Top 120 Michael J. Sullivan Quotes (2024 Update)
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51. “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

52. “I swear, the reason for full moons is so the gods can more clearly see the mischief they create.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

53. “Rivers age as they go downstream,” Suri told Raithe while they looked at the disagreeable gorge. “That’s what Tura once told me. They start out as tiny trickles, then in their youth and adolescence are like this, boundless energy throwing themselves heedless against unmovable rocks. Then they usually fall. Sometimes it’s a series of tumbles and sometimes one great plummet, but hitting bottom usually takes the fight out of most rivers.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

54. “If there is one thing I have learned, it is that people will astound you. But the moment they do, or shortly after, you will realize you should not have been surprised. Ultimately, the problem was you, not them.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

55. “So,” Royce said, “you want us to escape from this prison, kidnap the king, cross the countryside with him in tow while dodging soldiers who I assume might not accept our side of the story, and go to another secret prison so that he can visit an inmate?”

— Michael J. Sullivan

56. “Myron took the moment to sit down on the stone bench behind him and whispered to Hadrian, “You were right. Life outside the abbey is much more exciting than books.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

57. “There are no honorable causes. There is no good or evil. Evil is only what we call those who oppose us.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

58. “How many tears must we weep? How loud must we cry? How many farewells must we say, for the dead to hear goodbye?”

— Michael J. Sullivan

59. “You were a mistake, you know,” Flood told Frost as they plodded up the hill. “Mother didn’t want you.” Frost shook his head. “We’re twins, you idiot.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

60. “The two of them just sort of clicked, like old friends who’d just met. Friends-at-first-sight, if there was such a thing.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

61. “Arista was tortured with thoughts of roasted pig dripping with fruit glaze, beef served in a thick, dark gravy, and mountains of chicken, quail, and duck.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

62. “A fault is only leveled when something bad happens. Success is free of such a burden.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

63. “It has taken a long time to find, but there is a pattern to the world. Wobble it and it corrects, which should be impossible; chaos should beget chaos. Order should be only one possibility and drowned by all the other permutations. But if it corrects again, if order prevails, then there can be only one answer. There is another force at work – an invisible hand – and I think I know what that force is.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

64. “That’s – why, that’s wonderful!” Hadrian burst out as he leapt to his feet and hugged her. “Congratulations! He didn’t even say anything. We’ll be like family! It’s about time he got around to this. I would have asked for your hand myself years ago, except I knew if I did, I’d wake up dead the next morning.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

65. “If anyone had asked Royce Melborn what he hated most at that moment, he would’ve said dogs. Dogs and dwarves topped his list, both equally despised for having so much in common – each was short, vicious, and inexcusably hairy.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

66. “And if you can’t trust an ancient talking tree, what was the point of having one?”

— Michael J. Sullivan

67. “Fulfillment comes from striving to succeed, to survive by your own wits and strength.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

68. “We don’t want anyone suspecting us of stacking the deck the way we are.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

69. “I knew him, you know, your beloved Novron. Ah, but yes, you already discovered that little fact. Here’s something the books won’t tell you. He was an ass.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

70. “How terrible it must be to give up your life when you’ve never taken the chance to live it. How cheated you must feel, like losing a coin before spending it. To what can you hang on to and feel pride? Nothing. – Mauvin on lack of Nobility.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

71. “Life is full of risk, Nolyn, but you should never let that hold you back. You can’t let fear stop you from living. Just make certain the chances you take are worth the risk.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

72. “A beautiful day might bring disaster, while a day that begins trapped inside an ancient tomb might be the best one of your life.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

73. “Spring had let go of Winter’s hand and was reaching out to Summer.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

74. “Royce hated keeping secrets from Hadrian, and it weighed heavily on his conscience, which was amazing, because he had never known he had one. Royce defined right and wrong by the moment. Right was what was best for him – wrong was everything else.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

75. “At first I thought it was a dragon, savage and fierce. I wish that had been true. Dragons only kill you; Gilarabrywns break your heart.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

76. “My father says that fires are only dangerous if they get bored. Left alone they get frustrated and resort to evil. Best way to keep a fire happy is to let it lick food and hear stories.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

