What I have always wanted more than revenge is to bring the other person to recognition of the pain they caused, so they essentially say, "I will never do that again."

The old gods will bring about vengeance not so much because they exist but because I once honored them.

Because," she said, "that is what men would call it. They invented Satan, didn't they? Satanic is merely the name they give to the behavior of those who would disrupt the orderly way in which men want to live.

I think to feel this happy is to be miserable, to feel this much satisfaction is to burn.

I'm fascinated by almost any mythology that I can get my hands on...

Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that truth is subversive, that candor is dangerous, that the very scaffold of communal life is supported by lies.

Amazing what the British do with language; the nuances of politeness. The world's great diplomats, surely.