You're the queen, and it's the queen's house, and whatever Brigan may accomplish, he's highly unlikely ever to be queen.

The fellow who tends the greenhouse gardens? Trust me, Lady, you'd let him stake your tomatoes.

That was what they did with themselves, those two Gracelings, along with a small band of friends: They stirred up trouble on a serious scale—bribery, coercion, sabotage, organized rebellion—all directed at stopping the worst behavior of the world’s most seriously corrupt kings.

There are no medicines to bring a dead thing back to life.

A king who’s innocent of the things of which he’s guilty?

I don’t often know who should read what book. It’s a little bit like trying to set people up on a date - a good match is unpredictable and mysterious.

Do you understand? I don't want you to do a thing if you don't understand it.