Robin Hobb

Why must it be one or the other?' she countered. 'You are both a capable seaman and the son of a Bingtown Trader. Why should not I have both sets of skill?

She had called herself a whore. That was a man's word, a shame-word flung at a woman. But she did not seem ashamed. She wielded the word like a sword, slicing away all his preconceptions of who she was. She had earned her living by her sex, and she did not seem to regret it.

You want a mate who will follow your dream. You don't want to give up your own ambitions to make someone else's life possible.''I supposed that's true,' Althea admitted reluctantly. An instant later she demanded, 'Why is that so wrong?''It isn't,' Amber assured her, A moment later she added wickedly, 'As long as you're male.

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.

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

Refuse anxiety. When you borrow trouble against what might be, you neglect the moment you have now to enjoy. The man who worries about what will next be happening to him loses this moment in dread of the next with pre-judgement

As much as I had always longed to be freed of my duties and obligations, being released from such bonds was as much a severing as an emancipation.

There are always choices. But sometimes there are no good ones.

One way to disperse fear and create decision was to consider the worst possible outcome of one's actions.

Suspense was an excellent tool for keeping powerful people off balance. It gave one bargaining power.

There would always be dishonorable things done to preserve the honor of any power.

What is a secret? It is much more than knowledge shared with only a few, or perhaps only one another. It is power. It is a bond. It is a sign of deep trust, or the darkest threat possible.... Be very chary of revealing your hoarded secrets. Many lose all power once they have been divulged. Be even more careful of sharing your secrets lest you find yourself a puppet dancing on someone else's strings.

I truly wanted to live a life in which I could make my own choices, independent of the 'duties' of my birth and position. It was only when fate granted that to me that I realized the cost of it. I could set aside my responsibilities to others and live my life as I please only when I also severed my ties to them. I could not have it both ways. To be part of a family, or any community, is to have duties and responsibilities, to be bound by the rules of that group.

Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.

Be very chary of telling your hoarded secrets. Many lose all power once they have been divulged.

I found myself speaking softly as if I were telling an old tale to a young child. And giving it a happy ending, when all know that tales never end, and the happy ending is but a moment to catch one__ breath before the next disaster. But I didn__ want to think about that. I didn__ want to wonder what would happen next.

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.

Men of passion and vision are often seen as mad.