“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.
”
”
Stephen King (On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft)
“
...fool me once, shame on me…fool me twice…I deserved to get fucked over.
”
”
Derekica Snake (Tentacles for the Brides Bouquet)
“
The Cutter leaned toward me, resting his forehead against mine. 'Fool me once,' he whispered, 'shame on you.' He pressed the bridge of his nose against mine, his breath burning the back of my throat. His voice was rough and furious. 'Fool me twice, and I will cut out your fucking throat.
”
”
Brenna Yovanoff (The Replacement)
“
Why can't you just lie and cheat like the others?" Dan snapped. "Can't you just see that's better than being nice one minute and then turning around and selling us out? It may be very Cahill, but it stinks! Grace had a saying: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, I'll conk you with this pet carrier!
”
”
Gordon Korman (The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues, #8))
“
fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
Todd Strasser (Count Your Blessings (Mob Princess, #3))
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I'm a bleeping idiot.
”
”
Kristan Higgins (Just One of the Guys)
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, and i'm going to run you the fuck through.
”
”
Shannon Mayer (Raising Innocence (Rylee Adamson, #3))
“
Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice—well, you won’t get a chance to do that, now will you?
”
”
Lauren Roberts (Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1))
“
fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
”
”
anthony capathio
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I was just a fool.
”
”
Sarah Dessen
“
Sarcasm might be the lowest form of humor, but certainly it was also the most satisfying.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
I hate nice girls.
Just exchanging greetings with them will get them on your mind.
Start texting each other, and your heart will be set a flutter.
If they call you, you're done for.
Enjoy staring at your logs and grinning like a fool.
However, I won't get fooled again. That's what your kind calls kindness.
If you're nice to me, you're nice to others.
I always end up nearly forgetting that. Reality is cruel,
So I'm sure lies are a form of kindness.
Thus, I say kindness itself is also a lie.
I always ended up with these expectations.
And I always ended up with these misunderstandings.
And before I knew it, I stopped hoping.
A highly trained loner is once bitten, twice shy.
As a veteran on this battlefield of life, I've gotten used to losing.
That's why I always hate nice girls. — Hachiman Hikigaya
”
”
Wataru Watari (やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。1)
“
As they say: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
Thomas Erikson (Surrounded by Psychopaths: or, How to Stop Being Exploited by Others)
“
What a terrible thing it was to wish to be known, to be seen, when one's life depended on remaining unnoticed.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
So you hate me now,' she said quietly. 'How convenient for you. As though everything I did for you no longer counts, because I deceived you.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
Like my old mentor would always say, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and I’ll be dead.’’ Okay, she wasn’t a good poet, but that lady could handle her whiskey.
”
”
John Zakour (The Blue-Haired Bombshell (Nuclear Bombshell, #5))
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’m a moron. Fool me three or more times consecutively, and I’m a VOTER. Not even ducks are that dumb.
”
”
Jarod Kintz (Music is fluid, and my saxophone overflows when my ducks slosh in the sounds I make in elevators.)
“
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and I'll kill you.
”
”
Rashad Freeman (Night Slashers)
“
Aftera brief silence, Kenzie said, "Don't you believe in second chances?"
The room seemed a little colder, a little darker, as if a shadow had passed over the sun.
"Sonny Lee always said, 'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
Cinda Williams Chima (The Sorcerer Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #5))
“
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on you for tripping me as I run away.
”
”
Elizabeth C. Mock
“
I also had another motto: Fool me once, shame on me. You won’t fool me twice.
”
”
Karina Halle (The Offer (The McGregor Brothers, #2))
“
Fool me once, shame on you
fool me twice, shame on me
fool me thrice, I'm gonna get the frying pan!
”
”
Anthony Liccione
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, I’ll take a fourth and fifth serving because I’m an emotional masochist.
”
”
Anonimus
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’m a moron. Fool me three or more times consecutively, and I’m a voter.
”
”
Jarod Kintz (There are Two Typos of People in This World: Those Who Can Edit and Those Who Can't)
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’ll put a whole magazine of bullets in your skull.
”
”
Robert J. Crane (Limitless (Out of the Box, #1))
“
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, I’ll conk you with this pet carrier!
”
”
Gordon Korman (The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues, #8))
“
I know people hate the romance genre in general, for its predictability, but that's precisely why I love it. Isn't there enough uncertainty in life to seek it in cinema too? For me, there's something magical about that sequence, the promise of a happily ever after, that will never not soothe the deepest of my wounds.
”
”
Nona Uppal (Fool Me Twice)
“
...Today the invisible hand seems confused and indecisive...Ideology and rhetoric increasingly guide policy decision, often bearing little relationship to factual reality. And the America we once knew seems divided and angry, defiantly embracing unreason.
”
”
Shawn Lawrence Otto (Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America)
“
What do you think, you Higher Men? Am I a prophet? A dreamer? A drunkard? An interpreter of dreams? A midnight bell? A drop of dew? An odour and scent of eternity? Do you not hear it? Do you not smell it? My world has just become perfect, midnight is also noonday, pain is also joy, a curse is also a blessing, the night is also a sun – be gone, or you will learn: a wise man is also a fool. Did you ever say Yes to one joy? O my friends, then you said Yes to all woe as well. All things are chained and entwined together, all things are in love; if ever you wanted one moment twice, if ever you said: ‘You please me, happiness, instant, moment!’ then you wanted everything to return! you wanted everything anew, everything eternal, everything chained, entwined together, everything in love, O that is how you loved the world, you everlasting men, loved it eternally and for all time: and you say even to woe:’ Go, but return!’ For all joy wants -eternity!
”
”
Friedrich Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
“
Perfection was not always beautiful: sometimes, it was terrifying.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
It's very easy to resist men, isn't it? But managing to pick the right one -- that is truly worthy of praise.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
He would invent a way. Like a scientist, he would devise a way to take her apart. He would own her by the end. No one else would get the chance.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
Butterflies emerged in her stomach. She promptly willed them dead.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
I've been ridiculed by silk-suited lawyers, jailed by ornery judges, and occasionally paid for services rendered. I never intended to be a hero, and I succeeded.
