Chronicles Of Prydain Quotes

Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.

Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.

In some cases we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.

Neither refuse to give help when it is needed,... nor refuse to accept it when it is offered.

Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.

Is there worse evil than that which goes in the mask of good?

Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone. Once you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.

...alas, raising a young lady is a mystery even beyond an enchanter's skill.

For the deeds of a man, not the words of a prophecy, are what shape his destiny.

Life's a forge! Yes, and hammer and anvil, too! You'll be roasted, smelted, and pounded, and you'll scarce know what's happening to you. But stand boldly to it! Metal's worthless till it's shaped and tempered! More labor than luck. Face the pounding, don't fear the proving; and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil.

There is more honor in a field well plowed than in a field steeped in blood.

If I fret over tomorrow, I'll have little joy today.

I'm trying to make myself invisible." "That's an odd thing to attempt.

Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.

Trust your luck, Taran Wanderer. But don't forget to put out your nets!

You know how chickens are, imagining the world coming to an end one moment, then pecking corn the next.

Llonio said life was a net for luck; to Hevydd the Smith life was a forge; and to Dwyvach the Weaver-Woman a loom. They spoke truly, for it is all of these. But you,' Taran said, his eyes meeting the potter's, 'you have shown me life is one thing more. It is clay to be shaped, as raw clay on a potter's wheel.

Craftsmanship isn't like water in an earthen pot, to be taken out by the dipperful until it's empty. No, the more drawn out the more remains.

Morgant?" Taran asked, turning a puzzled glance to Gwydion. "How can there be honor for such a man?" "It is easy to judge evil unmixed," replied Gwydion. "But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging.

I can't make sense out of that girl," he said to the bard, "Can you?" "Never mind," Fflewddur said, "We aren't really expected to.

By all means," cried the bard, his eyes lighting up. "A Fflam to the rescue! Storm the castle! Carry it by assault! Batter down the gates!" "There's not much of it left to storm," said Eilonwy. "Oh?" said Fflewddur, with disappointment. "Very well, we shall do the best we can.

Are you slow-witted? I'm so sorry for you. It's terrible to be dull and stupid.

No matter what has happened, you're not a pig-boy; you're an Assistant Pig Keeper!

True allegiance is only given willingly.

For Wayfarers still journeying, for Wanderers at rest.

If you want truth, you should begin by giving it.

Every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.

Evil conquered?' said Gwydion. 'You have learned much, but learn this last and hardest of lessons. You have conquered only the enchantments of evil. That was the easiest of your tasks, only a beginning, not an ending. Do you believe evil itself to be so quickly overcome? Not so long as men still hate and slay each other, when greed and anger goad them. Against these even a flaming sword cannot prevail, but only that portion of good in all men's hearts whose flame can never be quenched.

That is why your sacrifice was all the more difficult. You chose to be a hero not through enchantment but through your own manhood.

For man to be worthy of any rank, he must strive first to be a man.

No, no," said Taran slowly, "It would be folly to think of attacking them." He smiled quickly at Fflewddur. "The bards would sing of us," he admitted, "but we'd be in no position to appreciate it.

If life is a loom, the pattern you weave is not so easily unraveled.

He will not succeed in this," Taran said. "Somehow, we must find a way to escape. We dare not lose hope." "I agree absolutely," Fflewddur answered. "Your general idea is excellent; it's only the details that are lacking...

What you may seek and what you may find are not always one.

Stale water is a poor drink,' said Annlaw. 'Stale skill is worse. And the man who walks in his own footsteps only ends where he began.

Do you not believe that animals know grief and fear and pain? The world of men is not an easy one for them.

I can't stand people who say 'I told you so.' That's worse than somebody coming up and eating your dinner before you have a chance to sit down.

I have never known courage to be judged by the length of a man's hair. Or, for the matter of that, whether he has any hair at all.

A shade of sorrow passed over Taliesin's face. 'There are those,' he said gently, 'who must first learn loss, despair, and grief. Of all paths to wisdom, this is the cruelest and longest. Are you one who must follow such a way? This even I cannot know. If you are, take heart nonetheless. Those who reach the end do more than gain wisdom. As rough wool becomes cloth, and crude clay a vessel, so do they change and fashion wisdom for others, and what they give back is greater than what they won.

