Patricia C. Wrede > Quotes

“I didn't ask what you'd said about it," the frog snapped. "I asked what you're going to do. Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Dealing With Dragons

“The efficiency of the cleaning solution in liquefying wizards suggested the operation of an antithetical principal,which-"
"Did you have to get him started?" Cimorene asked reproachfully.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Calling on Dragons

“Well, of all the bacon-brained, sapskulled, squirish, buffle-headed nodcocks!”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Dealing With Dragons

“It's been three years since I graduated, and everyone's still waiting for me to do something spectacular," the stone prince said, lengthening his stride. "The rest of my classmates are already making names for themselves. George started killing dragons right away, and Art went straight home and pulled some sort of magic sword out of a rock. Even the ones nobody expected to amount to much have done something. All Jack wanted to do was go back to his mother's farm and raise beans, and he ended up stealing a magic harp and killing a giant and all sorts of things. I'm the only one who hasn't succeeded.”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“That is certainly one way to look at the matter. There are others.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“Kim was more than a little inclined to snarl at him, but in the past few days she had learned that snarling at Mairelon did little good. He simply smiled and corrected her grammar.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“Then they gave me a loaf of bread and told me to walk through the forest and give some to anyone who asked. I did exactly what they told me, and the second beggar-woman was a fairy in disguise, but instead of saying that whenever I spoke, diamonds and roses would drop from my mouth, she said that since I was so kind, I would never have any problems with my teeth.”
“Really? Did it work?”
“Well, I haven’t had a toothache since I met her.”
“I’d much rather have good teeth than have diamonds and roses drop out of my mouth whenever I said something”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Dealing With Dragons

“They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep,' Dobbilan said. 'And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination.”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“News of Daniel's disappearance does not alarm me as it might have done a week ago. Given recent events, very little alarms me as it might have done a week ago. I feel as if my supply of alarm has been exhausted, at least temporarily.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After

“This is the most important lesson you must learn about magic," Miss Ochiba went on. "There are many ways of seeing. Each has an element of truth, but none is the whole truth. If you limit yourselves to one way of seeing, one truth, you will limit your power. You will also place limits on the kinds of spells you can cast, as well as their strength. To be a good magician, you must see in many ways. You must be flexible. You must be willing to learn from different sources. And you must always remember that the truths you see are incomplete.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“Mendanbar took a deep breath. “You could stay here. At the castle, I mean. With me.” This wasn’t coming out at all the way he had wanted it to, but it was too late to stop now. He hurried on, “As Queen of the Enchanted Forest, if you think you would like that. I would.”
“Would you, really?”
“Yes,” Mendanbar said, looking down. “I love you, and—and—”
“And you should have said that to begin with,” Cimorene interrupted, putting her arms around him.
Mendanbar looked up, and the expression on her face made his heart begin to pound.
“Just to be sure I have this right,” Cimorene went on with a blinding smile, “did you just ask me to marry you?”
“Yes,” Mendanbar said. “At least, that’s what I meant.”
“Good. I will.”
Mendanbar tried to find something to say, but he was too happy to think. He leaned forward two inches and kissed Cimorene, and discovered that he didn’t need to say anything at all.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Searching for Dragons

“Brant's an idealist, and he's competent. There are few more dangerous combinations in this world... Heroes are even more dangerous than idealists.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“You mean I'm going to have to do a spell in front of a bunch of toffs?" Kim said, outraged that no one had mentioned this before she had agreed to this come-out.
"Yes, exactly", Lady Wendall said serenely. "You and Richard have plenty of time to design something that will reflect your unique background, as well as demonstrating your abilities as a wizard. I am looking forward to seeing what you decide upon."
"I could pick everyone's pockets at once with magic, "Kim said, still disgruntled. "That'd 'reflect my unique background', all right".”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“Sometimes, though, you have to do things for family, even if you'd rather not.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Across the Great Barrier

“I loved getting my M. B. A., and I really enjoyed being an accountant and financial analyst before I quit my day job twenty-five years ago to write full time. I just liked writing more…plus, I knew even then that as a full-time writer, I'd get plenty of chances to do business-type stuff, while as an accountant, I probably wouldn't get a lot of opportunities to write about dragons.”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“Master Richard!” Hunch’s voice was not loud, but it expressed volumes of scandalized disapproval.
Mairelon paused and looked up. “What is it?”
“You ain’t going to just—” Hunch stopped and looked at Kim. “Not with ‘er standing there!”
“Oh, is that all that’s bothering you?” Mairelon looked at Kim and grinned. “Turn your back, child; you’re offending Hunch’s proprieties.”
Kim flushed, as much from surprise as embarrassment, and turned away. “I ain’t no child,” she muttered under her breath.
“Under the circumstances, that’s so much the worse,” Mairelon replied cheerfully.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Mairelon the Magician

“I most certainly can deny it. Of course, if I did, I'd be lying." Mairelon”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“You can't force folks to have good sense, even if they're family. Maybe especially then.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Across the Great Barrier