”
”
Paul Levine (Fool Me Twice (Jake Lassiter, #6))
“
Humbleness came hard to her. She could not value it; too many unkind people had tried to force it on her in her youth. They had expected her to be ashamed, and so she had vowed never to be so.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
GO BACK TO DALLAS!” the man sitting somewhere behind us yelled again, and the hold Aiden still had on the back of my neck tightened imperceptibly.
“Don’t bother, Van,” he demanded, pokerfaced.
“I’m not going to say anything,” I said, even as I reached up with the hand furthest away from him and put it behind my head, extending my middle finger in hopes that the idiot yelling would see it.
Those brown eyes blinked. “You just flipped him off, didn’t you?”
Yeah, my mouth dropped open. “How do you know when I do that?” My tone was just as astonished as it should be.
“I know everything.” He said it like he really believed it.
I groaned and cast him a long look. “You really want to play this game?”
“I play games for a living, Van.”
I couldn’t stand him sometimes. My eyes crossed in annoyance. “When is my birthday?”
He stared at me.
“See?”
“March third, Muffin.”
What in the hell?
“See?” he mocked me.
Who was this man and where was the Aiden I knew?
“How old am I?” I kept going hesitantly.
“Twenty-six.”
“How do you know this?” I asked him slowly.
“I pay attention,” The Wall of Winnipeg stated.
I was starting to think he was right.
Then, as if to really seal the deal I didn’t know was resting between us, he said, “You like waffles, root beer, and Dr. Pepper. You only drink light beer. You put cinnamon in your coffee. You eat too much cheese. Your left knee always aches. You have three sisters I hope I never meet and one brother. You were born in El Paso. You’re obsessed with your work. You start picking at the corner of your eye when you feel uncomfortable or fool around with your glasses. You can’t see things up close, and you’re terrified of the dark.” He raised those thick eyebrows. “Anything else?”
Yeah, I only managed to say one word. “No.” How did he know all this stuff? How? Unsure of how I was feeling, I coughed and started to reach up to mess with my glasses before I realized what I was doing and snuck my hand under my thigh, ignoring the knowing look on Aiden’s dumb face. “I know a lot about you too. Don’t think you’re cool or special.”
“I know, Van.” His thumb massaged me again for all of about three seconds. “You know more about me than anyone else does.”
A sudden memory of the night in my bed where he’d admitted his fear as a kid pecked at my brain, relaxing me, making me smile. “I really do, don’t I?”
The expression on his face was like he was torn between being okay with the idea and being completely against it.
Leaning in close to him again, I winked. “I’m taking your love of MILF porn to the grave with me, don’t worry.”
He stared at me, unblinking, unflinching. And then: “I’ll cut the power at the house when you’re in the shower,” he said so evenly, so crisply, it took me a second to realize he was threatening me…
And when it finally did hit me, I burst out laughing, smacking his inner thigh without thinking twice about it. “Who does that?”
Aiden Graves, husband of mine, said it, “Me.”
Then the words were out of my mouth before I could control them. “And you know what I’ll do? I’ll go sneak into bed with you, so ha.”
What the hell had I just said? What in the ever-loving hell had I just said?
“If you think I’m supposed to be scared…” He leaned forward so our faces were only a couple of inches away. The hand on my neck and the finger pads lining the back of my ear stayed where they were. “I’m not
”
”
Mariana Zapata (The Wall of Winnipeg and Me)
“
You can lead a horse to water but a bird in hand can't fool me twice.
”
”
Robert Leland Taylor
“
fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, and I’ll fucking end you.
”
”
Shayne Silvers (Witches Brew (The Phantom Queen Diaries, #6))
“
What was that old adage – fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
Valerie Keogh (The Housekeeper)
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my dopamine neurons.
”
”
Jonah Lehrer (How We Decide)
“
One, two, I’m coming for you, three, four, you better lock your door.’”
-Nightmare on Elm Street -Fool me twice by Mandy Hubbard
”
”
Mandy Hubbard (Fool Me Twice (If Only . . . #1))
“
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice and you can kiss your ass goodbye
”
”
Kim Harrison
“
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
Brandon Mull (A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1))
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, and I’m going to run you the fuck through.
”
”
Shannon Mayer (Raising Innocence (Rylee Adamson, #3))
“
She should pretend that he had shocked her. How much more awful to admit that she envied his confidence—his refusal to be ashamed—and his indifference to God and the fate of his soul. How free it made him.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
I think this is an awfully immoral job of ours. I do, really. Think how we spoil the digestions of the public.”
“Ah, yes—but think how earnestly we strive to put them right again. We undermine ’em with one hand and build ’em with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody’s Piper Parritch we make up into a package and market as Bunbury’s Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompayne, we re-line with Peplets to aid digestion. And by forcing the damn-fool public to pay twice over—once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands—including you and me.
”
”
Dorothy L. Sayers (Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10))
“
Fool Me Twice
I took a risk by reinvesting myself
I took an even bigger one when I began to care
But I tightened the knot of the noose around my neck
When I began to Love you again
You kicked the chair out from under me
So I didn't even have to jump
”
”
Samantha King
“
Well. You must admit, you do need a haircut.” A faint smile ghosted over his mouth. His fingers loosened; they slipped over hers as they withdrew. “Is there anyone in this house whom I could trust to wield the scissors? I have given them all cause to aim for my throat.” Was that a joke? Miracle of miracles! “Come now,” she said hoarsely. “Be sensible. Dead men pay no salaries.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
A red flag is a red flag.” Hmmm. It took me well over fifty years to learn that one. The hard way. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them,” said the celebrated poet Maya Angelou. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” goes the wise saying.
