The Pirate Queen Quotes

“Because men will never respect you if you try to be like them.” Gráinne lifts her head and meets her mother’s gaze. “Then how will they respect me?” “They won’t,” Maeve says with a shrug. Then she takes her daughter’s face in her hands and brings it close. Until their noses touch and their breath mingles. “Not unless you make them.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“But she is learning to let others think of her what they will. She is learning to keep secrets. And in the dark soil of her silence, she is gathering bits of knowledge like seed, planting them deep.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“I want a boat of my own. And a life bigger than any tower house can hold.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“He has already ordered the crew to show her no mercy. They’d scowled at him. Gráinne is their favorite. She is everyone’s favorite. Her greatest gift is making people like her. Eóin is certain the damn wee banshee is gathering an army loyal only to herself.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Give her a life beyond the Pale. Woods and waters and endless skies.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Loving a wife is one thing. Loving a daughter is something else entirely. How is he supposed to contain all this pride and fear in a single heart? He could burst from the pressure.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Though I would think a woman your age would be tired of fighting.”
“Then you know nothing about women. The older we get, the easier fighting becomes.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“They call this Mother Nature, but they are wrong. Oh, not about her being female. That’s true enough. Nature is a right cruel bitch. But she isn’t your mother—she’s an old lover and she intends to make you pay for your indifference. Bed her once and she’ll punish you for the rest of your life.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Do women lie?”
“Tá.”
“When?”
“Usually when our lives depend on it.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“He watches his daughter chase the waves and knows that, somehow, he has been bested by this miniature girl child. Sailing to the moon would be easier than denying her any longer. And he would, just to get away from her incessant pleas. “Take me with you, Da!” has been her daily refrain.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Grace tries to laugh, but it sounds forced, even to her ears. “Well, I amn’t dead yet, am I? Perhaps there’s time.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Why’s it only misbehaving when girls do it?” “Because girls are expected to be better than boys.” “Well.” She grins. “I expect to be better at swearing than all the boys I ever meet.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“The people who fear you will always be the biggest danger to you.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“You always wanted more than this.” “And I was a fool for thinking I could have it.” “You also have the right to be happy.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen

“Of all the men she’s known, and of all the promises that have been made throughout her life, there is little reason why this one should push the tears into her eyes. And yet here she is, blinking back her gratitude.”
― Ariel Lawhon, The Pirate Queen