Black Widow, Vol. 1 Quotes

“Tolstoy will live forever. Some people do. But that's not enough. It's not the length of life that matters--just the depth of it. The chances we take. The paths we choose. How we go on after our hearts break. Hearts always break. And so we bend with our hearts. And we sway. But in the end--what matters is that we loved and lived”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“There are wolves in the night. The soldiers would say that, when I was a girl. My uncles and brothers in war. My friends. Raising me on the battlefield because there was no where else to go. There are wolves, they would say. And there are stories about wolves and girls. Girls in red. All alone in the woods. About to get eaten up. Wolves and girls. Both have sharp teeth.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“We all burn. We burn in fire. We burn in blood. We burn in dreams. And it never ends. Dreams never end. You would not want them to. Not if it means forgetting. You can never forget. You, who are all that is left. So remember, we are born in fire. Again and again. You would live it all again. No matter how much it hurts. When it hurts you know you are alive. And you know that as long as you live, they live. And when you die, they die. You are the inheriter of memories.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“Tell yourself that there are things you will never forget. Tell yourself that you will always remember what is important. Tell yourself that everything you love will stay with you, forever. Even though it won't. Not even a little. Nothing lasts. But unless you are strong, and careful, that will not be enough. I learned love form sacrifice. I learned love from living. And no matter where I've gone, or what I've done, all the dark things I do not regret, but will never speak of, that is the one part of me that I have always kept safe. But that's not enough. It's not the length of a life that matters, just the depth of it. The chances we take. The pathes we choose. How we go on after our hearts break. Hearts always break. And so we bend with our hearts. And we sway. But in the end, what matters is that we loved and lived.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“I have hunted for less. I have killed for less. But never with as much pleasure.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“You always knew what you had to do. No one ever told you. You had the resolve even then. Nor were you afraid of the dark or what waited for you there. But sometimes, I wish you had been.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“I outlived all the men who raised me. I stayed young while they faded, and died from bullets and disease. Or old age. You forget so much. You forget them. Friends. Family. You put aside what can't be changed. Like death. Until something small and unexpected catches you.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“I should have known this would happen. But I got happy, and soft. I forgot that secrets never keep.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“You must always have a safe place to go. That is the first thing you learn. Though you should know that by instinct, before anyone has to teach you. It isn't just spies that need to run. Good times don't last forever.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose

“I was a spy. I was trusted. Until I changed sides. Funny how that happens. I gave up one country for another. One country for an ideal. I didn't think of it that way at the time. Call me crazy. But I just wanted to be free.”
― Marjorie M. Liu, Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Name of the Rose