”
”
Robin S. Sharma (The Titan Playbook: Aim for Iconic, Rise to Legendary, Make History)
“
I think you would have answered the question very cuttingly, if you felt comfortable with your reply.” Her audacity should not be able to surprise him any longer. But he still did not understand how she did this: how she shifted the balance of power between them so suddenly that he felt compelled to reply, to prove himself, to be accountable to her.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
Sometimes your ego and your inner mind say, “Well, if I let it go, what’s going to prevent them from hurting me again? I am opening myself up and making myself vulnerable. They will take advantage of me.” No one is telling you to be naïve. Nobody is saying that you should be stupid or foolish. There is an old adage, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Just because you forgave someone does not mean that you forgot what they did to you. You can forgive someone and also be smart enough to know that you need to move on. You are going to surrender that situation away. Maybe it’s time for you to let go of that person, if they are consistently hurting you. You have to forgive yourself so you can let that person go. It is just your guilty feelings that are holding you back and allowing the damage to be done to you. You are not forgiving yourself enough or being considerate enough to let go of this person. It is also your ego that is holding you back. It takes a lot of contemplation to realize this. It takes a lot of deep soul searching. Again,
”
”
Eric Pepin (Silent Awakening: True Telepathy, Effective Energy Healing and the Journey to Infinite Awareness)
“
I smiled. "You watch far too many movies." She shrugged. "Up until now, they've been better than my life.
”
”
Lilliana Anderson (Fool Me Twice: a Cartwright Brother Romance (Cartwrights))
“
He smiled at me. 'No, Beloved. Of course I was never with Molly.' His fingertip tapped the table, once, twice, thrice. He smiled gently. Then he said. 'I was with you.
”
”
Robin Hobb, Fool's Quest (Fool's Quest (The Fitz and the Fool, #2))
“
Oh, this was a terrible flaw in her, this need to interfere and manage and fix things.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
Nothing prepares you for Pain.
”
”
Ariana Nash (Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain, #2))
“
I love you. An easy three words to speak. Much harder to admit, when I knew I wasn't worthy of such love in return.
”
”
Ariana Nash (Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain, #2))
“
Death wasn't as I'd expected. I hadn't expected its embrace to be comforting.
”
”
Ariana Nash (Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain, #2))
“
His smile cracked and fell, and all his silly acts of bravado fell away with it, leaving just the man.
”
”
Ariana Nash (Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain Book 2))
“
That smile was the most shallow, empty mask he wore. He was hurting—we all were—but when Lark was in pain, he built walls, keeping everyone out. His smile was that wall’s locked door.
”
”
Ariana Nash (Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain Book 2))
“
If she captured Tamlin’s power once, who’s to say she can’t do it again?” It was the question I hadn’t yet dared voice.
“He won’t be tricked again so easily,” he said, staring up at the ceiling. “Her biggest weapon is that she keeps our powers contained. But she can’t access them, not wholly—though she can control us through them. It’s why I’ve never been able to shatter her mind—why she’s not dead already. The moment you break Amarantha’s curse, Tamlin’s wrath will be so great that no force in the world will keep him from splattering her on the walls.”
A chill went through me.
“Why do you think I’m doing this?” He waved a hand to me.
“Because you’re a monster.”
He laughed. “True, but I’m also a pragmatist. Working Tamlin into a senseless fury is the best weapon we have against her. Seeing you enter into a fool’s bargain with Amarantha was one thing, but when Tamlin saw my tattoo on your arm … Oh, you should have been born with my abilities, if only to have felt the rage that seeped from him.”
I didn’t want to think much about his abilities. “Who’s to say he won’t splatter you as well?”
“Perhaps he’ll try—but I have a feeling he’ll kill Amarantha first. That’s what it all boils down to, anyway: even your servitude to me can be blamed on her. So he’ll kill her tomorrow, and I’ll be free before he can start a fight with me that will reduce our once-sacred mountain to rubble.” He picked at his nails. “And I have a few other cards to play.”
I lifted my brows in silent question.
“Feyre, for Cauldron’s sake. I drug you, but you don’t wonder why I never touch you beyond your waist or arms?”
Until tonight—until that damned kiss. I gritted my teeth, but even as my anger rose, a picture cleared.
“It’s the only claim I have to innocence,” he said, “the only thing that will make Tamlin think twice before entering into a battle with me that would cause a catastrophic loss of innocent life. It’s the only way I can convince him I was on your side. Believe me, I would have liked nothing more than to enjoy you—but there are bigger things at stake than taking a human woman to my bed.”
I knew, but I still asked, “Like what?”
“Like my territory,” he said, and his eyes held a far-off look that I hadn’t yet seen. “Like my remaining people, enslaved to a tyrant queen who can end their lives with a single word. Surely Tamlin expressed similar sentiments to you.” He hadn’t—not entirely. He hadn’t been able to, thanks to the curse.
“Why did Amarantha target you?” I dared ask. “Why make you her whore?”
“Beyond the obvious?” He gestured to his perfect face. When I didn’t smile, he loosed a breath. “My father killed Tamlin’s father—and his brothers.”
I started. Tamlin had never said—never told me the Night Court was responsible for that.
“It’s a long story, and I don’t feel like getting into it, but let’s just say that when she stole our lands out from under us, Amarantha decided that she especially wanted to punish the son of her friend’s murderer—decided that she hated me enough for my father’s deeds that I was to suffer.”
I might have reached a hand toward him, might have offered my apologies—but every thought had dried up in my head. What Amarantha had done to him …
“So,” he said wearily, “here we are, with the fate of our immortal world in the hands of an illiterate human.
”
”
Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1))
“
Villainy was not simply the red raging glory of inflicting well-deserved pain; it was also the curdling knowledge of having inflicted injustice. A villain simply did not care. Only the victims did.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
He had worlds in his eyes; they were magnetic. He was a force of gravity, and his presence, even in this blackest moment, could not be confined to the small, dark space he had made here for himself.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
Glaring, Kai leaned back against the headrest. "I'm already uncomfortable with you piloting this ship and being in control of my life. Try not to make it worse."
"Why does everyone think I'm such a bad pilot?"
"Cinder told me as much."
"Well, tell Cinder I'm perfectly capable of flying a blasted podship without killing anyone. My flight instructor at the Andromeda - which is a very prestigious military academy in the Republic, I will have you know-"
"I know what Andromeda Academy is."
"Yeah, well, my flight instructor said I was a natural."
"Right," Kai drawled. "Was that the same flight instructor who wrote in you official report about your inattentiveness, refusal to take safety precautions seriously, and overconfident attitude that often bordered on ... what was the word she used>? 'Fool-hardy', I think?"
