“
She was a story, not an epilogue.
”
”
Seanan McGuire (Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1))
“
Then Day reaches out and touches my hand with his. He encloses it in a handshake. And just like that, I am linked with him again, I feel the pulse of our bond and his- tory and love through our hands, like a wave of magic, the return of a long-lost friend. Of something meant to be. The feeling brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps we can take a step forward together.
“Hi,” he says. “I’m Daniel.”
“Hi,” I reply. “I’m June.
”
”
Marie Lu (Champion (Legend, #3))
“
One does no question miracles, or complain that they are no constructed perfectly to one's liking.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))
“
I don't know how to live in the world as a Shadowhunter without Will. I don't think i even want to. I am still a parabatai, but my other half is gone.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))
“
At last, the wheel comes full circle
”
”
Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))
“
They say you cannot love two people equally at once,” she said. “And perhaps for others that is so. But you and Will—you are not like two ordinary people, two people who might have been jealous of each other, or who would have imagined my love for one of them diminished by my love of the other. You merged your souls when you were both children. I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))
“
Don't forget to give Neville our love!' Ginny told James as she hugged him.
'Mum! I can't give a professor love!'
'But you know Neville-'
James rolled his eyes.
'Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love....
”
”
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7))
“
This is a love story. Twisted and messy. Flawed and screwed up. But it's ours. It's us. I don't know how our story will end. but I know it will start. I pick up my pen and begin to write:
My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something.
”
”
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
“
I have not stopped loving her, nor my parabatai; love does not stop when someone dies.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
I’m writing this because you begged. You know how I love the begging
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I know you deserve to be happy. I know you deserve someone… better, but I’m selfish. I want you. I want you bad enough to try and be someone better.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I was not crying - eyes water. I think we all know I'm a badass and I don't cry. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Yeah, but I’m the second most fucked up person I know, and when you put two negatives together, you get a positive. That’s math, Caleb. Math is the language of the universe. You can’t argue with the universe.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Wait until you get inside. It's my favorite part.' And yes, gentle readers, I am that fucking smooth.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Love does not always begin or end the way we wish it would.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I wish to see the novel’s epilogue.
”
”
Singshong (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Vol. 1)
“
I feel like I'm going to HURL. Which, even if I wanted to do, I couldn't do, because I haven't eaten. I can't even drag myself out of my room. And while I'd be able to muster the strength to roundhouse Fang until he begged for MERCY, I'de be mush around an Eraser.
”
”
James Patterson (Fang (Maximum Ride, #6))
“
I think we deserve
a soft epilogue, my love.
We are good people
and we’ve suffered enough.
”
”
Nikka Ursula
“
I’m sorry, Livvie, I really am. You kill me. Pepper spray? I’ve tracked you all over the world and that’s what’s going to stop me―pepper spray.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
There was still something unfinished around her eyes; she wasn’t done yet. She was a story, not an epilogue. And if she chose to narrate her own life one word at a time as she descended the stairs to meet her newest arrival, that wasn’t hurting anyone. Narration was a hard habit to break, after all.
Sometimes it was all a body had.
”
”
Seanan McGuire (Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1))
“
Today isn’t my epilogue with Neil—it’s a beginning. I’ll leave the happily-ever-afters in the books.
”
”
Rachel Lynn Solomon (Today Tonight Tomorrow (Rowan & Neil, #1))
“
It's only through sheer force and luck that she's yet to take over the world.
”
”
Julia Quinn (Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #4.5))
“
Misery I understand. Happiness is terrifying. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Some men don't eat pussy. I think those men are pussies.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
For some a prologue, for some an epilogue.
”
”
Mikhail Bulgakov
“
Everything is in the process of becoming something else. It’s the law of change.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I'm fucking good looking and sharp witted! I bet Reed only speaks one language. I'm sharp witted in five! - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
She loves me. It's quite sick, isn't it? - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Claudia! That’s not for snacking, you bitch.” Livvie spanked the other girl on the ass and both of them giggled.
