swords," Royce muttered mostly to himself. "Okay, let's take a look at this tower. The sooner I see it, the sooner I can start cursing.
Michael J. Sullivan
#99. Hadrian reeked of death. It wasn't the sort of stench others could smell or that water could wash, but it lingered on him like sweat-saturated pores after a long night of drinking.
Michael J. Sullivan
#100. And I wish to thank you as well, Royce."
He was puzzled. "For what?"
"For reminding me that anyone, no matter what they've done, can find redemption if they seek it.
Michael J. Sullivan
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