"Oh, yeah. Commander Reid. She had a thing for me." The radar blinked, picking up a cruiser in the far distance, and Thorne deftly changed directions to keep them out of its course. "I didn't realize I had a royal stalker. I'm flattered, Your Majesty."
"Even better - you had an entire government team assigned to digging up information on you. They reported twice daily for over a week. You did run off with the most-wanted criminal in the world, after all.
”
”
Marissa Meyer (Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4))
“
If someone keeps disappointing you again and again, that's on you. Once someone shows they’re all about themselves, it’s time to stop hoping they’ll suddenly morph into a saint. People don’t change just because you want them to. So, stop hitting replay on the disappointment soundtrack and start looking out for yourself. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice—well, you know the rest. Set those boundaries and let them live their self-centered lives while you protect your peace.
”
”
Life is Positive
“
What did theories matter any more? She wanted to say. The rats have taken over the ship, it's often as simple as that; the rest is narcissistic crap. It must be. (...) For exploitation read property and you have the whole bit. First the exploiter hits the wage-slave over the head with his superior wealth; then he brainwashes him into believing that the pursuit of property is a valid motive for breaking him at the grindstone. That way he has him hooked twice over. (...) "You disappoint me, Charlie. All of a sudden you lack consistency. You've made the perceptions. Why don't you go out and do something about them? Why do you appear here one minute as an intellectual who has the eye and brain to see what is not visible to the deluded masses, the next you have not the courage to go out and perform a small service - like theft - like murder - like blowing something up - say, a police station - for the benefit of those whose hearts and minds are enslaved by the capitalist overlords? Come on, Charlie, where's the action? You're the free soul around here. Don't give us the words, give us the deeds." (...) Anger suspended her bewilderment and dulled the pain of her disgrace (...) She wished terribly that she could go mad so that everyone would be sorry for her; she wished she was just a raving lunatic waiting to be let off, not a stupid little fool of a radical actress (...) (part I, chapter 7)
”
”
John Le Carré (The Little Drummer Girl)
“
You think you’re prepared for it … the death of someone you love. But you can’t know. You can’t know the kind of dagger, the dull kind inserted slowly into the muscle that the world views as the symbol of love. It rips apart every piece of flesh, every nerve, every vessel, every synapse.
”
”
Carrie Aarons (Fool Me Twice)
“
How had he ever imagined that a petite frame was the key to feminine appeal? Miniatures might be compassed in a single glance. But such an abundance of perfection, long limbs and generous hips, nearly six feet of woman, made for an endless expanse of skin. Such a woman would demand hours to properly peruse. To taste. To penetrate.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
The old folktales from Mexico often have the same beginning. "One day a man met the devil in the road," or "The devil came upon a man in the desert." This is not an old story, but I am here to tell you, I met the devil in an orchard in December. He offered me gold; he gave me pleasure; he fooled me twice and then he set me on fire.
”
”
Elise Forier Edie (A Winter's Enchantment)
“
December 25, 4:30 p.m.
Dear America,
It’s been seven hours since you left. Twice now I’ve started to go to your room to ask how you liked your presents and then remembered you weren’t here. I’ve gotten so used to you, it’s strange that you aren’t around, drifting down the halls. I’ve nearly called a few times, but I don’t want to seem possessive. I don’t want you to feel like I’m a cage to you. I remember how you said the palace was just that the first night you came here. I think, over time, you’ve felt freer, and I’d hate to ruin that freedom, I’m going to have to distract myself until you come back.
I decided to sit and write to you, hoping maybe it would feel like I was talking to you. It sort of does, I can imagine you sitting here, smiling at my idea, maybe shaking your head at me as if to say I’m being silly. You do that sometimes, did you know? I like that expression on you. You’re the only person who wears it in a way that doesn’t come across like you think I’m completely hopeless. You smile at my idiosyncrasies, accept that they exist, and continue to be my friend. And, in seven short hours, I’ve started to miss that.
I’ve wonder what you’ve done in that time. I’m betting by now you’ve flown across the country, made it to your home, and are safe. I hope you are safe. I can’t imagine what a comfort you must be to your family right now. The lovely daughter has finally returned!
I keep trying to picture you home. I remember you telling me it was small, that you had a tree house, and that your garage was where you father and sister did all their work. Beyond that I’ve had to resort to my imagination. I imagine you curled up in a hug with you sister or kicking around a ball with your little brother. I remember that, you know? That you said he liked to play ball.
I tried to imagine walking into your house with you. I would have liked that, to see you where you grew up. I would love to see you brother run around or be embraced by your mother. I think it would be comforting to sense the presence of people near you, floorboards creaking and doors shutting. I would have liked to sit in one part of the house and still probably be able to smell the kitchen. I’ve always imagined that real homes are full of the aromas of whatever’s being cooked. I wouldn’t do a scrap of work. Nothing having to do with armies or budgets or negotiations. I’d sit with you, maybe try to work on my photography while you played the piano. We’d be Fives together, like you said. I could join your family for dinner, talking over one another in a collection of conversations instead of whispering and waiting our turns. And maybe I’d sleep in a spare bed or on the couch. I’d sleep on the floor beside you if you’d let me.
I think about that sometimes. Falling asleep next to you, I mean, like we did in the safe room. It was nice to hear your breaths as they came and went, something quiet and close keeping me from feeling so alone. This letter has gotten foolish, and I think you know how I detest looking like a fool. But still I do. For you.
Maxon
”
”
Kiera Cass (The One (The Selection, #3))
“
My advice would be to find a good woman and steer well clear of the whole bloody business, and it’s a shame no one told me the same twenty years ago.” He looked sideways at Jezal. “But if, say, you’re stuck out on some great wide plain in the middle of nowhere and can’t avoid it, there’s three rules I’d take to a fight. First, always do your best to look the coward, the weakling, the fool. Silence is a warrior’s best armour, the saying goes. Hard looks and hard words have never won a battle yet, but they’ve lost a few.” “Look the fool, eh? I see.” Jezal had built his whole life around trying to appear the cleverest, the strongest, the most noble. It was an intriguing idea, that a man might choose to look like less than he was. “Second, never take an enemy lightly, however much the dullard he seems. Treat every man like he’s twice as clever, twice as strong, twice as fast as you are, and you’ll only be pleasantly surprised. Respect costs you nothing, and nothing gets a man killed quicker than confidence.” “Never underestimate the foe. A wise precaution.” Jezal was beginning to realise that he had underestimated this Northman. He wasn’t half the idiot he appeared to be. “Third, watch your opponent as close as you can, and listen to opinions if you’re given them, but once you’ve got your plan in mind, you fix on it and let nothing sway you. Time comes to act, you strike with no backwards glances. Delay is the parent of disaster, my father used to tell me, and believe me, I’ve seen some disasters.
