“
Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson
“
We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967)
“
Love sucks. Sometimes it feels good. Sometimes it's just another way to bleed.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8))
“
Simi? What was it you told me once about families?
We have three kinds of family. Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those we let into our hearts.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18; Were-Hunter, #4; Hellchaser, #2))
“
There comes a point when you just love someone. Not because they're good, or bad, or anything really. You just love them. It doesn't mean you'll be together forever. It doesn't mean you won't hurt each other. It just mean you love them. Sometimes in spite of who they are, and sometimes because of who they are. And you know that they love you, sometimes because of who you are, and sometimes in spite of it.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #12))
“
Neither love nor evil conquers all, but evil cheats more.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #11))
“
You know the incredible thing about hearts is their unbelievable capacity for forgiveness. You’d be amazed what people will overlook when they love someone. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be yours. If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Unleash the Night (Dark Hunter, #8; Were-Hunter, #2))
“
I fell in love with you. I didn't do it on purpose
”
”
L.J. Smith (The Hunter (The Forbidden Game, #1))
“
Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson
“
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
“
He held up a book then. “I'm going to read it to you for relax.”
“Does it have any sports in it?”
“Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders... Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.”
“Sounds okay,” I said and I kind of closed my eyes.
”
”
William Goldman (The Princess Bride)
“
It was one of those fine little love stories that can make you smile in your sleep at night.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century)
“
She didn't understand that. "How can anyone be afraid of love?"
"How can they not?" His face was completely aghast. "When you love someone... truly love them, friend or lover, you lay your heart open to them. You give them a part of yourself that you give to no one else, and you let them inside a part of you that only they can hurt—you literally hand them the razor with a map of where to cut deepest and most painfully on your heart and soul. And when they do strike, it's crippling—like having your heart carved out. It leaves you naked and exposed, wondering what you did to make them want to hurt you so badly when all you did was love them. What is so wrong with you that no one can keep faith with you? That no one can love you? To have it happen once is bad enough... but to have it repeated? Who in their right mind would not be terrified of that?
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
I knew from the moment I heard you, the moment I saw the gun and realized that this lovely, petit woman was the executioner, that you would never die waiting for me to save you - that you would save yourself.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #10))
“
Emotion without reason lets people walk all over you; reason without emotion is a mask for cruelty.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
I will love you even when I am dust on the wind.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, #4))
“
So he stalked her again. Love makes hunters of us all.
”
”
Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1))
“
I'm sorry Sandstorm" he murmured. "I never meant to hurt you" His voice barely more than a whisper, he added,"I love you."
Sandstorm's eyes glowed."I love you too,Fireheart.
”
”
Erin Hunter (A Dangerous Path (Warriors, #5))
“
I can't promise not to make you mad. I can't promise that I won't hurt you. All I can promise is that I want you in my life, and I'll do anything to keep you there.
”
”
Chelsea M. Cameron (My Favorite Mistake (My Favorite Mistake, #1))
“
Sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whiskey and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind but falling in love and not getting arrested.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson
“
There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the '80's)
“
I think infatuation is like a garden. If tended and cared for, it grows into love. If neglected or abused it dies. The only way to have eternal love is to never let your heart forget what it's like to live without it.
-Vane
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Play (Dark-Hunter, #5; Were-Hunter, #1))
“
Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish—a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow—to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested . . . Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the '80's)
“
The Heart is a lonely hunter with only one desire! To find some lasting comfort in the arms of anothers fire...driven by a desperate hunger to the arms of a neon light, the heart is a lonely hunter when there's no sign of love in sight!
”
”
Carson McCullers
“
I have never been in love before," Julian said. "You're my first-and you'll be my only.