Good cannot come from evil.

Count the deed, not the thought.

It is harsh enough for each man to bear his own wound. But he who leads bears the wounds of all who follow him.

It is strange,' he said at last. 'I had longed to enter the world of men. Now I see it filled with sorrow, with cruelty and treachery, with those who would destroy all around them.' 'Yet, enter it you must,' Gwydion answered, 'for it is a destiny laid on each of us. True, you have seen these things. But there are equal parts of love and joy.

Perhaps,' Taran said quietly, watching the moon-white riverbank slip past them, 'perhaps you have the truth of it. At first I felt as you did. Then I remember thinking of Eilonwy, only of her; and the bauble showed its light. Prince Rhun was ready to lay down his life; his thoughts were for our safety, not at all for his own. And because he offered the greatest sacrifice, the bauble glowed brightest for him. Can that be its secret? To think more for others than ourselves?' That would seem to be one of its secrets, at least,' replied Fflewddur. 'Once you've discovered that, you've discovered a great secret indeed--with or without the bauble.

I know it isn't nice to vex people on purpose—it's like handing them a toad—but this is much too good to miss and I may never have another chance at it.

And thus did an Assistant Pig-Keeper become High King of Prydain.

She was the most confusing person he had ever met

My luck's no greater than yours or any man's. You need only sharpen your eyes to see your luck when it comes, and sharpen your wits to use what falls into your hands.

Adaon smiled gravely. “Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.

Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty too.

What! I don't care about being a princess! And since I'm already a young lady, how else could I behave? That's like asking a fish not to swim!" ~Princess Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, of the Royal house of Llyr

I saw myself.... In the time I watched, I saw strength—and frailty. Pride and vanity, courage and fear. Of wisdom, a little. Of folly, much. Of intentions, many good ones; but many more left undone. In this, alas, I saw myself a man like any other. But this, too, I saw.... Alike as men may seem, each is different as flakes of snow, no two the same. You told me you had no need to seek the Mirror, knowing you were Annlaw Clay-Shaper. Now I know who I am: myself and none other. I am Taran.

A man's life weighs more then glory, and a price paid in blood is a heavy reckoning.

Since no one has mentioned it,' said Eilonwy, 'it seems I'm not being asked to come along. Very well, I shan't insist.' 'You, too, have gained wisdom, Princess,' said Dallben. 'Your days on Mona were not ill-spent.' 'Of course,' Eilonwy went on, 'after you leave, the thought may strike me that it's a pleasent day for a short ride to go picking wildflowers which might be hard to find, especially since it's almost winter. Not that I'd be following you, you understand. But I might, by accident, lose my way, and mistakenly happen to catch up with you. By then, it would be too late for me to come home, through no fault of my own.

A grower of turnups Or shaper of clay, a commot Farmer or a king-Every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.

But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging.

we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.

Gwydion stood as a wolf at bay, his green eyes glittering, his teeth bared.

Is a man truly what he see himself to be?' 'Only if what he sees is true.

Once," he added, "you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.

I’ve heard men complain of doing woman’s work, and women complain of doing man’s work,” she added, fastening her bony thumb and forefinger on Gurgi’s ear and marching him to a stool beside Taran, “but I’ve never heard the work complain of who did it, so long as it got done!

Thus, death begets death; evil begets evil.

There is much to be known," said Adaon, "and above all much to be loved, be it the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.

But it's very thoughtful of you to say that. It shows a kind heart, and I think that's so much more important than being clever.

I've heard men complain of doing woman's work, and women complain of doing man's work, but I've never heard the work complain of who did it, so long as it got done!

Well," said Eilonwy, "you can't blame Rhun for being born. I mean, you could, but that wouldn't help matters. It's like kicking a rock with your bare foot.

At the end of their grim race, death might be the only prize.

When prophecies give no help, men must find it themselves.

It would be a shame if you were killed. I should be very sorry. I know I wouldn't like it to happen to me.

And so shall honor Morgant," Gwydion said, "for what he used to be, and Ellidyr Prince of Pen-Llarcau for what he became.

Go back' Taran shouted at the top of his voice.'Have you lost your wits?' Eilonwy, for it was she, half-halted. She had tucked her plaited hair under a leather helmet. The Princess of Llyr smiled cheerfully at him. 'I understand you're upset,' she shouted back, 'but that's no cause to be rude.' She galloped on. For a time, Taran could not believe he had really seen her.