”
”
Joe Abercrombie (Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2))
“
I was laughing, she was laughing, and I decided to go in for the kiss. I leaned in and then she suddenly leaned back. Crap. I was so embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I went in for it, and it wasn’t good.” I hung my head down.
“No, no, no, I panicked! Please, try again!” she said.
“No, I won’t make a fool of myself twice in one night. We’ll try again another day,” I said and I changed the subject. I was talking about something else for a while and then she whispered, “Just kiss me.” I did and it was incredible. Every moment I spent with this girl, I fell more and more in love with her.
”
”
Noah Galloway (Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier)
“
Bredon shuddered.
“I think this is an awfully immoral job of ours. I do, really. Think how we spoil the digestions of the public.”
“Ah, yes—but think how earnestly we strive to put them right again. We undermine ’em with one hand and build ’em with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody’s Piper Parritch we make up into a package and market as Bunbury’s Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompayne, we re-line with Peplets to aid digestion. And by forcing the damn-fool public to pay twice over—once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands—including you and me.
”
”
Dorothy L. Sayers (Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10))
“
He heard the swishing of her skirts as she approached. God above! Could she not leave well enough alone? 'There is another thing I wished to ask you,' she said as she sat across from him - sat down in his presence without so much as a by-your-leave. Now, *this* deserved a sharp word. He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it, leaning across the chiffonier to whisper, 'By any chance, did you consume five pounds of truffles last week?'
What in God's name? 'No.'
'I thought not.' She plucked off her eyeglasses, revealing eyes a startling shade of light blue. He abruptly forgot what he'd been about to say. She was polishing the lenses with her sleeve as she continued to speak. The words might as well have been gibberish.
Her eyes were the precise shade of the sky over his garden this past summer ...
She replaced the spectacles on her nose, the glare of her lenses masking the miracles behind them.
”
”
Meredith Duran (Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2))
“
We could hide,” she said.
“They’d find us,” Harry told her.
“Well, we could find a place—I don’t know, a cave or something—where we could hold them off with your gun.”
“And hope that the FBI finds us before they go back to their car and get a grenade thrower out of the trunk?”
Allie was silent for a moment, just pushing forward, using both hands to scramble up the ever-steepening hill. “So what exactly are our options?”
“We keep moving."
“That’s it?” Her anger wasn’t far from the surface, and it bubbled up again. “Do you screw up all your cases this way, or is there just something about me that brings out this incompetent side of you?”
“I didn’t set this up,” he told her for the four thousandth time. “If I did, there would have been backup. Believe me.”
“I’m done believing you. I believed you twice—and you know that old saying? ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ I’m making up a third part to that saying. Fool me three times, just shoot me now.”
Harry laughed. It was the wrong thing to do.
“You think this is funny? We’re probably going to die, and you think this is funny?” She was furious. “You said I’d be safe here, and I trusted you. I did more than trust you, I slept with you, over and over again! Oh, God, the whole time you were probably laughing and—”
“Allie, you gotta believe me—I didn’t set this up. George did. George knew about that letter I got from the lawyers. He probably figured out there were court records with Shaun and Em’s names and address on it. And this snafu stinks of Nicole Fenster, too. But I swear to you, I didn’t know. There’s no way in hell I would’ve set you up. And I didn’t mean to sleep with you. I mean, it wasn’t something I planned and . . .”
Yeah, and that wasn’t exactly helping. Making it sound as if the lovemaking they’d shared had been some kind of an accident, like Whoops, golly, how’d my penis get in there?
”
”
Suzanne Brockmann (Bodyguard)
“
Until that moment Elizabeth wouldn’t have believed she could feel more humiliated than she already did. Robbed of even the defense of righteous indignation, she faced the fact that she was the unwanted gest of someone who’d made a fool of her not once but twice.
“How did you get here? I didn’t hear any horses, and a carriage sure as well can’t make the climb.”
“A wheeled conveyance brought us most of the way,” she prevaricated, seizing on Lucinda’s earlier explanation, “and it’s gone on now.” She saw his eyes narrow with angry disgust as he realized he was stuck with them unless he wanted to spend several days escorting them back to the inn. Terrified that the tears burning the backs of her eyes were going to fall, Elizabeth tipped her head back and turned it, pretending to be inspecting the ceiling, the staircase, the walls, anything. Through the haze of tears she noticed for the first time that the place looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a year.
Beside her Lucinda glanced around through narrowed eyes and arrived at the same conclusion.
Jake, anticipating that the old woman was about to make some disparaging comment about Ian’s house, leapt into the breach with forced joviality.
“Well, now,” he burst out, rubbing his hands together and striding forward to the fire. “Now that’s all settled, shall we all be properly introduced? Then we’ll see about supper.” He looked expectantly at Ian, waiting for him to handle the introductions, but instead of doing the thing properly he merely nodded curtly to the beautiful blond girl and said, “Elizabeth Cameron-Jake Wiley.”
“How do you do, Mr. Wiley,” Elizabeth said.
“Call me Jake,” he said cheerfully, then he turned expectantly to the scowling duenna. “And you are?”
Fearing that Lucinda was about to rip up at Ian for his cavalier handling of the introductions, Elizabeth hastily said, “This is my companion, Miss Lucinda Throckmorton-Jones.”
“Good heavens! Two names. Well, no need to stand on formality, since we’re going to be cooped up together for at least a few days! Just call me Jake. What shall I call you?”
“You may call me Miss Throckmorton-Jones,” she informed him, looking down the length of her beaklike nose.