”
”
L.J. Smith (The Hunter (The Forbidden Game, #1))
“
What is love? Sometimes it's just letting yourself be who and what you are, and letting the person you're supposed to love be who and what he is too. Or maybe what and who they are.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #12))
“
The most beautiful heart of all is the one that can still love even while it bleeds, and especially after its been broken into thousands of pieces.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Styxx (Dark-Hunter, #22))
“
I’ll wait for you to find me again. So don’t take too long.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, #4))
“
My father used to say that life is what you make it. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can’t change the past, but the future isn’t set in stone. You can effect a change there. Move forward not with hatred or love. Move forward with purpose. (Simone)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter, #13; Dream-Hunter, #3))
“
1) Never trust a cop in a raincoat.
2) Beware of enthusiasm and of love, both are temporary and quick to sway.
3) If asked if you care about the world's problems, look deep into the eyes of he who asks, he will never ask you again.
4) Never give your real name.
5) If ever asked to look at yourself, don't look.
6) Never do anything the person standing in front of you can't understand.
7) Never create anything, it will be misinterpreted, it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream)
“
No power from above can make one human love another. Love comes from within the heart. (Julian)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Fantasy Lover (Hunter Legends, #1))
“
You know, it’s amazing to me the wounds we carry for eternity. But what has fascinated me most these last few years is how the right person can heal them. I remember a wise man once said to me that everyone deserves to be loved. Even you. (Zarek)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
I would rather you love me, but if not love, fear will do.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #17))
“
I loved him, but love isn't enough. All the fairy tales, the romance novels, the soap operas; they're all lies. Love does not conquer all.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4))
“
No one has ever been able to pinpoint the trigger."
"But?"
"But it is legend that ambrosia only rises when-"
She held her breath.
"- an archangel loves true.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter, #1))
“
A hunter in love with his prey.
”
”
Sophie Jordan (Firelight (Firelight, #1))
“
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
“
She should have remembered that people have given everything they own, everything they are, to be taken care of, and to have their pain gone. It's the lure of cults: the promise of a good family; it's what people think love is, but love isn't absence of pain, it's a hand to hold while you're going through it.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (The Harlequin (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #15))
“
Tell me, is it better to know love and have lost it or to have never known it at all? [Camulus]
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2))
“
That woman is the most difficult, the most stubborn redhead I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."
He shot off, leaving only a blurry streak in his wake.
"And you're falling in love with her," Kylie whispered.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2))
“
Actions that sometimes seem mean aren’t. Rather they are done by the ones we love in order to protect us without our knowing it. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
Love, he thought as he held her to his heart, was an agony beyond compare.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
If you love someone, truly love them, you should never cause them pain. Never fill their eyes with something so close to grief.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #6))
“
Everyone wants someone they can hold and love. Someone who will be there to help pick up the pieces when everything falls apart. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon
“
I love you, I love you, I love you! And if you ever die on me again, I'll kill you so dead! (Tabitha)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter #6))
“
For the first time in forever, he was stunned to silence. Not by her words, but by the tenderness in her hands, the worry in her eyes. He was an archangel. He’d been wounded far, far worse and shrugged it off. But then, there had been no woman with sun kissed by the sunset and eyes of storm gray to tear into him for daring to get himself hurt.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3))
“
Trust me, baby. Everyone wants someone they can hold and love. Someone who will be there to help pick up the pieces when everything falls apart. Sin is no different from anyone else. If you have any care for Sin at all, don’t leave him in the darkness. It’s not fair to show someone the sun and then banish him from it. Even the devil may cry when looks around hell and realizes that he’s there alone. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
I don’t know what to tell you, Perry. Life’s hard. Love’s harder
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3))
“
They stared at each other, wanting each other, drawn to each other, but their silent shout of love went unheard in the roar of misunderstanding, and the clatter of culturally ingrained beliefs.
