“He couldn’t ignore how conspicuously beautiful Venice was. People had been living here for what, a thousand years? More? God only knew whose crazy idea it was to build a city in the middle of a lagoon, but you couldn’t argue with the results.”
Lev Grossman
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“If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so.”

Lev Grossman

“I got my heart's desire, and there my troubles began.”

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“[F]or just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. I...”

Lev Grossman

“The truth doesn't always make a good story, does it?”

Lev Grossman

“It was so much easier to be angry. Being angry made him feel strong, even though-- and this contradiction did nothing to diminish his anger-- he was angry only because his position was so weak.”

Lev Grossman