“He pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave me a sidelong look, the one that meant he was so sure you were wrong that he could just wait and let you find out for yourself the hard way.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“Murphy is a writer's best friend, but you have to keep an eye on him, or he'll steal the silver.”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“Really, Agatha, you might have told me.”
"Told you what?” Mairelon said. “That my ward was once a street thief? I didn’t think it was a secret.”
“A street thief?” Letitia wrinkled her nose and looked at Kim with disfavor. “How horrid.”
“I think it is the most romantic story I have ever heard”, Miss Matthews said with conviction.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“After this, anything might happen. Anything at all. - The End, Mairelon the Magician 1”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“You're always in the kitchen," Alianora said when she poked her head through the door a moment later. "Or the library. Don't you ever do anything but cook and read?”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Dealing With Dragons

“Rennie didn't quite dare to answer back, but she looked a whole book and a couple of extra chapters.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“Of course it doesn't make sense." Lady Wendall said. "The rules of society rarely do.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“I see you've decided to take my advice after all, Richard." Lady Wendall's amused voice said from somewhere above and behind him. "Marrying your ward is *exactly* the sort of usual scandal I had in mind: I wonder it didn't occur to me before.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“But the most important thing of all, to which she kept returning like a tongue probing a sore tooth, was the realization that she had fallen in love with her gaurdian.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“...Out here, it's better safe than sorry, because generally speaking, too much of the time sorry means you're dead.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Across the Great Barrier

“(In reply to the question, 'Would you like some suggestions for a plot for your next book?')

There are three problems with getting plot suggestions from other people. The first is that ideas are the easy part of writing; finding the time and energy to get them down on paper is the hard part. I have plenty of ideas already. Which brings me to the second problem: the ideas that excite you, the ones you think would make a terrific book, are not necessarily the same ideas that excite me. And if a writer isn't excited about an idea, she generally doesn't turn out a terrific book, even if the idea is terrific. And the third problem with my using your suggestions is that, theoretically, you could sue me if I did, and that tends to make publishers nervous, which makes it hard to sell a book. So thank you, but no.”
― Patricia C. Wrede

“- Obawiam się, że lustro nie wymaga żadnych korekt – oświadczył z niezwykłą dla niego delikatnością. – Z zaklęciem jest wszystko w porządku, powinno też być kompatybilne z lustrem zamkowym. Problem polega na czymś innym.
- Wiedziałam – rzuciła gniewnie Cimorena i zaczęła chodzić tam i powrotem przed kominem. – W domu stało się coś złego.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Calling on Dragons

“He wasn't a medical doctor, just educated all the way up as far as you can get.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Thirteenth Child

“Thank God!" he said, and kissed her.
Kissing Mairelon was much nicer than anything she had ever dared to imagine, despite the headache.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“Except you.
The revelation was so blindingly sudden the words almost slipped out, and she had to bit her tongue and look away. pg 391, A Matter of Magic”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“Come one, come all! Prepare to be amazed by the one, the only - Mairelon the Magician!”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Mairelon the Magician

“Kim lifted the lid. Inside, on a small pillow covered in white velvet, lay a gold sunburst the size of her thunbnail, hung on a delicate chain. It looked a little like the first spell she had ever cast, a small explosion of light re-created in metal, and she was not really surprised to find the card with the single word "Mairelon" scraled across it.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“Allowing anyone, even Mairelon, not only to come close to her, but to circle her waist with his arms brought back old fears, though she had to admit that the sensation was pleasurable on those rare occasions when she could relax enough to enjoy it.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“And on top of everything, Mairelon hadn't even said she looked nice.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“The Marquis of Harsfield Lord Franton, arrived after you left." Lady Endall said with some satisfaction. "He said he wished to be presented to Kim, and was quite dissapointed to find she was not there."
"Harsfield? He must be nearly eighty." Mairelon said, frowning. "What does he want with Kim?"
"No, no, Richard, you're thinking of the fourth Marquis of Harsfield," Lady Wendall said. "He died last year; it is the fifth Marquis who was asking after Kim. He is quite a young gentleman--not much above twenty, I think. He was the grandson of the previous marquis."
"Oh. I expect that's all right, then." Mairelon said, but he continued to frown.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Magician's Ward

“You mean he thinks I'm going to get MORE offers?" Kim said, appalled.
"He doesn't seem to be the only one that thinks so." Mairelon said. "Aunt Agatha mentioned it to me yesterday afternoon. Is there anyone, or would you rather I turn the lot of them away?"
Kim shook her head. "There isn't anyone."
Except you.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“If a beauty like Letitia Tarnower couldn't interest Mairelon, and a brilliant wizard like Renee D'Auber hadn't attracted him in all the years they'd known one another, what chance did she, Kim, have?”
― Patricia C. Wrede, A Matter of Magic

“There is nothing that is quite so reassuring in an awkward situation as knowing that one is well turned-out, and while I hope I am not so fainthearted as to require such stratagems, I am not so foolish as to overlook their value.”
― Patricia C. Wrede, Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot