The Fall of Babel (The Books of Babel #4)

by Josiah Bancroft

Those who claim to be “ready for anything” are overpacked and invariably unprepared for the one obstacle every adventurer must eventually face—disappointment.

Some of my crew are convinced an old rope will continue to hold purely because it has held for so long. As if a ship was buoyed by precedent. As if the past promised a future.

Perhaps you do not understand how orphanages work, young man. How often do you see them on a corner of the city square, or nestled in the shadow of the mayor’s house? Orphanages grow where the mold does, where the mice nest, where the children won’t prick the consciences of people who might have their morning walk spoiled by the sight of something so unpleasant.”

To lead is to come last. A chef only eats when the dishes are done, and a captain goes down with the ship.

Perhaps we are not responsible for the crimes of our fathers, but make no mistake, we are beneficiaries of those crimes, which makes us answerable to its victims.

He understood that accusations made in wrath drew from the proof of emotions rather than the substance of facts, and as such were incontestable.

People only read what they already believe to be true, and if they encounter something that seems to disagree with their beliefs, they bend it into agreement, and if it cannot be bent, then they call it a conspiracy and cast it away!”

True conspiracies are inflexible and susceptible to discovery, but imaginary plots are ever evolving and, as a result, invulnerable. That is to say, conspiracies are perishable, paranoia is not.

Byron liked to imagine that if every knight, soldier of fortune, and buccaneer were forced to scrub blood from a single area rug, that the tedious, unpleasant experience would usher in an era of peace. Let the generals mop up the battlefield for a change, then see how long they’d go before waging another war!

Praise was like chocolate; a little made you euphoric, too much just made you sick.

Pilgrims are encouraged to remember that the principal consumer of sheep is not wolves but shepherds.

When you think little of yourself, everyone else’s opinion of you becomes more important than your own.

I think that if we really knew how good our lives were while they were good, we’d be too scared to do anything, change anything. We’d never take a risk, or explore, or grow. You can hate yourself for not fully appreciating your happy days while you had them, or you could look back and be warmed by the memory, couldn’t you?”