77. “Once an idea is learned, once it settles in, it becomes comfortable and hard to discard, like an old hat. And trust me, I have many old hats. Some I haven’t worn in years, but I still keep them. Emotion gets in the way of practicality. By virtue of time spent, even ideas become old friends, and if you can’t bear to lose an old hat that you never wear, imagine how much harder it is to abandon ideas you grew up with.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

78. “Hadrian took the opportunity to move over and join Royce, who sat with his back to the hearth and his sight on the windows. “I’d say you’re being awfully quiet, but then I might as well follow with ‘Oh look, you’re breathing.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

79. “Caught early enough, the waking forest had no time to disguise itself into something mundane. This was a place of enchantments, a place where anything could happen.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

80. “Hadrian had always felt that cats were picky, untrusting things. Being fragile, they had to be. Whenever a cat sat on him, Hadrian felt special, as if the animal approved, and their acceptance was some sort of gift. Makes a body feel worthy of something to have a cat trust you that much.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

81. “Noble or commoner, people all lie, cheat, and pay me to do their dirty work. Regardless of who rules, the sun still shines, the seasons still change, and people still conspire.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

82. “You ready?” Royce asked. “For what?” “Turn around. Let’s go back-to-back and link arms.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

83. “I just never noticed how little of me existed before. I was a shadow without a person.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

84. “A lot can be determined by the choices we make, even if the action is initiated by self-preservation. Many... no, most... of our choices are driven by fear: fear of death, fear of humiliation, fear of loneliness. But it’s how we respond to fear that matters. It’s what defines us. What makes us who we are. So maybe in your mind you acted selfishly, but I’m alive because of the choice you made. So I’ll remember it as an act of kindness and yes, even bravery.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

85. “Instructors could teach the basic techniques and methods, but a mastery of mechanical knowledge could never make a person an artist. No one could teach creativity or invention. A spark needed to come from within. It must be something unique, something discovered by the individual, a leap of understanding, a burst of insight, the combining of common elements in an unexpected way.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

86. “When faced with certain death, running is sensible, but I think a man can make an unhealthy habit of it. Running can take on an importance of its own and become an excuse to avoid living a normal life.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

87. “Alric looked up at the thief with a scowl. “I just want to say for the record that as far as royal protectors go, you’re not very good.” “It’s my first day,” Royce replied dryly.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

88. “I hope you’re planning on heading to the kitchens. I’m starved – practically eating my fingers here.” He chuckled.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

89. “It’s only nice not being wanted for murder if you’ve actually killed someone. Otherwise, what’s the point? Besides, what makes you think I’m not wanted for murder?”

— Michael J. Sullivan

90. “I know nothing about war. But let me tell you what I believe. I think running from responsibility breeds self-loathing and despair. I think people can, and do, rise to the occasion, and even a single person can make an incredible difference. What they need are leaders who believe in them, a belief that gives birth to hope. With hope, people can do remarkable things, amazing things.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

91. “The dwarf?” Malcolm paused and thought a moment. “Well, I wasn’t referring to him specifically. But now that you bring it up, I should point out that you run the risk of painting a whole race with the same ugly brush, which could have unexpected consequences in the future.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

92. “In my day, those who could weave the Art, and summon the natural powers of the world to their bidding, were considered agents of the gods – sacrosanct. Today they burn you if you accidentally guess tomorrow’s weather.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

93. “Royce smiled. “See, you can always count on people doing what is best for themselves.” “Like I did?” Hadrian said. The smile left Royce’s lips. “You’re a freak of nature or the world’s greatest fool. I’m still trying to figure that out.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

94. “We humans have one advantage: We’re more experienced at loss.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

95. “There were times Hadrian wondered if Royce was actually a cat that some mischievous witch had turned into a man and then lost track of. The similarities were too numerous to be coincidental. An irritatingly-superior aloof nature, fastidiousness, a habit of roaming at night, and his general propensity for solitude were all evidence.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

96. “Magic is a little like playing the fiddle. It’s damn hard to do without hands.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

97. “The more you know about the past, the easier it is to divine the future.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

98. “They smiled too much, were quick to compliment and support, but behind the stretched lips and soft words was a judgment. No one was ever good enough – at least not until they were dead. The dead were exemplary.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

99. “Royce’s tone shifted between amazed and angry but finally settled on a nice restrained tempest.”

— Michael J. Sullivan

100. “Desire can be painful, but so can regret.”

— Michael J. Sullivan