Top 120 Michael J. Sullivan Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “When you expect nothing from the world – not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe – everything is a wonder and every moment a gift.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

2. “Sometimes the price of dreams is achieving them.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

3. “When you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are – or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn’t. The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

4. “Happiness comes from moving toward something. When you run away, ofttimes you bring your misery with you.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

5. “Slaying dragons, melting witches, and banishing demons is all fun and games until someone loses a sidekick – then it’s personal. The bad guy isn’t just the “bad guy” anymore, he’s the BAD GUY!”

— Michael J. Sullivan

6. “I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

7. “One truth doesn’t refute another. Truth doesn’t lie in the object, but in how we see it.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

8. “Each killing steals a bit of humanity until a murderer is nothing more than an animal. A hunger replaces the spirit. A want for what was lost, but as with innocence, the soul can never be replaced. Joy, love, and peace flee such a vessel and in their stead blooms a desire for blood and death.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

9. “The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

10. “People are afraid of what they do not understand.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

11. “Power rises to the top like cream and dominates the weak with cruelty disguised as – and often even believed to be – benevolence.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

12. “If this hast been done to language, I fear to know the fate of all else.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

13. “Power doesn’t equal worth. Wisdom is a far greater virtue.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

14. “Losing leaves a bitter taste that lingers long after the sweetness of victory has been forgotten.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

15. “Troublemakers in times of peace become heroes in times of trouble.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

16. “I didn’t want you to leave.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

17. “Shall we, partner?” “See you on the other side, pal.” Hadrian threw his arms around the thief and, surprisingly, felt Royce hug him back. With one final smile, Royce pushed open the door and disappeared into the darkness of the Vault of Days.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

18. “My father taught me that a man is only your enemy until he falls.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

19. “Although men were strong like rocks, any stone could crack. Women were more like water. They nurtured life and could shape the hardest granite through unrelenting determination.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

20. “Most people never come near their true love, or if they do, it’s one sided. That is perhaps more tragic than never finding love at all. To know joy lies forever just beyond your reach – in a way, it’s a kind of torture.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

21. “Education is never without cost; all the truly valuable lessons leave a scar.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

22. “Life is only precious if you wish it to be.’ I look at it like the last bite of a wonderful meal – do you enjoy it, or does the knowledge that there is no more to follow make it so bitter that you would ruin the experience?”

— Michael J. Sullivan

23. “Hadrian leapt to his feet. Royce was already up. “Don’t bother,” Esrahaddon told them. “She’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do. The monster cannot be harmed by your weapons. It – ” The two were out the door.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

24. “As they climbed into their saddles, Myron bowed his head and muttered a soft prayer. “There,” Hadrian told Royce, “we’ve got Maribor on our side. Now you can relax.” “Actually,” Myron said sheepishly, “I was praying for the horses. But I will pray for you as well,” he added hastily.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

25. “But everyone believes in something, you know? And what we choose to believe in says a lot – not only about the kind of people we are, but about the kind of people we want to be, and the kind of world we want to live in.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

26. “Go out into the world and live each day to the fullest. Be adventurous. Be reckless. Defy everyone. Then when your last day finally comes, you can take solace in a life well lived and regret nothing.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

27. “I’ll never understand what it is about religion that causes otherwise sensible people to believe in fairy tales.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

28. “They’ll probably gang up on you this time.” “Lovely! Any advice?” “Pray.” “Which god?” “All of them.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

29. “The real struggle is in your own mind. You must know you are going to win before you start the fight. You have to see it, smell it, and believe it utterly. It is a form of confidence, but you must guard against overconfidence. You have to be flexible – able to adapt in an instant and never allow yourself to give up. Without this, nothing else is possible.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

30. “Never say never on any endeavor; it sounds like a dare to gods that don’t care. If the likes of us prosper, fail or falter; it matters not while they roll with laughter on an alter, at our miserable, sad little lives.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

31. “Always remember that the tales of another are never as wondrous as your own.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

32. “A wise man once told me no man can escape death, but it’s how we run that defines us. And if I have to run, I think I’d like to go where she’s going.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

33. “I hate dwarves.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

34. “Stained upon my hands, the blood of innocents brands my soul with such a crime forgiveness gapes appalled.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

35. “I like any plan where I don’t die a horrible death.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

36. “Hadrian was disappointed that she never came to his room, and he, in turn, never visited hers.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

37. “Arcadius was nothing but an old hack, what Cenzars used to refer to as a faquin, an elven term for the most inept magician – knowledge without talent.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

38. “When the dead betray the living, the victims are memories. – The Book of Brin.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

39. “Some things are simply unimaginable right up until you are looking at them, and even then, you might not believe. Love is that way; so is death.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

40. “That’s what a good wife does, keeps your dreams alive even when you don’t believe anymore.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

41. “Were you really that powerful before?” Esrahaddon showed him a wicked smile. “Oh, my dear boy, you couldn’t begin to imagine.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

42. “We have but the roads that lie before our feet, and all too often our choices are limited to walking or standing still. And standing still gets us nowhere.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

43. “Fulfillment comes from striving to succeed, to survive by your own wits and strength. Such things make each of us who we are.” Using the blanket, he rubbed his hair. “You lose that in captivity, lose yourself, and that loss saps your capacity for joy. I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

44. “Hatred. Some people get filled with it and explode. If they survive, they move on. Others just let it dribble out over the years, like a leaky bucket. One day they notice the bucket is empty, and they wonder what had been in it in the first place. Still others use hatred as a weapon, going so far as to pass it on to others – an ugly, unwanted gift disguised as a virtuous heirloom.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

45. “The God Killer is the Coppersword’s favorite son. His secret treasure.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

46. “More valuable than gold, more precious than life, is mercy bestowed upon he who hast not known its soft kiss.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

47. “You don’t win battles with hate. Anger and hate can make you brave, make you strong, but they also make you stupid.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

48. “The smallest of the children fascinated Myron, and he watched them in amazement. They were like short drunk people, loud and usually dirty, but all were surprisingly cute and looked at him in much the same way that he looked at them.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

49. “This isn’t over,” Merrick replied. “DeLancy is dead. You have no idea what that means. The scales are balanced. The demon is unleashed.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

50. “From a nearby doorway, a sweaty, shirtless man with a bald head emerged carrying a large copper pot. He unceremoniously cast the pot’s contents, the bony remains of several stewed animals, into the street.”

— Michael J. Sullivan