”
”
Jean M. Auel (The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children, #3))
“
Happy," I muttered, trying to pin the word down. But it is one of those words, like Love, that I have never quite understood. Most people who deal in words don’t have much faith in them and I am no exception – especially the big ones like Happy and Love and Honest and Strong. They are too elusive and far to relative when you compare them to sharp, mean little words like Punk and Cheap and Phony. I feel at home with these, because they’re scrawny and easy to pin, but the big ones are tough and it takes either a priest or a fool to use them with any confidence.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Rum Diary)
“
No one should have to pay for love in flesh or blood. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter, #9; Were-Hunter, #3))
“
Sometimes love makes you selfish. Sometimes it makes you stupid. Sometimes it reminds you why you love your gun.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #11))
“
The heart wants what it wants, Dolp. You don't plan on making your life complicated, it just happens,and you don"t do it on purpose, and you don't do it to hurt people who love you. It just turns out that way sometimes.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #10))
“
Graves are for the living, not the dead. It gives us something to concentrate on instead of the fact that our loved one is rotting under the ground.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1))
“
In San Francisco - life goes on. Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain. The sound of music floats down a dark street. A young girl looks out a window and wishes she were married. A drunk sleeps under a bridge. It is tomorrow.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967)
“
I missed you all my life,” Kylie said. “I
didn’t know I missed you, but I know it now. You were supposed to be
there.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2))
“
And I also believe that love can work miracles."
"Love?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "What about friendship? Can that work miracles, too?"
Carwyn rolled his eyes. "Silly B, love is friendship...just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.
”
”
Elizabeth Hunter (A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1))
“
Love mattered, in the end. A house without love would always fall, maybe not today or tomorrow, but in the end without love nothing could endure.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #19))
“
Love is friendship. Just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.
”
”
Elizabeth Hunter (A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1))
“
This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.
”
”
Howard W. Hunter
“
I wonder if he'll ever see the truth in my own heart: that, whatever Dustpelt says, however much Fireheart breaks the warrior code, I love him more that I could imagine loving any other cat. And if Fireheart knew, would he love me, too?
- Sandstorm
”
”
Erin Hunter (Code of the Clans (Warriors Field Guide))
“
It's not wrong to hustle hustlers. It's like killing murderers, a public service. -Damon Salvatore
”
”
L.J. Smith (Moonsong (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters, #2))
“
Pity is an emotion that can get you killed. The only thing more dangerous is blind hate, and maybe love.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1))
“
How did you learn to stop crying? (Leta)
I nailed my heart shut and learned to stop caring about anyone except me. They can’t make you cry when you don’t give a shit about them or their opinions. You can only be hurt by the ones you love. (Aiden)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Upon the Midnight Clear (Dark-Hunter, #12; Dream-Hunter, #2))
“
Love, whether it's friendship or more, is like a cup. It fills up drop by drop, until one last drop and the cup is full. The liquid hangs there almost above the rim, hangs there on surface tension alone and you know that one more drop and it will spill over.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #16))
“
Sometimes it's not the light in a person you fall in love with, but the dark. Sometimes it's not the optimist you need, but another pessimist to walk beside you and know, absolutely know, that the sound in the dark is a monster, and it really is as bad as you think.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #16))
“
I took a step forward, rage swirling inside me.
“You broke into Mount Weather?” Hunter choked out a laugh. “Are you insane?”
“Shut up,” I said, keeping my eyes on Luc.
Hunter made a deep noise. “Our little mutual white flag of friendship is going to come to a halt if you tell me to shut up again.”
I spared him a brief glance. “Shut. Up.”
Dark shadows drifted over the Arum’s shoulder, and I faced him fully. “What?” I said, throwing my hands up in a universal come get some. “I have a lot of pent-up violence I’d love to take out on someone.”
“Guys.” Luc sighed, sliding off the bar. “Seriously? Can’t you two bro-mance it out?
”
”
Jennifer L. Armentrout (Origin (Lux, #4))
“
Shut up, Nick. (Talon)
'Shut up, Nick, heel, sit, fetch.’ Love you too, Celt. (Nick)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2))
“
You actually enjoyed that, didn't you? (Amanda)
Oh, hell yes! Did you see the look on their faces? Man, I love this car. (Kyrian)
(She looked up at the sky and implored divine aid.)
