Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard Quotes

“The real world. The very notion is absurd. Worlds and everything in them are made real by the stories that inhabit them.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Serious readers know the singular pleasure of handling a well-made book - the heft and texture of the case, the rasp of the spine as you lift the cover, the sweet, dusty aroma of yellowed pages as they pass between your fingers. A book is more than a vessel for ideas; It is a living thing in need of love, warmth, and protection.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Suffice it to say, if one hopes to live in a world of wonders, he had better locate himself in a place where wondrous stories abound.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“Should you ever be so lucky as to encounter an author in your life, you should shower her or him with gifts and praise. Sir”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“Scheherazade’s Law: It is impossible to kill someone who is in the middle of telling you a really wonderful story.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“the reactions were generally the same. As a rule, most people seem to appreciate being rescued by dashing strangers. Most people, perhaps, but not Sophie Quire. “Are you insane?” she shouted, her voice hoarse from screaming at him. “You nearly killed those men!” Peter almost fell over as she wrenched a book out from under his boot. He listened as she riffled through the pages, as though inspecting the book for damage. “And what were you doing up on that lamppost, anyway?” she demanded. “Were you following me?” Peter stepped back, caught off guard. “I . . . um . . .” Obviously he had been following her. People didn’t just spend their mornings climbing lampposts for the fun of it. But to hear her describe the activity, you would think it was the worst thing in the world. “In case you forgot,” he said finally, “I just rescued you.” “Rescued me?” The girl got right in his face. She was radiating indignation like a furnace. “I was going to have to pay a fine . . . Now I’m party to attempted murder. Who knows what they will do to me, or my father? One word from the Inquisitor and we’ll be on the street or worse—and it will all be thanks to you!” Peter opened his mouth but closed it again. He could feel his whole face flushing with anger, or perhaps embarrassment—he wasn’t sure which. All he knew was this was not what he had planned. “I . . . I was only trying to help,” he said, inching back. “Next time, resist the urge.” The girl yanked her cloak over her shoulders with a dramatic flap. “And if you’re going to throw something into the river,” she added, “why not start with that ridiculous hat? You look like an ostrich in mourning.” With a dramatic heel, she turned away and ran toward the road.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“Boredom is anathema to the adventurous spirit, and when mixed with hunger, the effect could be forgot toxic.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“It is lamentably common among chivalrous sorts that they are more intent on defending a woman's honor than listening to the actual wishes of said woman.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Professor Cake, like all true readers, was an incurable book filch.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Stories are not mere diversions to occupy us on rainy days," he said. "They are a type of magic spell - perhaps the most powerful in existence - and their effect is to summon possibilities.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“There are moments in life - rare for most people - when you suddenly realize that the tapestry of the world is grander and more intricately woven than you had ever imagined. This was such a moment for Sophie Quire as she sat at the open book, staring at the words before her: The Last Storyguard ”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“ We four books - Who, What, Where and When -
Hold all the world's magic bound within.
And when assembled throughout the ages,
Two words, when spoken, unlock our pages.
Impossible things of all shape and kind
Flow from the will of a curious mind. ”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“She had, in fact, never met an author in person before. As you can imaginge, it was a singularly thrilling experience. Should you ever be so lucky as to encounter an author in your life, you should shower her or him with gifts and praise.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Worlds and everything in them are made real by the stories that inhabit them. . . . Stories are not mere diversions to occupy us on rainy days," he said. "They are a type of magic spell--perhaps the most powerful in existence--and their effect is to summon possibilities." As he walked, he gestured at the rows of different shelves, each one looking into a different place. "Every time the spell is cast, the impossible becomes a little more possible."

Sophie was trying her best to follow his meaning. "So every time someone reads a story," she said slowly, "they're actually casting some sort of . . . magic spell?"

"Precisely. Suffice it to say, if one hopes to live in a world of wonders, he had better locate himself in a place where wondrous stories abound. And if those stories were to suddenly disappear well, that would be bad for everyone involved. . . .

"When a population loses its stories, it loses its capacity for wonder--what remains is a life of drudgery and toil. . . .

