Tamora Pierce, Alanna: The First Adventure
16 quotes
"Alanna: All I know is that I'm to jump when I'm told and I have no free time."
"Alanna didn't approve of lying, but in a pinch a lie was sometimes better than the truth."
"Excuse me," she said politely. "But you can't have him. Not yet. He's going to come back with me."
"I wish you would thrash him. He deserves it."She looked back at him. "I will one day, sir. I'm getting tired of falling down."
"Why does this mean so much to you, Jon?"The Prince turned. "Because he's my friend. Because I always know where he stands, and where I stand with him. Because I think he'd die for me and--and I think I'd die for him. Is that enough?"
"George looked at her for a long moment. Finally he replied, "And why do you find it so hard to think someone might like you and want to do things for you?"
"We're men, and men aren't born to stand alone."
"Well, laddie, if you've let an old buzzard like me hurt you confidence, you couldn't have had much in the first place."
"It's always better to attack than to defend," Coram had told her when they talked about fencing late at night. "Always. Ye don't win with defense--ye only hold the other feller off, or wear him down. Attack and have done with it!"
"If I say you're a goatherd's son, you say, 'Yes, Lord Ralon.'"Alanna gasped with fury. "I'd as soon kiss a pig! Is that what you've been doing-kissing pigs? Or being kissed?"
"Moral issues rarely have yes or no answers.-Myles to Alanna when she asks about the Gift"
"Alan, you seem to think we won't like you unless you do things just like everyone else. Have you ever thought we might like you because you're different?"
"Ralon didn't make anyone else put his tack away?" Alex wanted to know. "You didn't see anything stra"
"I said I fell down. Ah. The ground bloodied your nose, split yer lip, and punched ye in th' eye, all at once.I said I don't want to talk about it."
"Stefan spat. "Oh, aye, he fell. O' course, Master Ralon helped him fall, several times. Poor li'l tyke didn't have a chance."
"I'm sorry," she said humbly. "I haven't wanted to lie to you.""I should hope so. You're the worst liar I've ever met." He thought about it for a moment, then added, "--or the best. Now I'm all confused."