“Er-very well,” he replied, casting an anxious look of appeal to Ian, who seemed to be momentarily enjoying Jake’s futile efforts to create an atmosphere of conviviality. Disconcerted, Jake ran his hands through his disheveled hair and arranged a forced smile on her face. Nervously, he gestured about the untidy room. “Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“
“Swept off the chairs?” Lucinda suggested acidly. “Shoveled off the floor?
”
”
Judith McNaught (Almost Heaven (Sequels, #3))
“
Afterward, we went to grab a bite of dinner. Just like at lunch, we talked forever. We shut that restaurant down. They actually had to tell us to leave because they were closing. So then we stood in the parking lot talking. It was freezing but neither of us wanted to go home. We stood out there so long that the employees of the restaurant had already cleaned up and left. We were completely alone in the lot.
Then she did the most adorable thing. I don’t know how the conversation had gone this way but flat feet came up. So all of a sudden she chirped, “I have really flat feet. I’m like a rabbit!” And then, without warning, she whipped off one of her cowboy boots and tapped her foot on the ground really fast. Bump-bump-bump-bump. “I’m like Thumper from Bambi!” she exclaimed. I couldn’t believe it. I thought, This girl is crazy and I absolutely love it. I was laughing, she was laughing, and I decided to go in for the kiss. I leaned in and then she suddenly leaned back. Crap. I was so embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I went in for it, and it wasn’t good.” I hung my head down.
“No, no, no, I panicked! Please, try again!” she said.
“No, I won’t make a fool of myself twice in one night. We’ll try again another day,” I said and I changed the subject. I was talking about something else for a while and then she whispered, “Just kiss me.” I did and it was incredible. Every moment I spent with this girl, I fell more and more in love with her.
”
”
Noah Galloway (Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier)
“
Am I dying?”
“Yes.”
“Can you cure me?”
Luthe sighed. “I’m not sure. I think so. Had not…”
“Had not I listened to Maur’s head, I would have come here long since,” Aerin said dreamily. “Had it not told me that I could not win against the Black Dragon, for no one could, I might have believed that there was enough left of my life to be worth healing; but I am Dragon-Killer, the least of my family, and if I have done a great thing, then I must die of it.” Her words floated on the air, half visible, like spider silk.
“You are not the least of your family,” Luthe said violently; “your mother was worth seven of her husband, and you’ve the courage she had, or she’d not have borne you, and you would not be standing here now after Maur has done to you—and does to you yet.”
Aerin stared at him. “Does to me yet?…They hung its skull in the great hall, and it spoke to me. I was stronger for a while, till I saw it there, and it spoke to me.”
“Spoke—? His could anyone, even a hundred generations later, be so stupid as to bring back the Black Dragon’s head as a trophy and hang it on a wall for folk to gape at? Surely—”
“I asked them to take it away—where no one might look at it again.”
Luthe paced twice around the table before he said anything. “Dragon-Killer indeed. They do not know how lucky they are to have had you. To have had you at all. And I am fool enough to want to give you back to them.”
Witchwoman’s daughter, Aerin thought. But I told Tor I would come back if I could.
”
”
Robin McKinley (The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2))
“
Now it is true that I could have learned without a teacher, but it would have been risky for me, because of my natural clumsiness. The self-taught man seldom knows anything accurately, and he does not know a tenth as much as he could have known if he had worked under teachers; and, besides, he brags, and is the means of fooling other thoughtless people into going and doing as he himself had done. There are those who imagine that the unlucky accidents of life - life's "experiences" - are in some way useful to us. I wish I could find out how. I never knew one of them to happen twice. They always change off and swap around and catch you on your inexperienced side. If personal experience can be worth anything as an education, it wouldn't seem likely that you could trip Methuselah; and yet if that old person could come back here it is more than likely that one of the first things he would do would be to take hold of one of these electric wires and tie himself all up in a knot. Now the surer thing and the wiser thing would be for him to ask somebody whether it was a good thing to take hold of. But that would not suit him; he would be one of the self-taught kind that go by experience; he would want to examine for himself. And he would find, for his instruction, that the coiled patriarch shuns the electric wire; and it would be useful to him, too, and would leave his education in quite a complete and rounded-out condition, till he should come again, some day, and go to bouncing a dynamite-can around to find out what was in it.
”
”
Mark Twain (Taming the Bicycle)
“
How I Got That Name
Marilyn Chin
an essay on assimilation
I am Marilyn Mei Ling Chin
Oh, how I love the resoluteness
of that first person singular
followed by that stalwart indicative
of “be," without the uncertain i-n-g
of “becoming.” Of course,
the name had been changed
somewhere between Angel Island and the sea,
when my father the paperson
in the late 1950s
obsessed with a bombshell blond
transliterated “Mei Ling” to “Marilyn.”
And nobody dared question
his initial impulse—for we all know
lust drove men to greatness,
not goodness, not decency.
And there I was, a wayward pink baby,
named after some tragic white woman
swollen with gin and Nembutal.
My mother couldn’t pronounce the “r.”
She dubbed me “Numba one female offshoot”
for brevity: henceforth, she will live and die
in sublime ignorance, flanked
by loving children and the “kitchen deity.”
While my father dithers,
a tomcat in Hong Kong trash—
a gambler, a petty thug,
who bought a chain of chopsuey joints
in Piss River, Oregon,
with bootlegged Gucci cash.
Nobody dared question his integrity given
his nice, devout daughters
and his bright, industrious sons
as if filial piety were the standard
by which all earthly men are measured.
*
Oh, how trustworthy our daughters,
how thrifty our sons!
How we’ve managed to fool the experts
in education, statistic and demography—
We’re not very creative but not adverse to rote-learning.
Indeed, they can use us.
But the “Model Minority” is a tease.
We know you are watching now,
so we refuse to give you any!
Oh, bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots!
The further west we go, we’ll hit east;
the deeper down we dig, we’ll find China.
History has turned its stomach
on a black polluted beach—
where life doesn’t hinge
on that red, red wheelbarrow,
but whether or not our new lover
in the final episode of “Santa Barbara”
will lean over a scented candle
and call us a “bitch.”
Oh God, where have we gone wrong?
We have no inner resources!