Girls are so strange. If another man called me a bitch and spanked me, it would not end in giggles.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Yes, you bit me, yes, I kind of liked it, yes, let's not talk about it again, said Jace. You're not a vampire anymore. Focus.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
If a person survives an ordinary span of sixty years or more, there is every chance that his or her life as a shapely story has ended and all that remains to be experienced is epilogue. Life is not over, but the story is.
”
”
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Deadeye Dick)
“
SIMON LEWIS, ERIC HILLCHURCH, KIRK DUPLESSE, AND MATT CHARLTON
"THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS"
MAY 19, PROSPECT PARK BAND SHELL
BRING THIS FLYER, GET $5 OFF YOUR ENTRANCE FEE!
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
I could be a hugger...maybe. No, it was weird. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Ah, Misha, he has a stormy spirit. His mind is in bondage. He is haunted by a great, unsolved doubt. He is one of those who don't want millions, but an answer to their questions.
”
”
Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue)
“
He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. That includes puppies, babies, rainbows, sunsets, and sunrises. I can’t even call him a man―men don’t look this good.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Once there was a bunny. This bunny had a birthday party. It was the bestest birthday party ever. Because that was the day the bunny got a bazooka.
THe bunny loved his bazooka. He blew up all sorts of things on the farm. He blew up the stable of Henrietta the Horse. He blew up the pen of Pugsly the Pig. He blew up the coop of Chuck the Chicken.
"I have the bestest bazooka ever," the bunny said. Then the farm friends proceeded to beat him senseless and steal his bazooka. It was the happiest day of his life.
The end.
Epilogue: Pugsly the Pig, now without a pen, was quite annoyed. When none of the others were looking, he stole the bazooka. He tied a bandana on his head and swore vengeance for what had been done to him.
"From this day on," he whispered, raising the bazooka, "I shall be known as Hambo.
”
”
Brandon Sanderson (Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, #2))
“
My life wasn’t how I planned it would be. It wasn’t even close. It was a thousand times better.
”
”
Nicole Williams (Crush (Crash, #3))
“
I felt. I fucking felt and it was awful. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
We can spend our days bemoaning our losses, or we can grow from them. Ultimately the choice is ours. We can be victims of circumstance or masters of our own fate, but make no mistake, we cannot be both.
The Walk - Epilogue Page 288
”
”
Richard Paul Evans (The Walk (The Walk, #1))
“
Tell me, you fool. If I continue to regress, will I ever get to meet you again?
”
”
Singshong (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Epilogue)
“
It's just that I'm fifteen, and I have this crazy idea I might actually have a life in front of me. I don't see how it's going to do me much good to believe that the world is over and this is just an epilogue.
”
”
Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin, #1))
“
The Wit of Cheats, the Courage of a Whore,
Are what ten thousand envy and adore:
All, all look up, with reverential Awe,
At crimes that 'scape, or triumph o'er the Law:
While Truth, Worth, Wisdom, daily they decry-`
'Nothing is sacred now but Villainy'
- Epilogue to the Satires, Dialogue I
”
”
Alexander Pope
“
What does a former kidnapper/murderer do in retirement? - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
And if you can believe it…she slapped me again.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Stop hitting me!” I finally looked up at her, but she was a blur. She hit me so hard my damn eyes were watering (I was not crying – eyes water. I think we all know I’m a badass and I don’t cry).
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Once upon a time I saved Livvie. She’s been saving me ever since.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Everything is in the process of becoming something else. It’s the law of change.” I briefly kissed Livvie’s eyelids before she could open them. “I’m in the process of becoming something else, Livvie. I hope it’s something good, something far removed from the monster you knew.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I wanted a fight. I needed a fight. I was sick and tired of playing nice. I AM NOT NICE. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
If you're sighing with contentment, you're either one sick fuck or you don't grasp the seriousness of the situation. While I no longer kill, I am a killer. A killer in love is a very dangerous thing.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
For Caleb's kittens
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Livvie's screams rent the air. James flinched at the sound, but Caleb's blood sang. I am both men. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I was prompted for a password. Why did she need a password? Didn't she trust me? I hope you're smiling, because I know I am. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
If I were a wolf, I would howl. If I were a lion, I would oar. If we lived in the jungle, I would bring her a lion and a wolf to feast on. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I've seen you handle your stick, Caleb. You're much better at it than I am
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I'll write you an epilogue, I will, I will. Better than any shit that drunk could write. His brain is Swiss cheese. He doesn't even remember writing the book. I can write ten times the story that guy can. There will be blood and guts and sacrifice. An Imperial Affliction meets The Price of Dawn. You'll love it.