Dear God, please separate me from this maniac before I die of fright. (Amanda)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter #1))
“
Don’t cry for me, Grace. I’m not worth it. (Julian)
Yes you are! (Grace)
You are my saving Grace. Without you, I would never have known love. And I would never have known me again. (Julian)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Fantasy Lover (Hunter Legends, #1))
“
I never hated you. My anger was never with you, but with the little hell my heart had put me in. The anger always passed. I never regretted loving you. If I had gone to my grave never kissing you or touching you, I still would not have thought it a wasted love.
”
”
Madeline Hunter (The Romantic (Seducers #5))
“
Ubi amo, ibi patria. Where I love. there is my home.
”
”
Elizabeth Hunter (This Same Earth (Elemental Mysteries, #2))
“
He sad enough already because he has to deal with that bitch-goddess with the red hair. (Simi)
Simi! (Kat)
Well, she is a bitch-goddess. I know you love her, akra-Kat, but facts is fact and she a mean heifer. (Simi)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken.
”
”
Thomas Wolfe (Of Time and the River: A Legend of Man's Hunger in His Youth)
“
I love you.”
I stared stupidly at him. Was he joking again, reciting another line from my story? I didn’t remember writing this.
He leaned in and kissed me. I didn’t respond for a few seconds. My mind lagged behind what my body was feeling.
“Say it,” he whispered against my lips. “I know this is hard for you. Tell me.”
“I love you.” Hearing my own words, I gasped at the rush of emotion.
He put his hands on either side of my jaw and took my mouth with his.
”
”
Jennifer Echols (Love Story)
“
That’s the tricky thing about love. It walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and smells like a duck. But after you sleep with it a month or so, or get dumped at the altar by it, it starts smelling more like a skunk.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1))
“
Just because a person is young doesn’t mean that being loyal to someone isn’t important. And it still hurts if someone isn’t loyal to you.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2))
“
Yeah, and we still have to deal with The Eye being…Eyeish, and me learning to be Head of the Council, which will probably involve lots of boring books and—” Archer pressed his mouth to mine, effectively shutting me up and kissing the hell out of me. When he pulled back, he was grinning. “And you have an arrogant, screwed-up former demon hunter who is stupidly in love with you.
”
”
Rachel Hawkins (Spell Bound (Hex Hall, #3))
“
Love is not about owning someone, but about loving them.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #19))
“
Well, we can’t sit around here worrying all night. I have to do something. ”
“Why don’t you call up another vampire hunter for tea?” he suggested drily.
”
”
Alyxandra Harvey (My Love Lies Bleeding (Drake Chronicles, #1))
“
Our lives are marked and shaped by our regrets. Things we all want to take back and can’t. In a perfect world, we would never hurt the ones we love or cause hurt to befall them. But the world isn’t perfect and neither are we.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Styxx (Dark-Hunter, #22))
“
What’s so funny? (Astrid)
I’m just thinking, here I am a slave who touched a star who then made him a demigod. I have to be the luckiest bastard who ever lived. (Zarek)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
Damon, leather and silk and fine chiseled features. Mercurial and devastating.
”
”
L.J. Smith
“
I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.'
'I won't let you fall.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
The scene I had just witnessed (a couple making love in the ocean) brought back a lot of memories – not of things I had done but of things I had failed to do, wasted hours and frustrated moments and opportunities forever lost because time had eaten so much of my life and I would never get it back. I envied Yeoman and felt sorry for myself at the same time, because I had seen him in a moment that made all my happiness seem dull.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Rum Diary)
“
If I was truly as brave as I thought I was, I'd have let him go. But I loved him, and I wasn't that brave.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #6))
“
You refused to fall in love with anyone else, Dmitri.” A whisper with the impact of a gun-shot. “So I had to come back for you . . . husband.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, #4))
“
You’re human. No one cares if you sleep with a whore. (Artemis)
(Tory did something she’d never in her life done before. She slapped another person.)
You ever insult Acheron again and so help me, I’ll do to you what you allowed your brother to do to him. I’ll cut your tongue out for it. Acheron is the man I love and no one, ever, takes issue with him without having issues with me. (Tory)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
I want you. Right now. If you said yes, I would kiss you. I would kiss you until we both forgot that lips were made for anything other than kissing. I'd take you out of that outfit, as cute as it is. I want to see what you look like with nothing on. I want to make you sigh like you did with the cake. I want to be with you. Right now.