"I have known a number of Storyguard in my years, and they are all of them unique but for one trait: they understand that stories are more than the sum of their words. Indeed, many of them love stories beyond their own lives. Which probably explains why most Storyguard are killed in the line of duty.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“She had read enough stories in her life to be familiar with the trope in which heroes make a great show of being reluctant when told they must embark on a dangerous quest. They often refuse the call to adventure, only to change their minds at the very last moment. This had always bothered Sophie, who thought that such dithering was both unrealistic and unheroic. But now that she was being told she must embark on a dangerous quest, she suddenly understood just how difficult it was to take that first step.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“I have known a number of Storyguard in my years, and they are all of them unique but for one trait: they understand that stories are more than the sum of their words. Indeed, many of them love stories beyond their own lives. Which probably explains why most Storyguard are killed in the line of duty.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“When a population loses its stories, it loses its capacity for wonder - what remains is a life of drudgery and toil. Every day, it seems, I come upon another bookcase that looks into a world devoid of wonder. I fear Bustleburgh is next.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Perhaps you've heard the riddle of the dreaming king? It goes something like this: Two brothers happen upon a king asleep beneath a tree in the forest. The brothers suspect that the king is dreaming about the forest, and that they themselves are merely characters in his dream. The first brother insists that they wake the king to discover if this is true. The second brother insists that they let the king keep sleeping, for fear that when the dream ends, they will die. And thus we have our dilemma: should one concede a mad notion for fear that it might be true?”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Perhaps you have heard the famous bit of wisdom about how the making of an omelet requires the breaking of eggs? This philosophy, while technically true, does not account for the fact that omelets are universally disappointing to all who eat them - equal parts water and rubber and slime. Who among us would not prefer a good cobbler or spiced pudding? Sophie often thought that Bustleburgh was not unlike the omelet maker who, having grown obsessed with his task, had decided that all eggs everywhere must be broken at any cost. While she acknowledged the convenience of living in a modern city, she wasn't sure it was worth the destruction of so many wondrous things . . . especially if those things included books.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“Taro”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“She had, in fact, never met an author in person before. As you can imagine, it was a singularly thrilling experience. Should you ever be so lucky as to encounter an author in your life, you should shower her or him with gifts and praise.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“When a population loses its stories, it loses its capacity for wonder - what remains is a life of drudgery and toil”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“And so it went in Bustleburgh. The city that had set out to destroy stories had been transformed into a haven for books of all kinds. And as the population read more stories, the city itself began to change. At first the changes were small: a few sprites hovering over the dusky river, or a falling star on the horizon. But then more changes came. The Wassail lost its murky darkness and shone clear once more. The eyes of the gargoyles shifted as one passed beneath them. Birds sang in three-part chorus. Mirrors reflected strange visions. Old, neglected wells started granting wishes. More than a few house pets took to uttering prophecies. As the city changed, so did the way people saw it: Old maids became crones, and naughty children became imps; the strongest men were hailed as giants and the fairest ladies called enchantresses. The once-level roads shifted and settled into twisting alleyways full of long shadows and narrow corridors - every one of them eventually leading to a small bookshop in the heart of the town.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“No, my foolish scribbler. I have made this world better. Safer. More dependable. There are no more fairy feasts in Bustleburgh, but neither are there starving widows. The lame man no longer experiences miraculous healing, but he now has a physician to soothe his pain. Children have no time for perilous adventures, because they are employed in productive work. We have no glass orchards or wishing wells, but we do have courthouses and factories and hospitals and schools.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“For countless centuries, magic gripped the ordinary world in a vise of terror. Fairies used to steal children away and leave sickly changelings in their stead. House cats would rob their masters. a forest was just as likely to eat you as shelter you. When you offended a beggar crone, she did not sue you in a court of law - instead, she cursed you and your children and your children's children. People ate fairy fruit and went mad with hunger. Djinni granted wishes designed to trap you in your own desires. When there was an earthquake or blizzard or hurricane, you could be be sure it was due to some king or queen feeling sad - the amount of destruction caused by lovesick royalty is incalculable!”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“ The Book of Who seemed to be some sort of enormous compendium of people throughout history, complete with meticulous illustrations and cross-referenced footnotes. The entries, however, were not what one might expect from a traditional encyclopedia. They described mice in shining armor, fishermen as tall as mountains, and white-bearded children who could talk to the rain.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“For as long as Sophie could remember, every autumn brought a new vote about what type of "nonsense" to burn next. First it was fairy fruit. Then it was any object forged by dwarfs. Then it was any object that talked. Then it was alternative medicines and certain baked goods. Then it was (puzzlingly) windup toys. Then it was clothes that were too bright or flamboyant. Then it was any good imported from a foreign land. Then it was anything deemed too old - tapestries and paintings and spindles. Now, at last, it was storybooks.”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

“But this revulsion soon gave way to a certain kind of fascination due to one immutable truth known the world over as Scheherazade’s Law: It is impossible to kill someone”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure

“swords that still ring with the screams of their victims,”
― Jonathan Auxier, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard: A Peter Nimble Adventure