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February 1 - February 9, 2025
Some of the town had cried during this evil business, but most just wore the mask that one’s face becomes after too many outrages.
it is possible to regret a thing not done as bitterly as any false step.
Your name will not pull you out of this shit, and neither will money. Luck may extract some of you, but your luck has been working so hard on your behalf already that it may soon die of exhaustion.”
There is a toast in Braga—“Loyal friends, wise kings, stupid enemies.”
And those of us in the shit like to know that somewhere, someone isn’t in the shit. And every time I drink a good glass of wine or eat a pastry or bed a whore, or a priestess of Nerêne, I do it not with hardness in my heart toward those who suffer. I do it in gratitude that there is something besides suffering.”
Most people have made peace with the realities of human nature, and this makes their daily lives more comfortable. I am still trying to learn to do this. I try to remember that I am not responsible for what others do, nor should I hold them in judgment. But this is very hard for me, especially when they are being bastards.
To be loved by a man is to be issued a decree he has written in advance, and has presented to others; to receive a woman’s love is to have a very personal letter written on one’s body.
I will write a poem for her. I have tried several times already, but I am too tired, and she is too much for ink to capture. I am only staining paper.
“Dishonesty is rarely personal. Liars by habit lie to everyone, but they get reputations quickly. One can see them coming. Liars by necessity lie when circumstances warrant, but, again, this is about context. As admirable as your honesty may be, thinking someone else owes you theirs is a bad habit. One that leads to disappointment.”
He knew he had wronged me, so he redoubled his anger at me, because this is easier for men of his stature than to admit fault or to try to make amends. No one is so furious as a small man caught in a misdeed.