It is not given to men to know the ends of their journeys," Medwyn answered. "It may be that you will never return to the places dearest to you. But how can that matter, if what you must do is here and now?

I ask no comfort," Taran replied, "but the truth, be it harsh or happy." "Ah, my sweet robin," said Orddu, "for the finding of that, nothing is harder. There are those who have spent lifetimes at it, and many in worse plight than yours.

Our pride is not in fighting but in farming; In the work of our, hands not our blades. Never have we sought war. We come to the Banner of the white pig because it is the banner of our friend, Terran Wanderer.

As a boy, he had dreamed of taking a man's place among men; and, as a boy, had deemed himself well fit to do so. Now, amid the grizzled, battle-wise warriors, his strength seemed feeble, his knowledge clouded.

Ah, Princess," Dallben said, with a furrowed smile, "a crown is more discomfort than adornment. If you have learned that, you have already learned much.

Every living thing deserves our respect... be it humble or proud, ugly or beautiful.

Two things never mix: one is enchantments and the other is meddling with them.

Even in a fantasy realm, growing up is accomplished not without cost.

Surely you can entrust your task to your friends." "No," said Taran, after a long pause, "I have taken it on myself through my own choice." "If that is so," answered Medwyn, "then you can give it up through your own choice.

I shall not lie!" Eilonwy cried, "not for this traitor and deserter." "It is not for him," Taran said quietly, "but for the sake of our quest." "It isn't right," Eilonwy began, tears starting in her eyes. "We do not speak of rightness," Taran answered. "We speak of a task to be finished.

A lady doesn't insist on having her own way. Then, next thing you know, it all works out somehow, without one's even trying. I thought I'd never learn, though it's really quite easy once you get the knack.

I knew something was wrong when you started being so polite.

Don't frown so, you'll look old before your time.

Until the thirst for power parched his throat, he was a fearless and noble lord.

It is beyond any man's wisdom to judge the secret heart of another... for in it are good and evil mixed.

Some days are like that...and what's to be done about it? Nothing, alas, but hope things will brighten, which they very likely won't. But there you are, it's all one can do.

Of wisdom there are as many patterns as a loom can weave. Yours is the wisdom of good and kindly heart. Scarce it is and its worth all the greater.

Its powers?' Dallben answered with a sad smile. 'My dear boy, this is a bit of metal hammered into a rather unattractive shape; it could better have been a pruning hook or a plow iron. Its powers? Like all weapons, only those held by him who wields it. What yours may be, I can in no wise say.

It may be," replied Coll, smiling, "we know least what we treasure most. But we will have more than enough to keep us busy when you come back, and you will learn, my boy, there is nothing like work to put the heart at rest.

I can't say I'm unhappy about it,' added the bard, 'I get along well enough with mice, and I've always been found of birds, but when you put the two together I'd just as soon avoid them.

I fear I our good dwarf has lost his taste for adventure. I managed to get word to him, thinking he might come along with me for the sport of it. He sent back a message. All it said was 'Humph!

Don't pout that way, my child, you'll give yourself a blister.

One way everything looks all right, the other way, it looks all wrong.

It is beyond any man’s wisdom to judge the secret heart of another,” he said, “for in it are good and evil mixed.

Hwoinch!’ said Hen Wen.

Good-bye, good-bye,' muttered Gwystyl. 'I hate to see you waste your time, not to mention your lives. But that's the way of it, I suppose. Here today, gone tomorrow, and what's anyone to do about it? Good-bye. I hope we meet again. But not soon. Good-bye.

Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us?

...alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging,

What is the use of studying much when I’m to see nothing at all?

Stale water is a poor drink,” said Annlaw. “Stale skill is worse. And the man who walks in his own footsteps only ends where he began.

My joy is in the craft, not the gain.

I don’t care about being a princess! And since I’m already a young lady, how else could I behave? That’s like asking a fish to learn how to swim!

From a swift canter the powerful legs of Melynlas stretched to a gallop. The stallion's muscles heaved beneath him and Taran, sword raised, plunged into the sea of men. His head spun and he gasped as if drowning. He realized he was terrified.

