H.L. Burke > H.L.'s Quotes

“I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
― Shannon Hale

“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
― C.S. Lewis

“I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

“Love is nature’s way of clouding our common sense so we breed first and ask questions later.”
― H.L. Burke, Dragon's Debt

“The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead keep it, until the time comes. The way is shut.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

“Tea should be as bitter as wormwod and as sharp as a two eged sword
Kit Snicket (a series of unfortunate events)”
― Lemony Snicket

“But if you tame me, then we
shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I
shall be unique in all the world.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”
― G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.”
― G.K. Chesterton

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
― C.S. Lewis

“We live for books.”
― Umberto Eco

“Forget? No.” Conner frowned. “It has been decades, and I still remember every detail about her: her smell, her touch, the way her voice hummed in my ears. Why would I want to forget any of that? Those memories are my treasures.”
― H.L. Burke, Dragon's Rival

“Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that - but you are the only you.

Tarantino - you can criticize everything that Quentin does - but nobody writes Tarantino stuff like Tarantino. He is the best Tarantino writer there is, and that was actually the thing that people responded to - they’re going ‘this is an individual writing with his own point of view’.

There are better writers than me out there, there are smarter writers, there are people who can plot better - there are all those kinds of things, but there’s nobody who can write a Neil Gaiman story like I can.”
― Neil Gaiman

“You're kind and patient and honorable, and yes, maybe those aren't flashy, magical, extraordinary traits. Maybe being all those things does make you a bit ordinary, but the ordinary things are the important things.”
― H.L. Burke, An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

“Even from a distance, she had a sort of glow around her, the glow of the sort of girl who would never talk to Percy. Who would usually look right through him. But there she was, looking.”
― H.L. Burke, An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

“Whatever the days are, evil or not, they made us who we are, and perhaps there’s a reason for that.”
― H.L. Burke, Lands of Ash

“as a free woman, I retain the right to be ridiculous whenever I wish.”
― H.L. Burke, Dragon's Curse

“I can offer you a way out, an escape, a new beginning.” Albriet reached under the seat and pulled out a black case with silver filigree around the edges.
“I don’t want a new beginning. I have … I have a good life.”
“You had a good life. That’s gone now.”
― H.L. Burke, Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors

“This place is as dead as dice. Nothing safer to rob than a grave, if you can push past the creep factor.”
― H.L. Burke, Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors

“My people, we stay indoors. We have keyboards. We have darkness. It's quiet.”
― Neil Gaiman

“I'll be fine." She kissed his cheek. "Styles nearly killed the two men I love most. Trust me, he's going to regret that. After all, it is foolish to get on the bad side of either Spellsmith or Carver...and I just happen to be both.”
― H.L. Burke, Magicians' Trial

“I warned Harold against him, but he didn’t listen. I think he liked him because their names rhyme, if you want my honest opinion. Kings can be frivolous that way.” Percy”
― H.L. Burke, An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

“Dusty’s methods I don’t particularly care for, but if he wants to kill a flea with an axe, more power to him.” She”
― H.L. Burke, An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

“Fortunately it’s warded against magic but not common sense.”
― H.L. Burke, Magicians' Rivalry

“Whoever had set up this security system had somehow incorporated biological and man-made components. She’d heard such things theorized, but no one had even come close.”
― H.L. Burke, Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors

“Besides, who makes all these silly rules?”
― H.L. Burke, An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

“Heed no nightly noises! for nothing passes door and window here save moonlight and starlight and the wind off the hill-top.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“So supervillain rides shotgun. Put that on the list of things I never thought I’d say.”
“A lot of that going on right now.”
― H.L. Burke

“You’re heroes. Do hero stuff! What good are you if you don’t?”
― H.L. Burke, Wishing on a Supervillain