Forbidden City Quotes

“Who am I? Am I the blood within my veins? The heart that always strains, to ease the pains of others? Am I the name that I’ve been given? Does that explain why I am driven? Does that honor my father and my mother? What is it that you find, when the stars somehow align? And begin to define the essence that is mine? “Who am I? I am brother, I am son I am many, I am one I am more than I can comprehend And forever I’m your friend.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Never forget that ‘ordinary’ is part of ‘extraordinary’; you can’t have one without the other.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Disons, j’aime beaucoup mieux le gâteau d’anniversaire.” Let’s just say I’m more excited about the birthday cake.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“The beauty of a real home is that it's still there for you if you go away for a bit. That's one of its best features.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“I mean, I have a plan and I study, and I think I've got it down, and then, when I take the test, everything goes haywire.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Tactics are what you do when there’s something to do. Strategy is what to do when there’s nothing to do.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Hello,” Charlotte said groggily, answering the phone. “Is this somebody’s idea of a prank?” “No, Char, it’s Syd,” Sydney said. “We’re in Beijing and we need your help.” “Well, now I know it’s a prank,” said Charlotte. “It’s not,” Sydney said. She turned to the others. “She doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m pranking her.” Kat took the phone from her. “Charlotte, this is Kat. We need you.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“DESPITE COUNTLESS PERFORMANCES AT THE West Liverpool Community Theatre, Mother had never received an ovation quite as enthusiastic as the one he got at the FARM when he performed a medley of songs from the musical Grease.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Nice,” Mother said. “Does that mean he fell for it rook, line, and sinker?” “Did you really just say that?” Paris asked with an eyeroll. “What?” Mother said, feigning innocence. “I was just pointing out his rookie mistake.” “Stop it with the chess puns,” Paris said. “Just because you’re a dad doesn’t mean you have to use dad jokes.” “It’s all part of the package, son. Or should I call you mate?” “You’re just going to keep going, aren’t you?” Paris said, trying not to laugh. “Day and knight.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“He leaned forward to get a closer look and received an instant rebuke from a nearby woman. “Otstupit,” she said firmly. Paris turned to Mother and whispered, “Did she just call me stupid?” “Otstupit,” he said. “It means ‘back away.’ She’s the guard.” Paris raised an eyebrow because she didn’t look like a guard. She was in her midsixties and barely five feet tall. She had gray hair, sensible shoes, and wore a sweater over a long-sleeved shirt, even though it was the middle of summer. “Really?” he asked. “It’s tradition in Russian art museums,” Mother answered. “Rather than imposing guards in uniforms they have…” “What? Grannies in cardigans?” “Pretty much,” Mother said with a smirk. “But don’t be fooled. She’s probably ex-KGB. If you get too close to the art, she’ll go from babushka to ninja in no time flat.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“ordinary’ is part of ‘extraordinary’; you can’t have one without the other.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“giving you the ultimate Moscow fashion tour,” she said directly into the lens. “We’re in front of Cartier, but not because I’m going to show you any jewelry or accessories. I want to tell you about a nineteenth-century celebutante named Anna Annenkova, whose house stood on this very spot. Anna was part of Russian nobility and was so worried that she might be unprepared for any sudden high-society happenings that instead of pajamas, she went to bed every night fully dressed in a ballgown with silk stockings and shoes. Talk about your fear of missing out.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“I’m Anastasia, and I’m one of the tournament officials,” she said. “Because Dae-jung is ill, he has to forfeit his match to you. That means you won’t play this morning, but you’ll still have a match this afternoon.” Paris processed this for a moment and answered, “No.” “I’m sorry?” Anastasia said, surprised. “I believe you’ve misinterpreted the rules,” he said. “In what way?” asked Anastasia, slightly peeved. “Dae-jung only forfeits if I show up but he fails to,” Paris answered. “Which is exactly what has happened,” she replied. “Except I have to be in the players’ hall when the match is set to begin,” he explained. “That’s five minutes from now. If neither of us is here, then the match is ruled a draw.” Even amid all that was happening, Mother, Jia-Hui, and Jin-sun were all touched by this declaration. Anastasia, however, was baffled. “Do you realize that if you simply stay in the room, you will win the game and with it will be the champion of the tournament?” Paris stood up straight and looked right into her eyes. “Do you realize that I have absolutely no intention of winning anything that way?”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“What? The gladiators with the hand-sewn stitching, snakeskin straps, and studs?” said Sydney. “I barely even noticed them.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Kindness, interest, sensitivity, sincerity?”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“And thanks for stopping with the puns.” “It was fun at first, but I got board with it,”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“He’s going to teach you and train you and drill you mercilessly. And you’re going to win those four tournaments.” “I’ll try my best,” he said. “Do or do not,” said Tru. “There is no try.” Paris laughed. “Did you seriously just quote Yoda to me?” “Why not?” Tru smiled. “Jedis and spies have a lot in common, don’t you think?”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“There are three things about this world that I know to be true,” he said as they started walking across the campus. “Brazil will always have an exceptional football team. You can never count on a sunny day in Scotland. And Kat will win the Isaac Newton medal for mathematics every year she’s at Kinloch.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Sure,” Charlotte said. “Anything. Whatever you need.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Mofongo con camarones. It’s a delicious Puerto Rican specialty made with mashed plantains and shrimp. The best is from a café in Washington Heights. When you eat it, you’re so full, you feel like you can skip your next few meals.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“He leaned forward to get a closer look and received an instant rebuke from a nearby woman. “Otstupit,” she said firmly. Paris turned to Mother and whispered, “Did she just call me stupid?” “Otstupit,” he said. “It means ‘back away.’ She’s the guard.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Plotted with an enjoyable amount of suspense, Ponti’s story features a well-drawn cast of kids from around the world forming a chosen family with sibling-like dynamics. A page-turner suited to even the most reluctant readers.” —Publishers Weekly”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“do well in tournaments against competitors from at least three different chess federations,”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“The Pearl of Russia was one of fifty jeweled eggs handcrafted over a period of three decades for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II. Each year they’d given them as Easter presents to their wives and mothers.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“recognized him instantly. It was Nicholas Sorokin.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“he saw that Mother had reserved two rooms at a hotel in at Tokyo’s Narita airport.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“The love of chess was a passion Paris shared with the billionaire, who was a grandmaster and such a fan of the game that he’d named his company Caïssa, after the Greek mythological character known as “the goddess of chess.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Chinese barbecue pulled pork sliders,”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“Does that mean he fell for it rook, line, and sinker?” “Did you really just say that?” Paris asked with an eyeroll. “What?” Mother said, feigning innocence. “I was just pointing out his rookie mistake.” “Stop it with the chess puns,” Paris said. “Just because you’re a dad doesn’t mean you have to use dad jokes.” “It’s all part of the package, son. Or should I call you mate?” “You’re just going to keep going, aren’t you?” Paris said, trying not to laugh. “Day and knight.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City

“The score they were discussing was the rating for the plombir ice cream in Rio’s exhaustively detailed food journal. He evaluated all new foods on a scale from one to one hundred, taking into consideration criteria ranging from taste and texture to originality and presentation. Or, as Paris liked to say, “everything except whether or not it’s good for you.”
― James Ponti, Forbidden City