Asher > Asher's Quotes

“Percy, lesser beings do many horrible things in the name of the gods. That does not mean we gods approve. The way our sons and daughters act in our names... well, it usually says more about THEM than it does about us.”
― Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth

“It takes no effort to imagine Yizhi becoming him, or him having once been kind and gentle like Yizhi. Which is the most terrifying part of looking at him.

This world can make monsters out of anyone.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“I think... you've been lied to about what male needs are like. We aren't animals. Yes, our desires get pretty strong, but they're not overpowering. There's no such thing as going mad because of them."

A bitter laugh grinds out of me like glass shards. "Tell that to all the girls getting raped as we speak."

"That's not a matter of losing control. Every guy who does something like that knows exactly what he's doing. There is always a moment where he consciously decides that he will ruin sometone's life to feel better about his own. Always.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not...they chose their path.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“Cheating is deception. He and I have talked about this. He's secure enough to know it's not a competition. That any feelings I have for you don't cancel out the ones I have for him.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“Where does jealousy come from, if not an insecurity that I'll lose you because of him? But that's not how it works, no matter how many people believe it so. You're not something to be kept or taken, and love isn't some scarce resource to battle over. Love can be infinite , as much as your heart can open. I mean, when you think about it, love is fueled mostly by compatibility. Whether two people make each other happy by being close. So it'd be pointless of me to resent Shimin. However compatible you are with him, it doesn't have anything to do with how compatible you are with me.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“The children of the gods must find their own way.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“He said after a little while, 'I see why you say that only men do evil, I think. Even sharks are innocent, they kill because they must.'
'That is why nothing can resist us. Only one thing in the worl can resist an evil-hearted man. And that is another man. In our shame is our glory. Only our spirit, which is capable of evil, is capable of overcoming it.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

“Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“Imagine two people resisting a cigarette. When offered a smoke, the first person says, “No thanks. I’m trying to quit.” It sounds like a reasonable response, but this person still believes they are a smoker who is trying to be something else. They are hoping their behavior will change while carrying around the same beliefs. The second person declines by saying, “No thanks. I’m not a smoker.” It’s a small difference, but this statement signals a shift in identity. Smoking was part of their former life, not their current one. They no longer identify as someone who smokes.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“One solution is to avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. In the words of investor Paul Graham, “keep your identity small.” The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you. If you tie everything up in being the point guard or the partner at the firm or whatever else, then the loss of that facet of your life will wreck you. If you’re a vegan and then develop a health condition that forces you to change your diet, you’ll have an identity crisis on your hands. When you cling too tightly to one identity, you become brittle. Lose that one thing and you lose yourself.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“When scientists analyze people who appear to have tremendous self-control, it turns out those individuals aren't all that different from those who are struggling. Instead, 'disciplined' people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations. The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least. It's easier to practice self-restraint when you don't have to use it very often.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“What feels like fun to me, but work to others? The mark of whether you are made for a task is not whether you love it but whether you can handle the pain of the task easier than most people. When are you enjoying yourself while other people are complaining? The work that hurts you less than it hurts others is the work you were made to do.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
― Martin Niemoller

“If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?”
― Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

“Failure is a bruise. Not a tattoo.”
― Jon Sinclair

“It's nothing against you to fall down flat, but to lie there - that's disgrace.”
― Edmund Vance Cooke

“I'm afraid not." Hades sighed. "My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glared at me with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on - it is that you were a TERRIBLE father.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“If Olympus falls, your own palace's safety doesn't matter.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“Now, imagine changing just one word: You don’t “have” to. You “get” to.”
― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

“I suppose even the gods can learn new tricks.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“You couldn't see the war by looking at the buildings or the fields.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“Luke has given himself to Kronos now. We can't afford to be soft on him.”
― Rick Riordan, The Last Olympian

“I looked out at the fires in Harlem, wondering how many sleeping mortals were in danger right now because of Luke's bad choices.”
― rick riordan, The Last Olympian

“Hate generalizes, love specifies.”
― Robin Morgan

“The most wonderful thing about a good trickster is that he trusts.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

“Martyr says: “Life is pain.” Trickster says: “Life is interesting.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear

“You do not need anybody’s permission to live a creative life.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

“Hate women? Don't be ridiculous! The world wouldn't function without women! Who would bear our children, make our meals, sew our clothes, warm our beds, and so, so, so much more?...Nobody in this world hates women in general. They just hate the ones who won't listen. Who think they can break the rules and get away with it. So, Pilot Wu, are you one of them?”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“Until he came into my life, I never realized how mesmerizing this kind of masculinity can be. A steady, controlled power used to protect and defend, not terrorize and take.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow