#so

As someone very sagely said during the parricide trials of the Menendez Brothers: anytime your kids kill you, you are at least partly to blame. ↗

— Elizabeth Wurtzel

#personal-responsibility #trials

A woman could do that to you - reach that place in your soul where the best and worst of you was kept. And once she was there, she owned that place and never left. ↗

— Lisa Kleypas

#soul #woman #dreams

A city's only ever three hot meals away from anarchy. ↗

— Alastair Reynolds

#sf #social-commentary #anarchy

Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so. ↗

— Dale Carnegie

#self-improvement #wisdom #improvement

Very slowly using two fingers, Annabeth drew her dagger. Instead of dropping it, she tossed it as far as she could into the water. Octavian made a squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!" Annabeth tried for a dumb-blonde smile, like: Oh, silly me. Nobody who knew her would have been fooled. But Octavian seemed to buy it. He huffed in exasperation. "You other two..." He pointed his blade a Hazel and Piper. "Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus--" All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger. "You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced. ↗

— Rick Riordan

#fighting #octavian #percy-jackson #seawater #smile

After a week he was moved to a different wing and into a shared six-by-eight with a grizzled old con called Alf. He had faded tattoos that stained most of the visible skin on his hands, arms and neck a dull blue, sharp eyes and a thick beard that made his mouth look like an axe wound on a bear. ↗

— R.D. Ronald

#prison #prisoner #description

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. “Blowfish, did you say?” Ah, no. Blofis, actually.” Oh, I see,” Poseidon said. “A shame. I quite like blowfish. I am Poseidon.” Poseidon? That’s an interesting name.” Yes, I like it. I’ve gone by other names, but I do prefer Poseidon.” Like the god of the sea.” Very much like that, yes. ↗

— Rick Riordan

#poseidon #shame

Religion and nationalism? I defecate on the altar of religious conviction, and wipe my arse on the flag of national pride. ↗

— Ian Martin

#fiction #social-satire #south-africa #religion

Kind? How boring that would be. I aspire to be wicked. ↗

— George R.R. Martin

#myranda-royce #aspiration

Roland glares at Connor and Connor glares back. Then he says what he always says at moments like this. "Nice socks." Although Roland doesn't look down right away, it derails him just enough for him to back off. He doesn't check to see if his socks match until he thinks Connor isn't looking. And the moment he does, Connor snickers. Small victories are bet­ter than none. ↗

— Neal Shusterman

#small-victories #socks #victories #victory #victory