If you want someone to tell you what to think," the phantom answered briskly, without looking up, "you will never be short of people willing to do so." . . . "Come now," he said at last, "you can hardly claim that I have left you ignorant. I taught you to read, did I not?
Frances HardingeI am anything I wish to be. The world cannot choose for me. No, it is for me to choose what the world shall be.
Frances HardingeMaking a wish is like saying, 'I can't deal with anything, I give up, somebody bigger come along and solve it all instead.
Frances HardingeWell, you will have to do. If you had died along with your mother, I would have taught the cat to read.
Frances HardingeI'm never telling the truth again! It gets you hanged and locked out and starved and froze and hated . . .
Frances HardingeAt one o’clock, the ever-logical Right-Eye Grand Steward woke up to discover that during his sleep his left-eyed counterpart had executed three of his advisors for treason, ordered the creation of a new carp pool and banned limericks. Worse still, no progress had been made in tracking down the Kleptomancer, and of the two people believed to be his accomplices, both had been released from prison and one had been appointed food taster. Right-Eye was not amused. He had known for centuries that he could trust nobody but himself. Now he was seriously starting to wonder about himself.
Frances Hardinge