Robin Hobb, Fool's Assassin Quotes

She had come to letters late in her life, and though she had mastered them, they had never become her good friends.

When has been disappointed for so long, hope becomes the enemy. One cannot be dashed to the earth unless one is lifted first, and I learned to avoid hope.

It was as if I had been following a narrow trail, and had suddenly realized that at any time I could leave it and strike out cross-country.

There was a danger in asking too much of a child, but the danger of asking too little was almost equal.

I will always take your part, Bee. Right or wrong. That is why you must always take care to be right, lest you make your father a fool.

As dye soaks fibres, drawn into them to change their colour forever, so does a memory, stinging or sweet, change the fibre of a man’s character.

I was lonely, and a lonely heart has hungers that can overpower both common sense and dignity.

...there was no point in sighing after what I could not have. It only distracted me from what I did have.

...once students have been taught that learning is tedious, difficult, and useless, they will never learn another lesson.

How often does a man know, without question, that he has done well? I do not think it happens often in anyone's life, and it becomes even rarer once one has a child.

Stop your whining. If you are frightened, be silent. Whining is for prey. It attracts predators. And you are not prey.

It was better to leave the space empty of words than to choose the wrong ones.

And like a child, I'd be testing the people who loved me, pulling away from them almost for the sole reason of seeing if anyone would come after me.

But if she is alone now, it is because she chose to be alone, not someone decree if for her. Her life is hers to live, not yours to repair.