The Drowning Faith Quotes

“She’s the only divine thing he’s ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“She terrifies him, and he loves her so much it hurts.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He loves her laugh; that sharp, sudden sound; the cynical laugh that always comes too quick, like it’s ripped out of her. He loves her quick, confident grin. He loves her resilience, her bravery, even her impulsiveness. She’s everything he’s not: unbound, reckless, free. He’s never known anyone like her. She terrifies him, and he loves her so much it hurts.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He loves her.
Of this he’s certain.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“In all of his worst nightmares, she’s dying. She’s fading away in his arms, helpless and whimpering, while hot, dark blood spills over his fingers.
This, he tells her.
He doesn’t tell her that his hand holds the blade.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He can’t take his eyes off of her. She’s the most magnificent thing he’s ever seen.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“Don’t try to speak,” Nezha murmurs, because it’ll kill him if she does. Because his resolve is only so strong, and if she utters another word then he’ll be lost.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“All these years trying to find a way to kill himself, and here’s someone who might actually finish the job. And somehow, paradoxically, this is the most he’s ever wanted to be alive. This is the first time in an eternity that he doesn’t feel like he’s drowning”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“This is a test, and Rin is failing, and his heart is breaking.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“They can't say her name in his presence. He's never made this a rule. But for some reason, none of them dare.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“Who is the true god?" ... She's the only divine thing he's ever believed in.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“They are, both of them, bound by forces far behind their making: vicious paths that put them in this spot, across each other, never on the same side. Their visions of the future don’t include each other. There is no compromise or neutrality. Only her way. Or his.
It doesn’t matter that he loves her. It doesn’t matter. It’s never mattered.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“Who is the true god.”
“Chaos,” he says.
That’s the closest the Hesperians will ever come to understanding the Pantheon. They’ll never grasp the depths of it; the terrifying swirl of forces that constitute all that is. Their minds can’t handle its incoherence; the fact that the sixty-four gods do not will and do not care. They can’t fathom a world without intention. The only word they might accept is chaos.
But Nezha knows divinity. It’s fathomless. It is not something that can be measured or studied; can’t be described through meticulously constructed logic. The forces that dreamed up this world are the opposite of rational. Divinity isn’t knowable. It’s the Dragon in the grotto. It’s the Dragon inside him. It’s the three madmen who united a nation and tore themselves apart. It’s pain, eternity, and terror. It’s endless, all-consuming fire.
It’s her.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“There’s no space for Rin in the world
they’re trying to build, and the unavoidable truth of this kills him.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He loves her. Of this he is certain. he loves her laugh; that sharp, sudden sound; the cynical laugh that always comes out too quick, like it's ripped out of her. He loves her quick, confident grin. He loves her resilience, her bravery, even her impulsiveness. She's everything he's not: unbound, reckless, free. He's never known anyone like her. She terrifies him and he loves her so much it hurts. In all of his worst nightmares, she's dying. She's fading away in his arms, helpless and whimpering, while hot, dark blood spills over his fingers. This he tells her. He doesn't tell her that his hand holds the blade.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“Because you’re about to be the ones in power,” she says. “And because you never decentralize power once you’ve got it. I wouldn’t.” “Well, we all know you wouldn’t.” She gives him a look. “That’s not my cynicism, Nezha. That’s human nature.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“I'm sorry,' he says. 'I know it should have been me.'
Vaisra doesn’t hesitate. 'It should have been you.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“But Nezha won't lie. "Who is the true god?" "Chaos," he says.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He can't take his eyes off her. She's the most magnificent thing he’s ever seen.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“He loves her. Of this he's certain. He loves her laugh; that sharp, sudden sound; the cynical laugh that always comes too quick, like it's ripped out of her. He loves her quick, confident grin. He loves her resilience, her bravery, even her impulsiveness. She's everything he's not: unbound, reckless, free. He's never known anyone like her. She terrifies him, and he loves her so much it hurts. In all of his worst nightmares, she's dying. She's fading away in his arms, helpless and whimpering, while hot, dark blood spills over his fingers. This he tells her. He doesn't tell her that his hand holds the blade.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“She's everything he's not: unbound, reckless, free. He's never known anyone like her.
She terrifies him, and he loves her so much it hurts.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith

“Don't try to speak," Nezha murmurs, because it'll kill him if she does. Because his resolve is only so strong, and if she utters another word then he'll be lost.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Drowning Faith