”
”
John Green (The Fault in Our Stars)
“
I stabbed a piece of broccoli like it owed me money.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
You’re the best boyfriend ever. You let me ride in elevators and everything.”
“Laugh it up, Pet. It’ll be hilarious when we get stuck and the smell of unclean tourist is invading your nostrils.”
“Don’t worry, Sexy. I’ll protect you.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I’ll show you a fag, you little bitch. I’ll fuck-start your head!
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
If it be true that good wine needs no bush,
'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue;
yet to good wine they do use good bushes,
and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues.
”
”
William Shakespeare (As You Like It)
“
Religious faith is the one species of human ignorance that will not admit of even the possibility of correction.
”
”
Sam Harris (The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)
“
If I had thought grovelling would get Livvie into my car, I would have made a good show of it. I'm shameless. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
⸢This story is for just that one reader.⸥
”
”
Singshong (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Epilogue)
“
I don't like cramped spaces of the non tight, wet and warm variety. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
Girls are so strange. If another man called me a bitch and spanked me, it would not end in giggles.
”
”
C.J. Roberts
“
EPILOGUE THE BEAUTY OF A THOUSAND STARS
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
Jude had promised me that the money and the fame wouldn’t change him, and he’d been right. He still swaggered around in his Cons and Levi’s and drank cheap beer, but, most important, he still looked at me like I was his whole world.
”
”
Nicole Williams (Crush (Crash, #3))
“
Maxon wrapped his arms around me, and I laughed as he covered me with kisses.
We were so distracted, we didn’t even hear the butler open the door. “Your Majesty, there’s a call from—”
Before he could finish, Maxon chucked a pillow at him, and the butler retreated into the hall, pulling the door shut behind him. There was a pause before a muffled voice filtered in. “Sorry, sir.
”
”
Kiera Cass (The One (The Selection, #3))
“
There are always exceptions to every generalization.
[A Christian Epilogue]
”
”
John B. Cobb Jr.
“
No, Kitten. I’m not okay,” I whispered. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take for me to be be okay. I just know that as long as you’re with me, there’s a chance that one day…I might be.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
We’d come so far, and I was oddly desperate to see where we could go.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
When the world is pregnant with lies, a secret long hidden will be revealed.
”
”
Mark Mirabello (The Odin Brotherhood: A Non-Fiction Account of Contact with a Pagan Secret Society, With a New Epilogue A Statement on the Odin Brotherhood)
“
My mind id more problem/solution orientated. Mad at me? Scream at me. Punch me if you're up for it. Please don't smile at me sweetly, act like nothing is wrong and then leave me disillusioned. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
In your eyes I have always found grace.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3))
“
Promise me you won’t leave.” Livvie’s arms gripped me tight.
“I promise. Can you say the same?” I almost dreaded the answer.
“I promise. I’m yours,” she said.
“And I’m yours.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
The few things I’d sacrificed, or put on hold, to be with my husband and baby were worth it.
”
”
Nicole Williams (Crush (Crash, #3))
“
Needless to say, I thought it was a bat-shit crazy idea (that's the technical term). The last thing I wanted was to reprise my role as Livvie's captor. - Caleb
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
She wanted me. She wanted to give herself to me. I felt unworthy to accept such a gift, but it didn’t stop me from clutching it fiercely to my chest.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I shall pray that you may continue to exist somewhere, too.
