A Practical Guide to Conquering the World (The Siege, #3)

by K.J. Parker

Luck, according to Saloninus, is like a cart full of diamonds perched on the very edge of a cliff. Best if you don’t push it.

The idea that you can make life bearable merely by living it in a different place has always struck me as bizarre. I base this view on experience. Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve always still been me, and some obstacles are too much even for geography to overcome. Fortunately, I’m in the minority. Most people don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between movement and amelioration.

I'd argue that it is possible, as long as you keep moving.

It’s cold scientific fact that the universe is composed of two basic elements, Us and Them, always opposed in fundamental, irreconcilable conflict. The fact that we may like individual Them loads more than we like any of Us is neither here nor there. When it turns into an Us-against-Them issue, we can no more side with Them than water can flow uphill.

Once you’ve planted an idea, you don’t want to kill it by overwatering.