#shadows

The glories of our blood and state, Are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armour against fate, Death lays his icy hand on kings. Scepter and crown must tumble down, And, in the dust, be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade. ↗

— James Shirley

#armour #blood #crooked #crown #death

I like libraries. It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful and wise, all around me. I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold back the shadows. ↗

— Roger Zelazny

#libraries-shadows #security #beauty

The Marquess shrugged. “I’m a shadow. I do know I am a shadow, Iago. I know most of the time. It’s only when I cannot bear how everyone looks at me down here that I make myself forget it. Shadows are the other side of yourself. I had longings to be good, even then. I was just stronger than my wanting. I’m stronger than anything, really, when I want to be.” The Marquess’s hair turned white as the snow. “Do you know, we’re right underneath Springtime Parish? This place is the opposite of springtime. Everything past prime, boarded up for the season. Just above us, the light shines golden on daffodils full of rainwine and heartgrass and a terrible, wicked, sad girl I can’t get back to. I don’t even know if I want to. Do I want to be her again? Or do I want to be free? I come here to think about that. To be near her and consider it. I think I shall never be free. I think I traded my freedom for a better story. It was a better story, even if the ending needed work. ↗

— Catherynne M. Valente

#freedom #indecision #longings #shadows #wants

So what did you do, drug me, stuff me in the trunk, then dump me like a sacrificial offering into that vampire’s coffin? - Shella ↗

— Krista Alasti

#fantasy #humor #krista-alasti #shifters #taming-shadows

I can understand there are things like shadows they need to fix after a shoot, but it's unfair to represent an image of yourself if it's not true. They're gonna see what you look like on film anyway, so why try to cover all your wobbly bits in a photo? ↗

— Emily Blunt

#anyway #bits #cover #film #fix

How many people make themselves abstract to appear profound. The most useful part of abstract terms are the shadows they create to hide a vacuum. ↗

— Joseph Joubert

#appear #create #hide #how #make

Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you. A little girl with your hair and eyes would've been the delight of my life. But it is you that I want primarily, not mythical children. I can survive the loss of something I've never had. I cannot survive losing you. (Winter Makepeace) ↗

— Elizabeth Hoyt

#thief-of-shadows #winter #life

I look out the window sometimes to seek the color of the shadows and the different greens in the trees, but when I get ready to paint I just close my eyes and imagine a scene. ↗

— Grandma Moses

#color #different #eyes #get #greens

American teachers have one indisputable advantage over foreign ones; they understand the American temperament and can judge its unevenness, its lights and its shadows. ↗

— John Philip Sousa

#american #foreign #indisputable #judge #lights

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast. ↗

— Charles Dickens

#contrast #dark #dark shadows #earth #lights