Top 140 Rachel Gillig Quotes (2026 Update)

1. “He came for the girl... And got the monster instead.”

— Rachel Gillig

2. “I’m just the wind in the trees, the shadow, and the fright. The echo in the leaves... the nightmare in the night.”

— Rachel Gillig

3. “Be safe,” I whispered to the wind as Ravyn Yew disappeared beyond the gate. Had I known they’d be the last words I’d say to him aloud, I might have chosen them differently.”

— Rachel Gillig

4. “Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”

— Rachel Gillig

5. “I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream.” Her yellow eyes flickered to Ravyn. “The nightmare in the night.”

— Rachel Gillig

6. “I gritted my teeth. When I spoke, my voice was not gentle. “That Hauth Rowan does not exist, Ione. You’ve made him up in your mind.”

— Rachel Gillig

7. “I know as well as you that magic is the oldest paradox. The more power it gives you, the weaker you become.”

— Rachel Gillig

8. “Above rowan and yew, the elm tree stands tall. It waits along borders, a sentry at call.”

— Rachel Gillig

9. “It is not they who bring the reckoning, Ravyn. It is you. It is us.”

— Rachel Gillig

10. “And with every kiss, every flick of his tongue, Ravyn was... pushing me toward an inevitable, ruinous fall. He did not let me fall right away. By his sighs, the muffled, contented growls, he was taking his time with me. Laying waste to me.”

— Rachel Gillig

11. “It’s not true, you know,” he said. “You don’t have to be good, or useful, for someone to care about you.”

— Rachel Gillig

12. “There was a way to lie and tell the truth at the same time. That’s how the best lies are told – with just a sliver of truth.”

— Rachel Gillig

13. “His teeth clicked together in a familiar lullaby rhythm. I find it strangely comforting, even with our minds threaded together, that I must endlessly explain things to you, Elspeth.”

— Rachel Gillig

14. “Reading is a faith requiring suspension of belief in a shrine of knowledge and imagination.”

— Rachel Gillig

15. “You did not come all this way to yield to despair.”

— Rachel Gillig

16. “If you only ever look up at something, can you ever see it clearly?”

— Rachel Gillig

17. “I’m always right behind you.”

— Rachel Gillig

18. “Magic always comes at a cost.”

— Rachel Gillig

19. “Which is more intricate?” he mused. “The designs of men, trying to reach gods, or that of gods, trying to reach men?” My hammer collided with a chunk of granite. “What is either to the intricacies of women, who reach both?”

— Rachel Gillig

20. “My laughter was hollow. “Better distrustful than delusional.”

— Rachel Gillig

21. “Then be angry, Ione.” Elm pressed his mouth to her forehead. “It looks well on you.”

— Rachel Gillig

22. “Fear not, Bartholomew! Every day has its dog.”

— Rachel Gillig

23. “How undignified.” The gargoyle let out a whimper. “Did anyone see me fall?”

— Rachel Gillig

24. “Fear is not an outward pointing compass... You should not let it guide your way.”

— Rachel Gillig

25. “Except, in this fairy tale, the maiden has blood on her hands.”

— Rachel Gillig

26. “His wingspan is broad and his beak is quite sharp.”

— Rachel Gillig

27. “I’ll love you for a hundred years – and an eternity after.”

— Rachel Gillig

28. “It is important for a squire to carry a knight’s weapons,” he said, the words so stoic I wondered if he’d practiced them on the flight back. “I will carry them for you, Bartholomew. I will shoulder any weight you give me.”

— Rachel Gillig

29. “The pretty one.” Rory’s eyes flitted to me. But the King’s finger, the knighthood’s collective gaze, was trained on Four.”

— Rachel Gillig

30. “Please, Rory. Take it off. I want someone to see me.” I whispered against his lips. “I want it to be you.”

— Rachel Gillig

31. “The berry of rowans is red, always red. The earth at its trunk is dark with bloodshed. But a Prince is a man, and a man may be bled. He came for the girl... And got the monster instead.”

— Rachel Gillig

32. “The two were together, so the two were the same: “The girl, the King, and the monster they became.”

— Rachel Gillig

33. “I know what I know. My secrets are deep. But long have I kept them. And long will they keep.”

— Rachel Gillig

34. “Pith, you think there’s something wrong with me – ” “I don’t.” Rory’s voice was gravel. “I was wondering what it would be like. Watching you unravel.”

— Rachel Gillig

35. “You want to throw me down. And I, prideful, disdainful, godless, want to drag you into the dirt with me.”

— Rachel Gillig

36. “Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic is love, but also, it’s hate. It comes at a cost. You’re found, and you’re lost. Magic is love, but also, it’s hate.”

— Rachel Gillig

37. “Anger is a fine weapon, Diviner,” she said, quiet enough so the others wouldn’t hear. “So long as you don’t point it at yourself. Now have some soup.”

— Rachel Gillig

38. “My thoughts festered until my mind turned septic.”

— Rachel Gillig

39. “But it felt incomplete, my collection yet whole. And so, for the Nightmare, I bartered my soul.”

— Rachel Gillig

40. “I’ll do anything you ask of me.”

— Rachel Gillig

41. “There is no weakness in pain.”

— Rachel Gillig

42. “The gargoyle remained cross-eyed a second, then slowly turned his gaze to me. “Did he just try to smite me, Bartholomew?” Rory’s gaze jerked. “Bartholomew? That’s your name?” “Pith, you’re thick – no. He calls everyone Bartholomew.” “What the hell for?” Rory pivoted back to the gargoyle. “What the hell for?”

— Rachel Gillig

43. “You’re smiling.” Elm looked over the table. “Does no one else find that incredibly unnerving?”

— Rachel Gillig

44. “When the Nightmare turned, his smile was gone. “I, too, have waited.” “To kill the Rowans?” “My aim is vast. There are many truths to unveil in the wood. Circles that began centuries ago will finally loop.” He let out a sigh. “Though I fear, with so many idiots around me, that I must do everything myself.”

— Rachel Gillig

45. “You don’t have to be good, or useful, for someone to care about you.”

— Rachel Gillig

46. “A hundred years,” he said to her, as if she were the only one in the room. “I’ll love you for a hundred years – and an eternity after.”

— Rachel Gillig

47. “Not everything had to hurt to be holy. Bad, to be good. But damn me if I wanted it to sometimes.”

— Rachel Gillig

48. “He has looked pain in the eye – and refused to let it make a monster of him.”

— Rachel Gillig

49. “It was difficult to look at her. Beneath the ache that existed between them was a thin, fragile thread. One Ione had slipped through the eye of a needle and plunged into Elm’s chest, past all his bricks and barbs, though she didn’t yet realize it. It was uncomfortable, pretending she was not sewn into him.”

— Rachel Gillig

50. “Saying there must be another way does not make it so.”

— Rachel Gillig