There are heroes and heroes. I don't deny he's acted bravely on occasion. He's fought beside Lord Gwydion and been proud of himself as a chick wearing eagle's feathers. But that's only one kind of bravery. Has the darling robin ever scratched for his own worms? That's bravery of another sort. And between the two, dear Orwen, he might find the latter shows the greater courage.

Yet long afterward, when all had passed away into distant memory, there were many who wondered whether King Taran, Queen Eilonwy, and their companions had indeed walked the earth, or whether they had been no more than dreams in a tale set down to beguile children. And, in time, only the bards knew the truth of it.

Nothing we do is ever done entirely alone. There is a part of us in everyone else—you, of all people, should know that. From what I hear, you have been as impetuous as your friend Fflewddur; I have been told, among other things, of a night when you dove head first into a thornbush. And you have certainly felt as sorry for yourself as Gurgi; and, like Doli, striven for the impossible.

It is true. Indeed, that is why I dared not speak. I have yearned to be again at the side of my beloved Arianllyn, and my thoughts are with her now. But had I chosen to return, I would ever wonder whether my choice was made through wisdom or following the wishes of my own heart. I see this is as it must be, and the destiny laid upon me. I am content to die here.

It was a sad tune,” Eilonwy said. “But the odd thing about it is, you don’t mind the sadness. It’s like feeling better after you’ve had a good cry. It made me think of the sea again, though I haven’t been there since I was a little girl.

often the trouble with magical things. They’re never quite what you’d expect.

The bees!

Well, that is one of the three foundations of learning: see much, study much, suffer much.

Once you have courage to look upon evil, seeing it for what it is and naming it by its true name, it is powerless against you, and you can destroy it.

Had I done it sooner, perhaps he might have lived. He was a man of courage and good heart, a proud man. Now he is dead. I saved the signal to use in a worthy cause, and when I found one it was wasted.” “Wasted?” answered Fflewddur. “I think not. Since you did your best and didn’t begrudge using it, I shouldn’t call it wasted at all.

I believe you know my quest from its beginning to its end, and that I seed to learn my parentage. "Parentage?" said Orddu. "Nothing easier. Choose any parents you please. Since none of you has ever known each other, what difference can it possibly make - to them or to you? Believe what you like. You'll be surprised how comforting it is.

There’s a reason that some of our oldest and most important stories start with “Once upon a time . . .” Tucked among the fantastical characters and magical other-worlds are profound truths. Lloyd Alexander, author of the beloved Chronicles of Prydain, said, “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” With that, we present to you this collection of wise and beautiful quotes from some of the greatest authors in the fantasy genre.

All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis The Call of the Wild by Jack London The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Giver by Lois Lowry Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling Hatchet by Gary Paulsen The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Holes by Louis Sachar The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins I Am LeBron James by Grace Norwich I Am Stephen Curry by Jon Fishman Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson LeBron’s Dream Team: How Five Friends Made History by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger The Lightning Thief  (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle Number the Stars by Lois Lowry The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton The River by Gary Paulsen The Sailor Dog by Margaret Wise Brown Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury Star Wars Expanded Universe novels (written by many authors) Star Wars series (written by many authors) The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess (Dork Diaries) by Rachel Renée Russell Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

But that’s not true,” Taran called. “I—I was …” By then, Eilonwy was out of earshot. Crestfallen, Taran followed her. “I can’t make sense out of that girl,” he said to the bard. “Can you?” “Never mind,” Fflewddur said. “We aren’t really expected to.

When I was a child I dreamed of adventure, glory, of honor in feats of arms. I think now that these things are shadows.' 'If you see them as shadows then you see them for what they are,' Annlaw agreed. 'Many have pursued honor, and in the pursuit lost more of it than ever they could gain.

There are those,” he said gently, “who must first learn loss, despair, and grief. Of all paths to wisdom, this is the cruelest and longest. Are you one who must follow such a way? This even I cannot know. If you are, take heart nonetheless. Those who reach the end do more than gain wisdom. As rough wool becomes cloth, and crude clay a vessel, so do they change and fashion wisdom for others, and what they give back is greater than what they won.

. "Morgant?" Taran asked, turning a puzzled glance to Gwydion. "How can there be honor for such a man?" "It is easy to judge evil unmixed," replied Gwydion. "But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging. King Morgant served the Sons of Don long and well. Until the thirst for power parched his throat, he was a fearless and noble lord. In battle he saved my life more than once. These things are part of him and cannot be put aside or forgotten. And so shall I honor Morgant, for what he used to be, and Ellidyr Prince of Pen-Llarcau for what he became".

But it’s very thoughtful of you to say that. It shows a kind heart, and I think that’s so much more important than being clever.

It is not the trappings that make the prince,” he said gently, “nor, indeed, the sword that makes the warrior

True kinship has naught to do with blood ties, however strong they be. I think we are all kin, brothers and sisters one to the other, all children of all parents.

In some cases,” he said, “we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.

Then we must say farewell," answered the weaver-woman. "But mind you," she added, in her usual sharp tone, "if life is a loom, the pattern you weave is not so easily unraveled.

gay

Sanningen finns i allt om man bara kan förstå det.

Det ligger större ära i en välplöjd åker än i en åker dränkt i blod.

Det är inte många", fortsatte han högmodigt, "som förstår hur makt ska brukas. Och inte många som vågar bruka den när de blir erbjudna den.

Inom de flesta av oss är gott och ont sammanflätade så tätt som trådarna på en vävstol. Större visdom än min krävs för den domen.

Därför ska jag ära Morgant", sade Gwydion, " för vad han en gång var, och Ellidyr, prins av Pen-Llarcau, för vad han blev.

Vi är varken onda eller goda. Vi är helt enkelt intresserade av saker precis som det de är.

It is easy to judge evil unmixed,” replied Gwydion. “But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging.

I have the sword I fashioned,' Taran proudly cried, 'the cloak I wove, and the bowl I shaped. And the friendship of those in the fairest land of Prydain. No man can find greater treasure.

It is not given to men to know the ends of their journeys...It may be that you will never return to the places dearest to you. But how can that matter, if what you must do is here and now?

man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone. Once,” he added, “you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.

Alike as men may seem, each is different as flakes of snow, no two the same. You told me you had no need to seek the Mirror, knowing you were Annlaw Clay-Shaper. Now I know who I am: myself and none other. I am Taran.

Annlaw was silent and intent; his lined face had brightened; the years had fallen away from it. Taran felt his heart fill with a joy that seemed to reach from the potter to himself, and in that moment understood that he was in the presence of a true master craftsman, greater than any he had ever known. "Fflewddur was wrong," Taran murmured. "If there is enchantment, it lies not in the potter's wheel but in the potter." "Enchantment there is none," answered Annlaw, never turning from his work. "A gift, perhaps, but a gift that bears with it much toil." "If I could make a thing of such beauty, it is a toil I would welcome," Taran said.

I commend your patience,” he said. “The black beast spurs Ellidyr cruelly.” “I think he'll feel better once we find the cauldron,” Taran said. “There will be glory enough for all to share.” Adaon smiled gravely. “Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.

What lacks?’ he cried to Annlaw. ‘I could forge a sword well enough and weave a cloak well enough. But now, what I truly long to grasp is beyond my reach. Must the one skill I sought above all be denied me?’ he burst out in an anguished voice. ‘Is the gift forbidden me?’ He bowed his head, and his heart froze even as he spoke the words, for he knew, within himself, he had touched the truth. Annlaw did not gainsay him, but only looked at him for a long while with deep sadness. ‘Why?’ Taran whispered. ‘Why is this so?’ ‘It is a heavy question,’ Annlaw replied at last. He put a hand on Taran’s shoulder. ‘Indeed, no man can answer it. There are those who have labored all their lives to gain the gift, striving until the end only to find themselves mistaken; and those who had it born in them yet never knew; those who lost heart too soon; and those who should never have begun at all. ‘Count yourself lucky,’ the potter went on, ‘that you have understood this now and not spent your years in vain hope. This much have you learned, and no learning is wasted.

This is a place of peace,” Medwyn said, “and therefore not suitable for men, at least, not yet. Until it is, I hold this valley for creatures of the forests and the waters. In their mortal danger they come to me, if they have the strength to do so—and in their pain and grief. Do you not believe that animals know grief and fear and pain? The world of men is not an easy one for them.

[...] for a crown is a pitiless master, harsher than the staff of a pig-keeper; while a staff bears up, a crown weighs down, beyond the strength of any man to wear it lightly.

