Never destroy without thought your enemy's pretences; they are usually your best weapon against him.
Mary RenaultThere is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.
Mary RenaultThe perpetual stream of human nature is formed into ever-changing shallows, eddies, falls and pools by the land over which it passes. Perhaps the only real value of history lies in considering this endlessly varied play between the essence and the accidents.
Mary Renault