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November 10, 2021 - January 11, 2022
“The sands of time cannot be stopped. Years pass whether we will them or not … but we can remember. What has been lost may yet live on in memories. That which you will hear is imperfect and fragmented, yet treasure it, for without you it does not exist. I give you now a memory that has been forgotten, hidden in the dreamy haze that lies behind us.”
“First, let no one rule your mind or body. Take special care that your thoughts remain unfettered. One may be a free man and yet be bound tighter than a slave. Give men your ear, but not your heart. Show respect for those in power, but don’t follow them blindly. Judge with logic and reason, but comment not. “Consider none your superior, whatever their rank or station in life. Treat all fairly or they will seek revenge. Be careful with your money. Hold fast to your beliefs and others will listen.” He continued at a slower pace, “Of the affairs of love … my only advice is to be honest. That’s
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“Because you can’t argue with all of the fools in the world. It’s easier to let them have their way, then trick them when they’re not paying attention.”
“Because I am guided not by the land, but by the stars and sun. They will not lead us astray.
“To work with magic, you must have a certain innate power, which is very rare among people nowadays. You also have to be able to summon this power at will. Once it is called upon, you have to use it or let it fade away. Understood? Now, if you wish to employ the power, you must utter the word or phrase of the ancient language that describes your intent.
Think about it: you can communicate with any sentient being, though the contact may not be very clear. You could spend the entire day listening to a bird’s thoughts or understanding how an earthworm feels during a rainstorm. But I’ve never found birds very interesting. I suggest starting with a cat; they have unusual personalities.”
Tomorrow you will ride me—not that pitiful deer-animal you call a horse—or else I will carry you in my claws. Are you a Dragon Rider or not? Don’t you care for me?
“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.
People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn’t.”
“Who are you calling an old man? The last time I saw you there was no gray in your hair. Now it looks like it’s in the final stages of decomposition.”
There are forces circling us that we aren’t aware of. Sometimes I wonder if we can ever understand the true motives of the people around us. They all seem to have secrets.
It is the way of the world. Ignore all the schemes and trust in the nature of each person.
It’s amazing that a man who is dead can talk to people through these pages. As long as this book survives, his ideas live.
Knowing is independent of being.
I go by many names. If you are looking for my proper one, you will have to seek elsewhere
Magic will let you defeat all but the strongest enemies.
May thee who enter here understand thine impermanence and forget thine attachments to that which is beloved.
Magic can yield unexpected results when the ancient words are combined in new ways.
‘May good fortune rule over you, peace live in your heart, and the stars watch over you.’
“It is always so; those closest to the heart cause the most pain. Thou will have no dowry from me, snake, nor your mother’s inheritance.”
“Those whom we love are often the most alien to us.”
Compared to an ant, the squirrel burned with energy and possessed unquestionable intelligence.
You must become aware of all things equally and not blinker yourself in order to concentrate on a particular subject.
Can someone be truly good if they never have the opportunity to act badly?
When you can have anything you want by uttering a few words, the goal matters not, only the journey to it.
Determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects.
The answer is logic. Or, to put it another way, the ability to reason analytically. Applied properly, it can overcome any lack of wisdom, which one only gains through age and experience.”
A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.
Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn’t exist and never shall. There is only now.
The Obliterator. Because when you’re in pain, nothing else can exist. Not thought. Not emotion. Only the drive to escape the pain. When it’s strong enough, the Obliterator strips us of everything that makes us who we are, until we’re reduced to creatures less than animals, creatures with a single desire and goal: escape. A good name, then.
Whether you are a king on a battlefield or a lowly peasant lying in bed among your family, no one can accompany you into the void.…
“We believe that the world behaves according to certain inviolable rules and that, by persistent effort, we can discover those rules and use them to predict events when circumstances repeat.”
“We give credence only to that which we can prove exists. Since we cannot find evidence that gods, miracles, and other supernatural things are real, we do not trouble ourselves about them.
“it is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our own actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.
It is far better to be taught to think critically and then be allowed to make your own decisions than to have someone else’s notions thrust upon you.
It takes courage to admit you were wrong. Only if you are afraid of looking foolish, and I would have looked far more foolish if I persisted with an erroneous belief.
“Vel eïnradhin iet ai Shur’tugal.” Upon my word as a Rider.
Wise? He shook his head. No, I’ve just learned how to think. That much, at least,
What? Did you think I was as mute as a rock lizard?
You are not your father, nor your brother. Their shame is not yours.”
“No more shall the sun shake in its infirmity, nor gray lichen molder across granite, for mine sorrow steals the breath betwixt mine teeth. Hearth and hall have I lost, flesh of my flesh, and all the glittering aches of this life … leaving what? Oh, mere existence falters underneath this load without mitigation of heart’s affection.”
People, sheep: what difference is there to a dragon?
Turmoil accompanies every great change,
And we have experienced more than our share, for we are agents of that very change.
“Death is part of who we are. It guides us. It shapes us. It drives us to madness. Can you still be human if you have no mortal end?”
Every creature in this world has to eat other living beings—even if they are only plants—in order to survive. That is how we are made. Why attempt to defy the natural order of things?”
“Some write poems about the sun and the moon, others grow flowers or build great structures or compose music. As much as I appreciate those various art forms, I believe that true beauty only exists in the fang of a wolf, in the pelt of the forest cat, in the eye of an eagle. So I adopted those attributes for myself. In another hundred years, I may lose interest in the beasts of the land and instead decide that the beasts of the sea embody all that is good, and then I will cover myself with scales, transform my hands into fins and my feet into a tail, and I will vanish beneath the surface of
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“It is always thus. The monsters of the mind are far worse than those that actually exist. Fear, doubt, and hate have hamstrung more people than beasts ever have.”
“Then say what you mean, and do not give insult unless it is your intention.”
“How did you come to terms with what you had done?” “I examined my reasons for killing to determine if they were just. Satisfied they were, I asked myself if our cause was important enough to continue supporting it, even though it would probably require me to kill again. Then I decided that whenever I began to think of the dead, I would picture myself in the gardens of Tialdarí Hall.”