Since the day she threw me into her dungeon, I've noticed something unfriendly about her.

Neither refuse to give help when it is needed,” Medwyn continued, “nor refuse to accept it when it is offered. Gwythyr Son of Greidawl learned that from a lame ant, you know.

There are those who have labored all their lives to gain the gift, striving until the end only to find themselves mistaken; and those who had it born in them yet never knew; those who lost heart too soon; and those who should never have begun at all. “Count yourself lucky,” the potter went on, “that you have understood this now and not spent your years in vain hope. This much have you learned, and no learning is wasted.

Any whey-blooded pudding-guts who fears to stand with you will have me to deal with!

He is here now," Taran said quietly. "He has long sought you and in ways even he himself did not know. Now that he has found you, can you not find your path back to him?

if you grow up with any kind of sense - which you sometimes make me doubt - you will very likely reach your own conclusions. They will probably be wrong. However, since they will be yours, you will feel a little more satisfied with them.

It is not given to men to know the ends of their journeys,” Medwyn answered. “It may be that you will never return to the places dearest to you. But how can that matter, if what you must do is here and now?

If you made mistakes, you recognize them. As I told you, there are times when the seeking counts more than the finding.

Nothing we do is ever done entirely alone. There is a part of us in everyone else

See much, study much, suffer much.

I have studied the race of men," Medwyn continued. "I have seen that alone you stand as weak reeds by a lake. You must learn to help yourselves, that is true; but you must also learn to help one another.

Is—is Achren your mother?” Taran gasped and drew back fearfully. “Certainly not!” cried the girl. “I am Eilonwy

There is much to be known,” said Adaon, “and above all much to be loved, be it the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.

Of course not," agreed Orddu. "We're neither good nor evil. We're simply interested in things as they are. And things as they are, at the moment, seem to be that you're caught by the Crochan.

This is meant to be a serious tale- in the way that all humor is serious and all fantasy is true- and if there is no conventionally happy ending in fairy-tale terms, there is still a most hopeful ending in human terms

gwythaints

For a long while Taran did not speak. ‘It is strange,’ he said at last. ‘I had longed to enter the world of men. Now I see it filled with sorrow, with cruelty and treachery, with those who would destroy all around them.’ ‘Yet, enter it you must,’ Gwydion answered, ‘for it is a destiny laid on each of us. True, you have seen these things. But there are equal parts of love and joy. Think of Adaon and believe this.

In Caer Dallben, he had dreamed of being a hero. But dreaming, he had come to learn, was easy; and at Caer Dallben no lives depended on his judgement. He longed for Gwydion's strength and guidance. His own strength, he feared, was not equal to his task.

He felt ill at ease, speaking as if he himself were a war-leader in a council hall, but soon the words began to come easier. Perhaps, he thought, because he was speaking for Gwydion.

Do you love danger so much?' asked Gwydion. 'Before you are a man,' he added gently, 'you will learn to hate it. Yes, and fear it, too, even as I do.

After a long pause Adaon said, 'There is a destiny laid on us to do what we must do, though it is not always given to us to see it.' 'I think you see many things,' Taran replied quietly, 'many things which you tell no one.

For a man to be worthy of any rank, he must strive first to be a man.

Life's a forge, say I! Face the pounding; don't fear the proving; and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil!

Indeed, Annlaw puts himself into the clay and makes it live with his own life.

In the race of men is much greed and envy; but of truth, little.

Light is as precious to us as air.

For even a tottering granddam keeps a portion of girlish heart, and the youngest maiden a thread of old woman's wisdom.

But we must battle not as sluggish oxen but as swift wolves and cunning foxes.

more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning

one of the three foundations of learning: see much, study much, suffer

There is no use regretting what has happened.

The surest search is not always the shortest.

Every living thing deserves our respect,” said Medwyn, knitting his shaggy brows, “be it humble or proud, ugly or beautiful.

I have returned to the chamber I slept in and found it smaller than I remember. The fields are beautiful, yet not quite as I recalled them. And I am troubled, for I wonder now if I am to be a stranger in my own home.' Dallben shook his head. 'No, that you shall never be. But it is not Caer Dallben which has grown smaller. You have grown bigger. That is the way of it.