Briar: "They never tell you some things. They tell you mages have wonderful power and they learn all kinds of secrets. Nobody ever mentions that some secrets you don't ever want to learn." Rosethorn: "All you can do is learn good to balance the bad. Learn and do all the good within your reach. Then, if you wake in a sweat, you have something to set against the dream.

Briar: "So I guess I was the last to know." Rosethorn: "Of course you are. You're a man, aren't you?

If her rump were any stiffer, she'd break it every time she rides', I thought to Pounce. 'If she fell on the steps, they would never be able to put her together again', he replied.

"I love you, Jonathan," she whispered. A long arm snaked around her, and he pulled her against his side. "I know," he said. "I just wanted to be sure you knew it, too."

Sweetheart, never listen to what my enemies say. They're very confused people. I know they are because I've spent years making them that way.

Cats aren't special advisers. They advise us all the time, whether we want them to or no.

You are the Protector of the Small. You see real people in the humans and animals overlooked by your peers. There will always be work for you.