Bruce > Bruce's Quotes

“He always thinks because I’m reading, I’m not doing anything. There is no greater plague to an introvert than the extroverted.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“You meet a man, you know him. You meet a woman, she knows you.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“Tradition is the crown of the tyrant.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“Power is the crown that eats the head,”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“Achilles died well"
"No. Achilles let his pride and rage consume him, and in the end, an arrow shot by a Pixie took him in the foot. There's much to live for besides this. Hopefully you'll grow old enough to realize that Achilles was a gorydamn fool. And we're fools all the more for not realizing he wasn't Homer's hero. He was warning. I feel men once knew that”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“What a beautiful mess we could have made of each other.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“It's strange watching him leave. Like watching my shadow depart and realizing its destiny may be separate from mine.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“The human spirit tries to break free again and again, not in hate like the Dark Revolt. But for love. They don't mimic each other. They aren't inspired by others who come before them. Each is willing to take the leap, thinking they are the first. That's bravery. And that means it's a part of who we are as people.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“She is different from her people. And when she tries to do as they do, it cracks her heart to the core. Looking at her, I know I was wrong. She is not a distraction. She does not compromise my mission. She is the point of it all.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“I would have found you earlier, before whatever happened that filled you with this rage. I would not have raised you to be a great man. There is no peace for great men. I would have had you be a decent one. I would have given you the quiet strength to grow old with the woman you love.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“It's the only way to beat the monsters."
"It's not the only way," I say.
"No?" she asks, surprised.
"You can always become a monster too.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“Most people who daydream of transforming themselves into some vicious beast and going about tearing people's throats out, dismembering them, disfiguring them and perhaps devouring them tend mainly to dwell upon how much fun it would be and generally neglect the practicalities of the situation.”
― Roger Zelazny, Blood of Amber

“ 'I killed their pack leader,' Sevro says when I ask why the wolves follow him. He looks me up and down and flashes me an impish grin from beneath the wolf pelt. 'Don't worry, I wouldn't fit in your skin.' ”
― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

“You traumatized Pax, by the way. He's crying. Good work.”
― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

“Where did you hear that song?" I ask her without sitting up.
"From the HC," she says, blushing. "A little girl sang it. It's soothing."
"It's sad."
"Most things are.”
― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

“I stand over them and cock my head. 'Is this the first time you've lost at something?' No answer. I frown. 'Well, that must be embarrassing.' ”
― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

“But love...of whom?" I say at last. "Of what? What great passion would forestall death?"
Her graceful eyebrow arches, "You do not know? You, a poet?"
I do not know. I say as much.
She leans forward so that I can hear the rustle of her starched cotton blouse and silk beneath. Our faces are so close that I can feel the warmth from her skin. "Then you need more time to learn," she whispers, her voice as filled with emotion as when she cried out last night.”
― Dan Simmons, Lovedeath

“I love life, Eleanor. It is that simple. Had I the choice, I would live forever, accepting pain and loss as my due and learning--across time--even to appreciate the sharp seasoning of this sadness.”
― Dan Simmons, Lovedeath

“Well, I was going to tell you about a dream I had about dragons. They were purple and pretty and liked to sing songs." She flicks my armor with a finger. It rings. "Way to upstage me, Jerk. What happened?"
"I got mad."
She groans, I've become the maiden in distress, haven't I? Slag! I hate those girls.”
― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

“To paraphrase Oedipus, Hamlet, Lear, and all those guys, "I wish I had known this some time ago.”
― Roger Zelazny, Sign of the Unicorn

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
― Bob Marley

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“As I've written and spoken on this issue over the years, I've even had current and former members of the military tell me they object to the word militarization--not because they disagree with the basic premise of what's happened to police departments in recent years, but because from their own experience, the military is more accountable and disciplined than many police departments today. Several have even told me that military raids on residences where they suspected insurgents may be hiding are done more carefully and with more deference to the rights of potential innocents than some of the SWAT raids they see and read about today. The police today may be more militarized than the military.”
― Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces

“Liars make the best promises.”
― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

“Changing a culture sounds like a tall order. And it probably is. “I think there are two critical components to policing that cops today have forgotten,” says the former Maryland cop Neill Franklin. “Number one, you’ve signed on to a dangerous job. That means that you’ve agreed to a certain amount of risk. You don’t get to start stepping on others’ rights to minimize that risk you agreed to take on. And number two, your first priority is not to protect yourself, it’s to protect those you’ve sworn to protect. But I don’t know how you get police officers today to value those principles again. The ‘us and everybody else’ sentiment is strong today. It’s very, very difficult to change a culture.”
― Radley Balko, Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces

“Life is full of doors that don't open when you knock, equally spaced amid those that open when don't want them to.”
― Roger Zelazny, Blood of Amber

“Later, much later, I was to see this for the rationalization it was; my real reason for denying her the answers she desired was that I was not ready to trust her, or anyone, so close to me as I really am.
Had I known her longer, better -- another year, say -- I might have answered her. I don't know. We never used the word "love," though it must have run through her mind on occasion, as it did through mine. It was, I suppose, that I didn't love her enough to trust her, and then it was too late. So, "I can't tell you," were my words.”
― Roger Zelazny, Blood of Amber

“He was the only person I could talk to who wasn’t afraid to take chances and make changes to pursue his dreams. Everyone else I knew always said, ”Later“; Mystery said, ”Now,“ and that was an intoxicating word to me-because later, every time I’d ever heard it, translated as never.”
― Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

“We were greater than the sum of our cocks.”
― Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists