An Echo of Things to Come Quotes

“The lesser of two evils, or the greater good. Get a good man to utter either of those phrases, and there is no one more eager to begin perpetrating evil.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“I’m telling you that you should doubt—as I do my own beliefs. The day on which you decide not to question what you believe, is the day that you start making excuses for why you believe it.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The people with whom we are friends should never affect our morality;rather, our morality should affect with whom we are friends.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“For I did not know which was harder to bear: The echo of her passing, or the long silence that followed.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The danger of evil, the purpose of evil, is that it causes those who would oppose it to become evil also.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The true evil is always in the reason and the excuse, not the act. I was fooled. I was angry. I wasn’t thinking. I had to do it, else worse things would have happened. It didn’t hurt anyone. It hurt less people than it would have if I hadn’t. It was to protect myself. It was to protect others. It was in my nature. It was necessary. It was right. We have both been alive long enough to know that evil only wins when it spreads. It can cause destruction, it can cause death—but those are consequences of its nature, not its victory. Not its goal. The danger of evil, the purpose of evil, is that it causes those who would oppose it to become evil also. And that, my friend, is what happened to you.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The day on which you decide not to question what you believe, is the day that you start making excuses for why you believe it.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Even if our choices are inevitable, it doesn't mean that they are not our own.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The lesser of two evils, and the greater good. The most dangerous phrases in the world.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“She was just like the rest of them—willfully ignorant, passionately believing in something because she surrounded herself with people who also passionately believed in the same thing. He knew the type, now—those who found it easier to listen to people who reinforced what they already thought, rather than actually considering the opinions of those who didn’t.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“There is only one reason to be passionate about a lack of faith—and that is fear,” said Caeden quietly. “Fear that you are wrong. An innate need for others to share your opinion, so that you can be less afraid.” He shook his head. “I do not feel the need to argue, to cajole, to threaten or accuse. If others wish to believe differently, that is no business of mine. I simply do not think that there are gods.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“If a builder and an architect sit at the same table, does one role become more like the other? Or do they work better together because of it?”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“He broke this world. But he left some of its beauty, some of its joy. He knew enough to realize that sometimes beauty is a temptation and joy a call for inaction.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“We can’t start mistaking what we can do for what we have the right to do.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“In some ways we are slaves to our memories. What you remember will change you. The knowledge you gain will change you. Understanding what is at stake will change you, change how easy it is for you to be the man you aspire to be. It will be easier to make choices you might believe unthinkable now. It will be harder to choose what is right over what is expedient, when you know how many times that has resulted in failure, and how important it is to succeed.” He leaned forward, expression serious. “But all of us who live long enough face that problem, Tal’kamar. Sometimes it’s what’s right against what lets us win. Sometimes it’s what’s right against what lets us survive. But it is always a choice.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The true evil is always in the reason and the excuse, not the act. I was fooled. I was angry. I wasn’t thinking. I had to do it, else worse things would have happened. It didn’t hurt anyone. It hurt less people than it would have if I hadn’t. It was to protect myself. It was to protect others. It was in my nature. It was necessary. It was right.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The people with whom we are friends should never affect our morality; rather, our morality should affect with whom we are friends.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Caeden felt sick. Aarkein Devaed. He recognized the language, though few would. “The fate of all that could be,” in the Shalis’ tongue.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“My attendants. There are a dozen or so of them. Do not worry—they will eat at the other end of the table for the sake of our privacy.” Caeden looked at him curiously. “You eat with your servants?” “Am I any more a man than they?” Gassandrid frowned at him. “Are they not my people, my friends? Why should I not dine with them?”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“religions—things created by men in order to control other men.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“What is god but a being with more power than those below them can comprehend? With understanding more vast than others can imagine? If you do not believe such a being exists above you, then surely you are a god, Tal'kamar.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“willfully ignorant, passionately believing in something because she surrounded herself with people who also passionately believed in the same thing. He knew the type, now—those who found it easier to listen to people who reinforced what they already thought, rather than actually considering the opinions of those who didn’t.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The desire for acceptance, the desire to feel like they were fighting for something … too many were willing to base their beliefs around such shallow things. It was rarely about what was actually right or wrong. Such influences were understandable, but they were unquestionably to be avoided.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Certainty is hubris, Tal. It is arrogance and bluster and those who claim it deserve nothing but to be mocked.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“The day on which you decide not to question what you believe, is the day that you start making excuses for why you believe it.” Alaris”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Illan came from their talent for understanding what others see as beauty. Distraction and seduction for those who think a thing is beautiful merely because it draws the eye, because it has a pleasing aesthetic.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“There was too much going on that none of them understood.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Not a religion, Tal’kamar. Religion is the following of rules and rituals in the hope that they will somehow garner the favor of a higher power.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Caeden blinked, not expecting the response. “I do not believe in gods,” he said slowly. “But you do not believe this with passion,” observed Gassandrid. “There is only one reason to be passionate about a lack of faith—and that is fear,” said Caeden quietly. “Fear that you are wrong. An innate need for others to share your opinion, so that you can be less afraid.” He shook his head. “I do not feel the need to argue, to cajole, to threaten or accuse. If others wish to believe differently, that is no business of mine. I simply do not think that there are gods.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“Someone really needs to explain
the meaning of ‘bodyguard’ to you, Sire”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come