Some truths did not bear saying, and some lies were necessary.

Know the men who follow you and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger.

What are gods for if not to sit in judgment over men? The Many-Faced God does not weigh men's souls, however. He gives his gift to the best of men as he gives it to the worst. Elsewise the good would live forever.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end.

I rose too high, loved too hard, dared too much. I tried to grasp a star, overreached, and fell.

Some truths did not bear saying, and some lies were necessary.

Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.