Baylee > Baylee's Quotes

“I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth: the mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth about those life-communities that define our own identity, and the most specific truth of all: our own self-story. Fiction, because it is not about someone who lived in the real world, always has the possibility of being about oneself. --From the Introduction”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“I also remembered that you were beautiful."
"Memory does play tricks on us."
"No. Your face is the same, but I don't remember what beautiful means anymore.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“We're all trying to decide whether your scores up there are a miracle or a mistake."

"A habit. ”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“You want to beat Peter?" she asked
"No," he answered
"Beat the buggers. Then come home and see who notices Peter Wiggen anymore. Look him in the eye when all the world loves and reveres you. That'll be defeat in his eyes, Ender, thats how you win"
"You don't understand" he said
"Yes i do"
"No you don't. I don't want to beat Peter"
"Then what do you want?"
"I want him to love me”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“I'm crazy," said Ender. "But I think I'm OK.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“I didn't want to see you."
"They told me."
"I was afraid that I'd still love you."
"I hoped that you would.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“That night Demosthenes published a scathing denunciation of the population limitation laws. People should be allowed to have as many children as they like, and the surplus population should be sent to other worlds, to spread mankind so far across the galaxy that no disaster, no invasion could ever threaten the human race with annihilation. "The most noble title any child can have," Demosthenes wrote, "is Third.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“It will hurt." said Petra. "But let's make the most of what we have, and not let future pain ruin present happiness.”
― Orson Scott Card, Shadow Puppets

“You killed more people than anybody in history."

"Be the best at whatever you do, that's what my mother always told me.”
― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead

“You made them hate me." Said Ender
"So? What will you do about it? Crawl in a corner? Start kissing their little backsides so they'll love you again? There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do that they can't ignore you. I told them you were the best. Now you damn well better be." -Graff”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Quim," she said, "don't ever try to teach me about good and evil. I've been there, and you've seen nothing but a map.”
― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead

“Then you're dead, too, sweet little sister.'
Oh, yes,' said Valentine. 'They'll believe that. "I didn't know it would kill Andrew. And when he was dead, I didn't know it will kill Valentine too.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“What am I now, Alai?"
"Still good."
"At what?"
"At--anything. There's a million soldiers who'd follow you to the end of the universe."
"I don't want to go to the end of the universe."
"So where do you want to go? They'll follow you."
I want to go home, thought Ender, but I don't know where it is.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Miro, I'm so sorry. I always felt such pity for you humans because you could only think of one thing at a time and your memories were so imperfect and . . . now I realize that just getting through the day without killing somebody can be an achievement."

It gets to be a habit. Most of us manage to keep our body count quite low. It's the neighborly way to live.”
― Orson Scott Card, Children of the Mind

“We've devoted our lives to learning about them!" Miro said.

Ender stopped. "Not from them.”
― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead

“And it came down to this: In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in the very moment when I love them--"

"You beat them." For a moment she was not afraid of his understanding.

"No, you don't understand. I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again. I grind them and grind them until they don't exist.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Do you know why Satan is so angry all the time? Because whenever he works a particularly clever bit of mischief God uses it to serve his own Rigteous purposes."
"So God uses wicked people as his tools?"
"God gives us the freedom to to do great evil, if we choose, then He uses his own freedom to create goodness out of that evil, for that is what He chooses."
"So, in the long run, God always wins?"
"Yes, in the short run though it can be uncomfortable.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow

“Dona Crista laughed a bit. "Oh, Pip, I'd be glad for you to try. But do believe me, my dear friend, touching her heart is like bathing in ice."

I imagine. I imagine it feels like bathing in ice to the person touching her. But how does it feel to her? Cold as she is, it must surely burn like fire.”
― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead

“Andrew said you were the best person he ever knew."

"He reached that conclusion before he saw me raise three barbarian children to adulthood. I understand your mother has six."

"Right."

"And you're the oldest."

"Yes."

"That's too bad. Parents always make their worst mistakes with the oldest children. That's when parents know the least and care the most, so they're more likely to be wrong and also more likely to insist that they're right.”
― Orson Scott Card, Xenocide

“Oh, Val," said Father. "All you have to do is live your life, and everyone around you will be happier."

"No greatness, then."

"Val," said Mother, "goodness trumps greatness any day."

"Not in the history books," said Valentine.

"Then the wrong people are writing history, aren't they?" said Father.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender in Exile

“Whoop-de-do," said Ram.
"What?"
"I'm celebrating."
"Was that irony or loss of mental function?" asked the expendable.
"Was that a rhetorical questions, a bit of humor, or a sign that you are losing confidence in me?"
"I have no confidence in you, Ram," said the expendable.
"Well, thanks."
"You're welcome.”
― Orson Scott Card, Pathfinder

“Does it help if we're so strong-willed, stubborn, ambitious, and selfish that we always overcome everything in our way no matter what?" asked Wang-mu.

"I think those are the pertinent virtues, yes," said Peter.

"Then let's do it. That's us in spades.”
― Orson Scott Card, Children of the Mind

“I didn't want to hurt him!" Ender cried. "Why didn't he just leave me alone!”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Thanks from keeping me from being a liar," said Nikolai.
"What?"
"About your having diarrhea."
"For you I'd get dysentery."
"Now that's friendship.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow

“I'm not a liar, sir,' she said.
"'No, I'm sure you sincerely become whatever it is you're pretending to be.”
― Orson Scott Card, Xenocide

“Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me. Then I can go on. Writer’s block is never solved by forcing oneself to “write through it,” because you haven’t solved the problem that caused your unconscious mind to rebel against the story, so it still won’t work – for you or for the reader.”
― Orson Scott Card

“Nonsense," said Graff. "Ender always has plans within plans.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender in Exile

“If human beings are all monsters, why should I sacrifice anything for them?"
"Because they are beautiful monsters..., And when they live in a network of peace and hope, when they trust the world and their deepest hungers are fulfilled, then within that system, that delicate web, there is joy. That is what we live for, to bind the monsters together, to murder their fear and give birth to their beauty.”
― Orson Scott Card, Wyrms

“Let me tell you about gods," said Wiggin. "No matter how smart or strong you are, there's always somebody smarter or stronger, and when you run into somebody who's stronger and smarter than anybody, you think, This is a god. This is perfection. But I can promise you that there's somebody else somewhere else who'll make your god look like a maggot by comparison. And somebody smarter or stronger or better in some way. So let me tell you what I think about gods. I think a real god is not going to be so scared or angry that he tries to keep other people down. For Congress to genetically alter people to make them smarter and more creative, that could have been a godlike, generous gift. But they were scared, so they hobbled the people of Path. They wanted to stay in control. A real god doesn't care about control. A real god already has control of everything that needs controlling. Real gods would want to teach you how to be just like them.”
― Orson Scott Card, Xenocide

“Do not shout at me, Mr. Quill," said John [Adams]. "Justice may be blind, but she is not deaf.”
― Orson Scott Card, Heartfire