Thomas Ray

“Count Ambrosius was out of practice at chess. The usual game was dice, and he was not risking that against an infant soothsayer. Chess, being a matter of mathematics rather than magic, was less susceptible to the black arts.' --twelve-year-old Merlin, The Crystal Cave, p. 131 of 384”
― Mary Stewart, Merlin Trilogy Collection Vol (1-5) 5 Books Bundle By Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave,The Wicked Day) Gift Wrapped Slipcase Specially For You

“If such crimes against the citizens of the state of West Virginia go unreduced by the government, I suggest that we take down the flag that stands for constitutional government, and run up a banner saying 'This is the flag of the money oligarchy of America.”
― Mother Jones

“I had seen the soldiers' god, the Word, the Light, the Good Shepherd, the mediator between the one God and man. I had seen Mithras, who had come out of Asia a thousand years ago. He had been born in a cave at mid-winter, while shepherds watched and a star shone; he was born of earth and light, and sprang from the rock with a torch in his left hand and a knife in his right. He killed the bull to bring life and fertility to the earth with its shed blood, and then, after his last meal of bread and wine, he was called up to heaven. He was the god of strength and gentleness, of courage and self-restraint. The soldiers' god. [fifth-century Brittany] The Crystal Cave, p. 131 of 384”
― Mary Stewart, Merlin Trilogy Collection Vol (1-5) 5 Books Bundle By Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave,The Wicked Day) Gift Wrapped Slipcase Specially For You

“One of the great ironies of how democracies die is that the very defense of democracy is often used as a pretext for its subversion. Would-be autocrats often use economic crises, natural disasters, and especially security threats—wars, armed insurgencies, or terrorist attacks—to justify antidemocratic measures.”
― Steven Levitsky, How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future