*
Then, one redolent spring morning
the Great Patriarch Chin
peered down from his kiosk in heaven
and saw that his descendants were ugly.
One had a squarish head and a nose without a bridge
Another’s profile—long and knobbed as a gourd.
A third, the sad, brutish one
may never, never marry.
And I, his least favorite—
“not quite boiled, not quite cooked,"
a plump pomfret simmering in my juices—
too listless to fight for my people’s destiny.
“To kill without resistance is not slaughter”
says the proverb. So, I wait for imminent death.
The fact that this death is also metaphorical
is testament to my lethargy.
*
So here lies Marilyn Mei Ling Chin,
married once, twice to so-and-so, a Lee and a Wong,
granddaughter of Jack “the patriarch”
and the brooding Suilin Fong,
daughter of the virtuous Yuet Kuen Wong
and G.G. Chin the infamous,
sister of a dozen, cousin of a million,
survived by everbody and forgotten by all.
She was neither black nor white,
neither cherished nor vanquished,
just another squatter in her own bamboo grove
minding her poetry—
when one day heaven was unmerciful,
and a chasm opened where she stood.
Like the jowls of a mighty white whale,
or the jaws of a metaphysical Godzilla,
it swallowed her whole.
She did not flinch nor writhe,
nor fret about the afterlife,
but stayed! Solid as wood, happily
a little gnawed, tattered, mesmerized
by all that was lavished upon her
and all that was taken away!
”
”
Marilyn Chin
“
[On Socrates] My decision to prove reincarnation to the sophomoric cavemen of Athens, quite possibly, was the best decision I made for both myself and humanity. Another dominant behavioral trait is displayed by my efforts to perform selfish acts selflessly, which is significantly unique because the majority of people perform selfless acts selfishly. In the former modus operandi the virtue is preserved through the honesty of being selfish, but in the latter the virtue is corrupted by the dishonesty since the intent is disguised to appear virtuous.
Therefore, people are the most evil when performing selfish acts selfishly, and would therefore be the most benevolent when performing selfless acts selflessly. To performs acts selfishly for the mere sake of acting, is irresponsible and destructive and to perform acts selflessly for the sake of acting, is reckless and self-destructive.
The interesting dynamic of this newest revelation is how Aristotle knew, innately, to seek out Plato upon his father's death. Once Socrates reunited with Plato, as Aristotle, they proved metaphysics; except the trial of Socrates was so traumatizing they made the decision not to make it known. Instead they channeled the knowledge constructively ("selfishly"- because self-preservation is ultimately selfish) which was done selflessly by cultivating it through education.
They were so successful, that the King of Macedonia (my father's previous employer) made a formal request ordering me to tutor his son, Alexander. That's interesting because I have memory of Alexander the Great. He was a passionate boy with incredible sex drive that was equal to that of a honey badger's virulence. He allowed his power to intoxicate him and I was the only one he trusted, and when I made the attempt to slow him down by reminding of of the all powerful mighty God, something happened that caused his death and some Athenian imbecile (probably out of guilt) tried to hang me up on a cross for being a traitor. I got the hell of out doge like a bat of hell the minute that fool said something about me not "honoring" the "gods" - I may have even said something to the effect of 'I am God.' Although, the quote that did survive was when I refused to allow Athens to commit the same crime twice prior to fleeing the city to seek sanctuary at a family's estate.
”
”
Alejandro C. Estrada
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
”
”
C.M. Stunich (Tough Luck (Hard Rock Roots, #3))
“
Good God!"
Fionna half-raised an arm self-consciously. "What?" she queried. "What is it?" Anxious dismay shot through her. Had her coiffure come undone? Was she underdressed for the occasion? Overdressed? What? she wondered. What?
"A moment," was all he said. "Allow me a moment."
His eyes wandered over her, at least twice over. His regard was long and undeniably appreciative. When at length those incredibly blue eyes fused with hers, Fionna's heart gave a little leap, then began to beat with a frenzy she could not control at what she read there. Oh, bother! Whom did she fool? Why should she hide it? Everything inside her glowed. Her heart sang, and she didn't care a whit.
Lean fingers caught hers. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips, never breaking the hold of their eyes. "You're truly stunning," he said simply.
”
”
Samantha James (The Seduction Of An Unknown Lady (McBride Family #2))
“
the regrettable past should be left to languish wherever it took itself when it was finished being the enjoyable present
”
”
Matthew Hughes (Fool Me Twice (Filidor Vesh Book 2))
“
I hope you do not think me too forward, but I noticed that you’ve danced with Don Villar twice in a row.” His normally ruddy face turned crimson. “People are already talking…and unless an engagement is to be announced—” “One will be.” She cut off his words and whispered, “Tonight.” She winked. “Please do not spoil the surprise.” His eyes widened and he tripped slightly on the next step. “Brilliant! That gives me great relief for your sake. And, I confess, a measure of dismay on my account.” His smile dimmed as his lips formed a rueful frown. “I had hoped to court you one day. I suppose I waited too long to work up the courage.” “Oh, Patrick.” She placed a hand on his sleeve. “I had no idea…” He shook his head. “Nor did I give you reason to. I have always been a bumbling fool at this sort of thing. Either way, I suppose it is for the best. I will always value our friendship, no matter what. And to the devil with what others say. I believe you would have made a damned fine physician. Mr. Wakley told me that you treated Villar’s arm, and I do not know a sawbones who could have performed such a miracle.” His
”
”
Brooklyn Ann (Bite at First Sight (Scandals with Bite, #3))
“
Nathaniel?” Thomas’s voice boomed. Nathaniel glanced up with a jerk. “Hmm?” Brow drawn close, Thomas chuckled. “I’ve asked you a question. Twice.” Nathaniel sighed and wiped a hand over his mouth to smear away the heavenly sensation that continued to haunt. “Forgive me, I was simply... thinking.” “Simply thinking.” A smirk tempted at the edges of Thomas’s mouth. “What has you so distracted? A woman perhaps?” Nathaniel halted, glaring. “A woman? Nay, the threat of war has me distracted.” He pointed behind them. “Have I not just been discussing such vital issues? And without the slightest hint of preoccupation?” Nathaniel’s question was answered by another in the narrowing of Thomas’s eyes. Gather yourself, Nathaniel. Don’t play the lovesick fool. He rubbed his temples, hoping his friend would leave the subject behind, but when he looked up, Thomas’s eyebrows shot to his hairline and an over-satisfied smile expanded on his face. “I know there is something you hide, and I venture to suppose I know the subject.” “Do you? That is remarkable, seeing as how I hide nothing.” Nathaniel’s collar tightened and he grimaced at Thomas’s expanding grin. Nathaniel started up again, walking faster and mumbling frustrations in his mind he wished he could form on his lips but could not, lest Thomas take pleasure in knowing he was right. Thomas stopped and grabbed Nathaniel’s arm. “Speak out, Nathaniel, or I shall be forced to say it for you.” Nathaniel yanked his arm away and kept walking, his words dipped in gall. “Say what?” “A woman has tied you in knots.” The
”
”
Amber Lynn Perry (So True a Love (Daughters of His Kingdom #2))
“
We undermine ’em with one hand and build ’em up with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody’s Piper Parritch we make up into a package and market as Bunbury’s Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompagne, we re-line with Peplets to aid digestion. And by forcing the damn-fool public to pay twice over – once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands – including you and me.
