It is a fine line, in all of us, between civilization and savagery. To any who think they would never cross it, I can only say, if you have never known what it is to be utterly betrayed and abandoned, you cannot know how close it is.
Jacqueline CareyI know what you are. I've always known from the beginning, Kushiel's Chosen. It is folly, to make claim on one whom the gods have marked for their own. And unlike the others, I am no fool, to grasp at that which burns to the touch. What you have given..." she raised one hand, palm upward, the garnet seal dangling at her wrist, "... I hold in an open hand.
Jacqueline CareyWhy is there ever this perverse cruelty in humankind, that makes us hurt most those we love best?
Jacqueline CareyThe harp sounds at each passing breeze, but that does not mean the tune is masterfully played.
Jacqueline CareyIt is not everyday that one learns an entire militia has sworn unbeknownest to obey you
Jacqueline CareyThere's more to clothing than just adornment. It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.
Jacqueline CareyTo my surprise, Joscelin rose. ‘Phedre-’ He began, then halted. Sitting below him, I watched him smile to himself, quiet and private. ‘Phedre yields with a willow’s grace,’ he said softly. ‘And endures with the strength of mountains. Without her, life would be calm; and yet lack all meaning.
Jacqueline CareyLove is hard, harder than steel and thrice as cruel. It is inexorable as the tides, and life and death alike follow in its wake.
Jacqueline CareyThere are those who are awkward in the face of sorrow, fearing to say the wrong thing; to them, I say, there is no wrong in comfort, ever. A kind word, a consoling arm ... these things are ever welcome.
Jacqueline CareyIf I had to fall from Cassiel's grace, at least I know it took a courtesan worthy of Kings to do it.
Jacqueline CareyTrue friendship must be akin to romance, I think. only without all the anguish and anxiety.
Jacqueline CareyThat was the problem ... with trusting to the written word ... We were human, mortal and fallible. We forgot, we made errors, argued ambiguities, and twisted meanings to suit our own ends. And in doing so, mayhap we reshaped the gods themselves.
Jacqueline CareyThis is the secret that none dares tell who fights for a cause. Dying, we are all alike.
Jacqueline CareyAnd having once chosen, never to seek to return to the crossroads of that decision-for even if one chooses wrongly, the choice cannot be unmade.
Jacqueline CareyWe pay for sins we do not remember, and seek to do a will we can scarce fathom. That is what it is, to be a god's chosen.
Jacqueline CareyIt's funny, because in deference to conventional wisdom, I spent my struggling writer years trying to suppress my naturally baroque literary voice and write clean, spare prose. I finally gave up and embraced my baroque tendencies when I wrote the Kushiel series.
Jacqueline CareyThere are patterns which emerge in one's life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation on a theme. So musicians say the greatest sonatas are composed; whether or not it is true, I do not know, but of a surety I have seen it emerge in the tapestry of my life.
Jacqueline CareyIt's the same questions we ask of our existence, and the answer is always the same. The mystery lies not in the question nor the answer, but in the asking and answering themselves, over and over again, and the end is engendered in the beginning.
Jacqueline CareyStand at the crossroads if you will, but if you'll not choose, I'll move on without you
Jacqueline Carey