”
”
Singshong (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Epilogue)
“
I put my hand over my erection and turned away. "No. That's not for you. I have to go to the bathroom." "Well get up! I have a whole day of birthday activities planned and you're spoiling my fun with your sleeping...and your pee boner." I laughed. "I hate it when you call it that." "Yeah? Well I hate that I can't play with it. Why the hell is it so hard if I'm not supposed to play with it? That's false advertising, Mister.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
So here, patient listener: your soothing epilogue. Imagine him happy. Imagine him spinning in circles... Imagine his heaven, where he can float through characters and books at will. (Let's dream him up a king, a giant, a boy who can fly.) Imagine him already there, under his covers with the flashlight.
”
”
Rebecca Makkai (The Borrower)
“
Epilogue
Those blessèd structures, plot and rhyme--
why are they no help to me now
I want to make
something imagined, not recalled?
I hear the noise of my own voice:
The painter's vision is not a lens,
it trembles to caress the light.
But sometimes everything I write
with the threadbare art of my eye
seems a snapshot,
lurid, rapid, garish, grouped,
heightened from life,
yet paralyzed by fact.
All's misalliance.
Yet why not say what happened?
Pray for the grace of accuracy
Vermeer gave to the sun's illumination
stealing like the tide across a map
to his girl solid with yearning.
We are poor passing facts,
warned by that to give
each figure in the photograph
his living name.
”
”
Robert Lowell (New Selected Poems)
“
What terrible tragedies realism inflicts on people,
”
”
Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue)
“
Marriages are like certain books, a story where you turn the last page and you think it's over and then there's an epilogue, and after that you're inclined to go on wondering about the characters or imagining that their lives continue without you, dear reader. Until you forget most of that book, you're stuck puzzling over what happened to them after you closed it.
”
”
Elizabeth Kostova (The Swan Thieves)
“
Will you cry? Will you miss me?
”
”
C.J. Roberts
“
I thought you wanted food," she gasped.
"I do," he murmured, tugging on the bodice of her dress. "But I want you more.
”
”
Julia Quinn (Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #4.5))
“
I didn’t want to rush things. Well, I did want to, but I know when I shouldn’t. I wanted to push her up against the door, rip off her panties, and ram myself into her, but I suspected she wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I would
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
This is not a romance.
This is a love story. The characters are flawed to the point of being broken. The hero is beautiful, but ugly in ways that defy the ordinary imagination. The heroine isn’t trapped in a tower, but a dark and lonely room. There is no prince coming to save her. While love blooms and thrives, there is no happily ever after. Love does not always begin or end the way we wish it would
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I know what would make me happy to have in the end. Nonetheless, I’ve learned that life isn’t about the end, but about the chapters in between. The filling in that we do to get our stories told and how people react to it is what keeps us going. The reality is that nobody looks forward to epilogues unless they’re in fictional stories. I’m not an exception to that rule. I know my story will end, but I hope the legacy I leave behind is big enough that nobody remembers how or why it did. It’ll just be another anecdote in the sequence of my very long and happy life (I hope).
”
”
Claire Contreras (Paper Hearts (Hearts, #2))
“
The sun flooded Livvie's apartment. I lay in her bed, smothered in throw pillows of various colors and shapes (seriously ladies, what the fuck with all the pillows?). I felt especially dirty jerking off in her frilly bed. I was sure to wipe up my come with a fuzzy pink pillow. I hoped it would prompt Livvie to throw the damn thing away.
”
”
C.J. Roberts (Epilogue (The Dark Duet, #3))
“
I’ve already instructed the
others to keep their mouths shut.”
“Even Hyacinth?” Penelope asked doubtfully.
“Especially Hyacinth.”
“Did you bribe her?” Violet asked. “Because it won’t work unless you
bribe her.”
“Good Lord,” Colin muttered. “One would think I’d joined this family
yesterday. Of course I bribed her.” He turned to Penelope. “No offense to
recent additions.”
“Oh, none taken.
