Wintersmith (Discworld, #35; Tiffany Aching, #3)

by Terry Pratchett

And she always came. Always. But popular? No. Need is not the same as like. Granny Weatherwax was for when things were serious.

You had to deal every day with people who were foolish and lazy and untruthful and downright unpleasant, and you could certainly end up thinking that the world would be considerably improved if you gave them a slap. But you didn’t because, as Miss Tick had once explained: a) it would make the world a better place for only a

very short time; b) it would then make the world a slightly worse place; and c) you’re not supposed to be as stupid as they are.

Tiffany sat on a stump and cried a bit, because it needed to be done. Then she went and milked the goats, because someone had to do that, too.

“You did,” said Anoia, blowing more sparks. “You cussed. Sooner or later, every curse is a prayer.”

People wanted the world to be a story, because stories had to sound right and they had to make sense. People wanted the world to make sense. Well, her story wasn’t going to be the story of a little girl who got pushed around.