Sabriel Quotes

“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Touchstone watched, suddenly conscious that he probably only had five seconds left to be alone with Sabriel, to say something, to say anything. Perhaps the last five seconds they ever would have alone together.
I am not afraid, he said to himself.
"I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Five Great Charters knit the land
Together linked, hand in hand
One in the people who wear the crown
Two in the folk who keep the Dead down
Three and Five became stone and mortar
Four sees all in frozen water.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Fear and realisation of ignorance, strong medicines against stupid pride.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Do not tarry, do not stop, no matter what happens.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“A Kiss," said Mogget sleepily. "Actually, just a breath would do. But you have to start kissing someone sometime, I suppose."
"A breath?" she asked. She didn't want to kiss just any wooden man. He looked nice enough, but he might not be like his looks. A kiss seemed too forward.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“I can see time," whispered Mogget, so softly that his words were lost.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Ranna," she said aloud, touching the first, the smallest bell. Ranna the sleepbringer, the sweet, low sound that brought silence in its wake.

"Mosrael." The second bell, a harsh, rowdy bell. Mosrael was the waker, the bell Sabriel should never use, the bell whose sound was a seesaw, throwing the ringer further into Death, as it brought the listener into Life.
"Kibeth." Kibeth, the walker. A bell of several sounds, a difficult and contrary bell. It could give freedom of movement to one of the Dead, or walk them through the next gate. Many a necromancer had stumbled with Kibeth and walked where they would not.
"Dyrim." A musical bell, of clear and pretty tone. Dyrim was the voice that the Dead so often lost. But Dyrim could also still a tongue that moved too freely.
"Belgaer." Another tricksome bell, that sought to ring of its own accord. Belgaer was the thinking bell, the bell most necromancers scorned to use. It could restore independent thought, memory and all the patterns of a living person. Or, slipping in a careless hand, erase them.
"Saraneth." The deepest, lowest bell. The sound of strength. Saraneth was the binder, the bell that shackled the Dead to the wielder's will. And last, the largest bell, the one Sabriel's cold fingers found colder still, even in the leather case that kept it silent.
"Astarael, the Sorrowful," whispered Sabriel. Astarael was the banisher, the final bell. Properly rung, it cast everyone who heard it far into Death. Everyone, including the ringer.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“A hundred hundred heartbeats..." whispered Sabriel, tears falling down her face.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“I am Abhorsen..."
He looked at the baby again and added, almost with a note of surprise, "Father of Sabriel”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Our parts now -- which perforce we must play -- are not father and daughter, but one old Abhorsen, making way for the new. But behind this, there is always my love.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“The Clayr saw me, the Wallmaker made me, the King quenched me, the Abhorsen wields me so that no Dead shall walk in Life. For this is not their path.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“You may call me Mogget. As to what I am, I was once many things, but now I am only several.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“I used to think like that at school," Sabriel answered. "Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be --"

"Rescued?”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“He growled and grimaced as they came to him, and clenched his fists in pain and anger.

"Unusual name," commented Mogget. "More of a bear's name, that growl.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“I have walked in Death to the very precipice of the Ninth Gate," Abhorsen said quietly. "I know the secrets and horrors of the Nine Precincts. I do not know what lies beyond, but everything that lives must go there, in the proper time. That is the rule that governs our work as the Abhorsen, but it also governs us. You are the fifty-third Abhorsen, Sabriel. I have not taught you as well as I should—let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Fear and realization of ignorance were strong medicines against stupid pride.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Going through the arch, from mud into snow, from bright sun into the pallid luminescence of a snowfall, from her past into her future.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Garth on naming characters "I spend lots of time on all the names in the books... Sabriel herself, I tried many different combinations of different words, trying to create a new name. In fact, her name comes from trying to combine the heraldic term for black which is Sable, because I wanted something that felt dark and mysterious, with the "iel" ending that you find in angels' names.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Prepare a crossing party," snapped Horyse. "A single person to cross. Miss Abhorsen, here. And Sergeant, if you or Private Rahise so much as talk in your sleep about what you may have heard here, then you'll be on gravedigging fatigues for the rest of your lives!”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“A breath?" she asked. She didn't want to kiss just any wooden man. He looked nice enough, but he might not be like his looks. A kiss seemed very forward. He might remember it, and make assumptions.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Garth on making his stories feel real "Things like armour, clothes and other small details are very important in building up the reality of the story... I do spend quite a lot of time on things like clothing, armour, weapons and try and make them feel real.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Garth on where Sabriel came from "Sabriel grew very much out of the story... Sometimes people ask me, 'Why did you write a strong young woman character?' I just thought she was more interesting than if she was a young man.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“A zlo plodí zlo, zlo zamořuje místa a přitahuje k nim další zlé skutky...”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Sometimes people ask me, 'Why did you write a strong young woman character?' I just thought she was more interesting than if she was a young man.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?’” Sabriel quoted, the words, redolent with echoes of Charter Magic, twining around her tongue like some lingering spice.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel

“She looked competent, professional, a traveller who could look after herself. At the same time, she looked less like someone called Sabriel and more like the Abhorsen, capital letter and all.”
― Garth Nix, Sabriel