”
”
Julia Quinn (Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #4.5))
“
Sometimes it's beautiful and we fall in love with all that story. Even after a thousand pages we don't want to leave the world the writer has made for us, or the make-believe people who live there. You wouldn't leave after two thousand pages, if there were two thousand. The Rings trilogy of J.R.R.Tolkien is a perfect example of this. A thousand pages of hobbits hasn't been enough for three generations of post-World War II fantasy fans; even when you add in that clumsy, galumphing dirigible of an epilogue, The Silmarillion, it hasn't been enough. Hence Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Robert Jordan, the questing rabbits of Watership Down, and half a hundred others. The writers of these books are creating the hobbits they still love and pine for; they are trying to bring Frodo and Sam back from the Grey Havens because Tolkien is no longer around to do it for them.
”
”
Stephen King (On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft)
“
There is not and cannot be in the whole world such a sin that the Lord will not forgive one who truly repents of it. A man even cannot commit so great a sin as would exhaust God’s boundless love. How could there be a sin that exceeds God’s love?
”
”
Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue)
“
Tell me to stop and I will. Tell me you don't want me to pull your tights down and fuck you up against this wall. Remind me of what a terrible person I am. Tell me I'm a sick bastard and you want me out of your life forever.
”
”
C.J. Roberts
“
I was wondering,” he began, murmuring the words into my cheek as I rolled over. “Seeing as it’s my birthday, do you think we could get away with spending the entire day in bed?”
I smiled and forced my sleepy eyes open. “And who will run the country?”
“No one. Let it fall to pieces. So long as I have my America in my arms.
”
”
Kiera Cass (The One (The Selection, #3))
“
I took a steadying breath. “Listen, I know we have a full night ahead of us, but I wanted to give you your birthday present.”
“Oh, darling, you didn’t need to get me anything. Every day with you is a gift.” He leaned in and kissed me.
“Well, I hadn’t planned on getting you a gift, but then something presented itself, so here we are.”
“All right then,” he said, placing his glass on the ground. “I’m ready. Where is it?”
“That’s the only problem,” I started. I felt my hands begin to shake. “It won’t actually arrive for another seven or eight months.”
He smiled but squinted. “Eight months? What in the world could take . . .”
As his words drifted away, so did his eyes, leaving my face and making their way to my stomach. He seemed to expect me to look different, for me to be as big as a house already. But I’d done my best to hide everything: the tiredness, the nausea, the sudden distaste for foods.
He stared on and on, and I waited for him to smile or laugh or jump up and down. But he sat there, frozen to the point that it started to frighten me.
“Maxon?” I reached out and touched his leg. “Maxon, are you all right?”
He nodded, still watching my stomach.
”
”
Kiera Cass (The One (The Selection, #3))
“
It’s that a man falls in love with some beautiful thing, with a woman’s body, or even with just one part of a woman’s body (a sensualist will understand that), and is ready to give his own children for it, to sell his father and mother, Russia and his native land, and though he’s honest, he’ll go and steal; though he’s meek, he’ll kill; though he’s faithful, he’ll betray.
”
”
Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue)
“
Eloise,” Penelope said, somewhat breathless from trying to shake off
Hyacinth.
“Penelope.” But Eloise’s voice sounded curious. Which did not
surprise Penelope; Eloise was no fool, and she was well aware that her
brother’s normal modes of behavior did not include beatific smiles in her
direction.
“Eloise,” Hyacinth said, for no reason Penelope could deduce.
“Hyacinth.”
Penelope turned to her husband. “Colin.”
He looked amused. “Penelope. Hyacinth.”
Hyacinth grinned. “Colin.” And then: “Sir Phillip.”
“Ladies.” Sir Phillip, it seemed, favored brevity.
“Stop!” Eloise burst out. “What is going on?”
“A recitation of our Christian names, apparently,” Hyacinth said.
”
”
Julia Quinn (Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #4.5))
“
She tried to remind herself that beauty was only skin deep, but that didn't offer any helpful excuses when she was berating herself for never knowing what to say to people. There was nothing more depressing than an ugly girl with no personality.
