The Pariah Quotes

“All ambition is folly when it fails to be matched by reason.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“One of the curses suffered by the intelligent is the power of imagination, for a clever mind will explore the dark possibilities with far more dedication than the bright.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Why me?” I asked. “Why did an unknown Caerith scribe from ages past see fit to set down a prophecy of my life? I am just a whore’s bastard made a thief and a murderer because there was no other place for me in this land. I am a pariah to be shunned by churl and noble alike. This land and its people have no use for me, save to earn an ugly death and an unmarked grave fighting their wars.” “The life of a pariah can be as meaningful as that of a king,” she replied, her voice softer now and I discerned a weariness in the way her shoulders slumped. “Every life is significant, but some are… more so. You, it transpires, were the key to unlocking the secrets of this book, and with that key my people will unlock further secrets. We have so many books, all unread since the Fall. Now the precious knowledge they contain will belong to us once more. You should be proud.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Historical accounts tend to exaggerate numbers,” I said, my interjection drawing a sharp glance from Fohlvast. Evidently, he was a fellow who expected a common soldier to keep his place in fine company. I displayed my lack of shits to give by meeting his gaze squarely,”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“And chivalry—” Wilhum let out a short, bitter laugh “—is the worst trick of all, for it fools us with the illusion that war is anything but a chaos of slaughter and suffering.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Cowardice had always felt like a redundant concept to one born to a day-to-day struggle for mere survival. Some fights could be won; some could not. You fought when you had to or when you knew you could win. What shame was there in running from death? A deer felt none when it ran from a wolf.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“teeth”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Every man is a liar”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“His eyes flicked back to me, just for the briefest instant. “And life should not be wasted on pointless feuds or hopeless endeavours. This much I’ve learned.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“I thought he had clasped them into fists until I saw that his fingers had been severed down to the second knuckle. Although the words he spoke would never fade from my memory, I think it was the sight of his hands that set me on the course that would dominate my life for years to come. While those hands had left me bruised and cowed on many occasions, looking at them now I could only recall the times they had rested on my shoulder in affection or comfort. That first day in the forest loomed largest of all, the knowledge of deliverance that came from his touch.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“I like to think I learned more from Deckin Scarl that day than I did throughout the preceding years of our association. However, the principal lesson he would teach me in very short order would be this: all ambition is folly when it fails to be matched by reason.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Strangely, I never hated him, and pity vies with contempt when I think of him now, for it is hard to hate a man who has saved your life.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“As we ran, I considered and abandoned different schemes to murder Erchel. There was no time and no surety of success. As you continue to partake of the tale set down in these pages, dear reader, you will fully understand why there hasn’t been a day since when I haven’t regretted not contriving a means of cutting his throat that night.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah

“Doświadczenia mego długiego i interesującego życia, skłaniają mnie dziś do konkluzji, że Ulthnir, jak wielu bogów przed nim, pieprzył głupoty.”
― Anthony Ryan, The Pariah