”
”
Dorothy L. Sayers (Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10))
“
A deep voice behind me makes me jump.
I quickly turn around to see a tanned, tall man, about my age, in a pair of khaki shorts, tank top, tennis shoes, and dark shades. He has about two days’ growth of stubble on his face.
He smiles broadly when I ask, “What?”
“Can I help you with that? It looks like you’re wrestling an octopus.”
I nervously giggle and step back, giving him room to try to wrangle the bike into the back of the SUV.
After a few attempts, he turns to me. “If you want, we can put it in the back of my truck, and I can take it home for you.”
Warning signs immediately start flashing in my brain. I am not at all comfortable talking to men. I’ve been with one man my entire life; as in comfortable with, talked with, been friends with. Before him, it was my Dad. Every other male makes me nervous. I feel like I’m being judged. I’m not comfortable in my own skin, much less around a man.
I start stammering as I quickly try to think of a response that isn’t rude or make me sound like an idiot or an inexperienced school girl.
“Um, you don’t have to do that. Thank you though.” Geez girl!
He doesn’t give up.
“I don’t mind. Do you live on Coronado? If so, no place is too far. If you tell me you live in Rancho Bernardo, I might have to think twice about it.” He offers me a huge smile.
He removes his shades, placing them on top of his head.
The brightest blue eyes look at me with such warmth that I feel like a fool for thinking he may be a serial killer. I think for a moment and finally agree.
”
”
Elaine D. Ryan (Looking for Katie (#1))
“
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!
”
”
President Bush
“
You never know if you’ll be breathing in the next second after this one. Which is why I take every chance those precious seconds give me.
”
”
Carrie Aarons (Fool Me Twice)
Jeff Lindsay (Fool Me Twice (Riley Wolfe, #2))
“
Why do you think I'm doing this?' He waved a hand to me.
'Because you're a monster.'
He laughed. 'True, but I'm also a pragmatist. Working Tamlin into a senseless fury is the best weapon we have against her. Seeing you enter into a fool's bargain with Amarantha was one thing, but when Tamlin saw my tattoo on your arm... Oh, you should have been born with my abilities, if only to have felt the rage that seeped from him.'
I didn't want to think much about his abilities. 'Who's to say he won't splatter you as well?'
'Perhaps he'll try- but I have a felling he'll kill Amarantha first. That's what it all boils down to, anyway: even your servitude to me can be blamed on her. So he'll kill her tomorrow, and I'll be free before he can start a fight with me that will reduce our once-sacred mountain to rubble.' He picked at his nails. 'And I have a few other cards to play.'
I lifted my brows in silent question.
'Feyre, for Cauldron's sake. I drug you, but you don't wonder why I never touch you beyond your waist or arm?'
Until tonight- until the damned kiss. I gritted my teeth, but even as my anger rose, a picture cleared.
'It's the only claim I have to innocence,' he said, 'the only thing that will make Tamlin think twice before entering into a battle with me that would cause a catastrophic loss of innocent life. It's the only way I can convince him I was on your side. Believe me, I would have liked nothing more than to enjoy you- but there are bigger things at stake than taking a human woman to my bed.
”
”
Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1))
“
Sometimes young people are too blind to see what’s standing right in front of them.
”
”
Camilla Isley (Fool Me Twice at Christmas)
“
Doing the right thing sucks.
”
”
Camilla Isley (Fool Me Twice at Christmas)
“
Kate, you were right. I was being lazy, wanting to move back home as soon as we graduated. It was comfortable, and safe. But we only live once, and I want to see it all, Kate. I want to see it all with you.
”
”
Camilla Isley (Fool Me Twice at Christmas)
“
Generally speaking, grandiose women are even more difficult to treat than grandiose men. Not always, but quite often, grandiose women have advanced degrees in offending from the victim position: “You hurt me, so I have no shame or compunction about hurting you twice as hard back because, after all, I’m your victim.” Grandiose women often inhabit the role of angry victim, a righteously indignant avenging angel. They are difficult for therapists to work with because, unless the therapist goes very carefully, confronting a grandiose woman may well cast him or her as the new victimizer. [...]
Remember, any fool can clobber their client with the truth. But a therapist who joins through the truth takes the client along, helps them see where they’ve veered off track. In order to accept the therapist’s confrontation, the client must feel that they are on their side.
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Terrence Real (Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship (Goop Press))
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fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
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Valerie Keogh (The Housekeeper)
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Yep, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Well, unfortunately, the fool was sitting in Adriana’s room still thinking about how much I missed him.
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Kat T. Masen (Chasing Love (Dark Love, #1))
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I try to go through life doing the least damage possible. Having fun without hurting anyone, maybe doing a little good along the way, but without taking myself too seriously.
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Paul Levine (Fool Me Twice (Jake Lassiter #6))
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Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . .
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Lauren Blakely (Nights with Him (Joy Delivered #1; Seductive Nights #4))
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Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,
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Charlaine Harris (Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse, #12))