It hurts, because deep inside, she knew who she was, and that person was smart and kind and often very funny, but somehow her personality always got lost somewhere between her heart and her mouth, and she found herself saying the wrong thing or, more often, nothing at all.
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Julia Quinn (Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #4.5))
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Imagine what it would be like for our descendants to experience the fall of civilization. Imagine failures of reasonableness so total that our largest bombs finally fall upon our largest cities in defense of our religious differences. What would it be like for the unlucky survivors of such a holocaust to look back upon the hurtling career of human stupidity that led them over the precipice? A view from the end of the world would surely find that the six billion of us currently alive did much to pave the way to the Apocalypse.
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Sam Harris (The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)
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EPILOGUE This course is a beginning, not an end. Your Friend goes with you. You are not alone. No one who calls on Him can call in vain. Whatever troubles you, be certain that He has the answer, and will gladly give it to you, if you simply turn to Him and ask it of Him. He will not withhold all answers that you need for anything that seems to trouble you. He knows the way to solve all problems, and resolve all doubts. His certainty is yours. You need but ask it of Him, and it will be given you. You are as certain of arriving home as is the pathway of the sun laid down before it rises, after it has set, and in the half-lit hours in between. Indeed, your pathway is more certain still. For it can not be possible to change the course of those whom God has called to Him. Therefore obey your will, and follow Him Whom you accepted as your voice, to speak of what you really want and really need. His is the Voice for God and also yours. And thus He speaks of freedom and of truth. No more specific lessons are assigned, for there is no more need of them. Henceforth, hear but the Voice for God and for your Self when you retire from the world, to seek reality instead. He will direct your efforts, telling you exactly what to do, how to direct your mind, and when to come to Him in silence, asking for His sure direction and His certain Word. His is the Word that God has given you. His is the Word you chose to be your own. And now I place you in His hands, to be His faithful follower, with Him as Guide through every difficulty and all pain that you may think is real. Nor will He give you pleasures that will pass away, for He gives only the eternal and the good. Let Him prepare you further. He has earned your trust by speaking daily to you of your Father and your brother and your Self. He will continue. Now you walk with Him, as certain as is He of where you go; as sure as He of how you should proceed; as confident as He is of the goal, and of your safe arrival in the end. The end is certain, and the means as well. To this we say “Amen.” You will be told exactly what God wills for you each time there is a choice to make. And He will speak for God and for your Self, thus making sure that hell will claim you not, and that each choice you make brings Heaven nearer to your reach. And so we walk with Him from this time on, and turn to Him for guidance and for peace and sure direction. Joy attends our way. For we go homeward to an open door which God has held unclosed to welcome us. We trust our ways to Him and say “Amen.” In peace we will continue in His way, and trust all things to Him. In confidence we wait His answers, as we ask His Will in everything we do. He loves God’s Son as we would love him. And He teaches us how to behold him through His eyes, and love him as He does. You do not walk alone. God’s angels hover near and all about. His Love surrounds you, and of this be sure; that I will never leave you comfortless.
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Foundation for Inner Peace (A Course in Miracles)
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And one may ask what is the good of a love that must constantly be spied on, and what is the worth of a love that needs to be guarded so intensely? But that is something the truly jealous will never understand, though at the same time there happen, indeed, to be lofty hearts among them. It is also remarkable that these same lofty-hearted men, while standing in some closet, eavesdropping and spying, though they understand clearly ‘in their lofty hearts’ all the shame they have gotten into of their own will, nevertheless, at least for the moment, while standing in that closet, will not feel any pangs of remorse. Mitya’s jealousy disappeared at the sight of Grushenka, and for a moment he became trustful and noble, and even despised himself for his bad feelings. But this meant only that his love for this woman consisted of something much higher than he himself supposed, and not in passion alone, not merely in that “curve of the body” he had explained to Alyosha. But when Grushenka disappeared, Mitya at once began to suspect in her all the baseness and perfidy of betrayal. And for that he felt no pangs of remorse.
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Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue)