Smoke in the Sun Quotes

“Ours is a love stronger than fear and deeper than the sea”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Our deepest truths are usually the hardest to conceal.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“You are loved. It isn't enough, but it's all I have.”
― Renée Ahdied, Smoke in the Sun

“Respect is not a thing granted. It is a thing earned.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Everything in life began with an idea.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“For my son, born of a dragon and a phoenix. Fight not for greatness, but for goodness.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“I don’t want you risking yourself for me,” he continued, his voice unhurried. “Not anymore.”

“I’m not risking myself for you,” Mariko retorted. “I’m here for me. Because I still have things I wish to accomplish with my life.” She refocused her attention on the misshapen mass. Slowly began chiseling away twisted fragments of wax, using a lacquered chopstick she’d pilfered from her evening meal. “It turns out my wishes have something to do with you.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“My fear — even when it is feigned — has more weight when it is matched alongside anger.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
"I imagine the moon would be a thing of beauty on a night like this. But I prefer what I'm looking at now." His eyes remained focused on Mariko as he spoke.”
― Renée Ahdied, Smoke in the Sun

“Loving someone is to lose control”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“You owe no man anything, Mariko."
"Especially not a man such as he." Mariko scowled. "Regardless, I will never be one of those ladies at court who worships a man."
"No matter the man?" Ōkami joked. "Even if he worshipped you?"
"No," Mariko said. "Not even for you.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Lord Ranmaru, traitor and thief, will you marry a fallen woman with no chance of redemption in the eyes of our court?”

Ōkami laughed before he swept Mariko into his arms. “Yes,” he whispered in her ear. The feeling of warmth as his breath passed over her skin sent a thrill up Mariko’s spine.

“And will you swear never to interfere when I experiment with strange chemicals at all hours of the night?”
“Of course.” Ōkami framed her face between his hands. “Upon who else would I rely for exploding gourds and crystals that burn brighter than flame?”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“You do not know what it means to be happy. Happiness is not a thing to be found here in the imperial court. We take moments of pleasure. Collect them and keep them tight in our chests. And we hope they are enough to fill whatever holes our truths leave behind.”
― Renee Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Real love was more than a moment. It was everything that happened after. Chaos in one instant, simplicity in the next. Everything and nothing in the space of a simple breath.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Mariko realized that every person she’d ever met, from the smallest of children to the most notorious of thieves, had a life as intricate and significant as that of an emperor or a samurai or an elegant lady of the court.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Person a: Go to hell.
Person b: Save me the seat beside you.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“My mind exists on a mountain. Yours exists in a field. Should the mountain kneel before the field? ...Or will the field crawl to me?”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“As swift as the wind As silent as the forest As fierce as the fire As unshakable as the mountain”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Your passivity gives him leave to act like a monster. If you allow a monster to destroy everything in its path, then you are no better than the monster”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Sleep well, Lady Mariko, You are loved. It isn't enough, but it's all I have.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Water shifts and flows with its surroundings, but I’ve realized something else. Still waters turn foul over time. Even if I am uncertain of the destination, I must keep moving. You must keep moving, before you rot from the inside out. Do not give up.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“All for the boy Tsuneoki loved most of his life, in secret. In his own whispered song.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Sleep well, Lady Mariko. You are loved. It isn't enough, but it's all I have.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“It was a night for magic. A night swirling with mystery, an unknowable energy pulsing in its depths.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“It appears your betrothed is well on his way to falling hopelessly in love with you. Well done on that account."

It took Mariko a breath to see the truth beneath his
words. "Are you jealous?"

A pause. "Only a fool would not be.”

"That's ridiculous. Jealousy is for boorish people. Are you
a boor?"

"Of course I am. And of course I would be jealous. That
steaming heap of refuse doesn't have to sleep in a barred
cell. He can gaze at the moonlight whenever he wishes,” he
muttered.

"It's a shame the moon has eyes for another.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Even if Genmei never knew who had brought about her death... Kanako always would.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“[He is] the kind of young man who'd lived a life without question. What he saw was what he believed; what he heard became his truth; what he felt became fact.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“Honor was a thing to hate. It drove people to act foolishly, as though they were heroes. As though they were invincible... Heroes car[e] more about how the world perceive[s] them than they [do] about those they [leave] behind.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“[He is] studied. Purposeful. A boy who enjoyed playing a game for the sole purpose of getting caught.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun

“He would not risk [her]. Not for every night sky in the world. Not even for a single star.”
― Renée Ahdieh, Smoke in the Sun