”
”
Chelsea M. Cameron (My Favorite Mistake (My Favorite Mistake, #1))
“
Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (The Gonzo Papers, #1))
“
live out where the real winds blow—to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested . . . Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson
“
I know you all have families who love you so if you want to leave–. (Acheron)
We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to. You and Val fought to save my sister when no one else would have bothered. I haven’t forgotten it. (Vane)
And I haven’t forgotten what the Dark-Hunters did for me and Maggie. (Wren)
Yeah, we’re family. Psychotic, bizarre and a hodgepodge of personalities that should probably never be blended, but here we are. Now let’s go kick some ass. (Fury)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
But it’s like Cherise says, the hardest ones to love are always the ones who need it most. (Aimee)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18; Were-Hunter, #4; Hellchaser, #2))
“
I love him. (Artemis)
How can you say that? You don’t even understand what love means. Love isn’t being ashamed to be seen with the one you care about. It isn’t about punishment or hurt. Love is what gives you the strength you need to face anything no matter how brutal or frightening. It’s what allowed Ash to be beaten rather than tell his father about you. It’s what allowed him to be gutted on the floor at your feet rather than publicly shame you. And you spat on him for that love and tore him apart. For a goddess, you’re pathetic. (Tory)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
Ignore that nightmare in the bathroom. Just another ugly refugee from the Love Generation, some doom-struck gimp who couldn't handle the pressure. My attorney has never been able to accept the notion—often espoused by reformed drug abusers and especially popular among those on probation—that you can get a lot higher without drugs than with them. And neither have I, for that matter.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream)
“
You could have said ‘Excuse me.’ (Zarek)
I’m not talking to you. (Astrid)
Love you, too, babe. (Zarek)
You really are an animal, aren’t you? (Astrid)
Woof, woof. (Zarek)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
You will be what you are, and whatever it is, you will be fine. Everyone has to accept that and love you for who you are; it doesn’t really matter where your heritage comes from
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3))
“
I love you, don’t I? And the gods know you are definitely not easy to deal with. (Aimee)
Thanks, Aim. By the way I still have a tiny bit of confidence left. Please make sure you stomp on it too while you’re at it. Gods forbid it should actually grow into something called self-esteem. (Fang)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18; Were-Hunter, #4; Hellchaser, #2))
“
You gotta love an attentive vampire
--Kylie
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1))
“
Her wild storm had just told her he loved her, the piercing joy of his song branding her as indelibly his.
I’ll be home soon, princess.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter, #5))
“
All men fear death. It’s a natural fear that consumes us all. We fear death because we feel that we haven’t loved well enough or loved at all, which ultimately are one and the same. However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears. Because when you are sharing your body and heart with a great woman the world fades away. You two are the only ones in the entire universe. You conquer what most lesser men have never conquered before, you have conquered a great woman’s heart, the most vulnerable thing she can offer to another. Death no longer lingers in the mind. Fear no longer clouds your heart. Only passion for living, and for loving, become your sole reality. This is no easy task for it takes insurmountable courage. But remember this, for that moment when you are making love with a woman of true greatness you will feel immortal.
I believe that love that is true and real creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And when the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face like some rhino hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave, it is because they love with sufficient passion to push death out of their minds. Until it returns, as it does to all men. And then you must make really good love again. Think about it.
”
”
Woody Allen
“
Come away with me, Astrid. (Zarek)
Why should I? (Astrid)
Because I love you, and even if I’m lying on the sun itself I’ll be freezing there without you. I need my star so that I can hear laughter. (Zarek)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
How could you love someone and not want them to be happy?
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Danse Macabre (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #14))
“
Your love is a fierce thing, Elena, a thing with claws and teeth when it comes to protecting those you claim.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Legion (Guild Hunter, #6))
“
True love means you love the real person, not an ideal that you have in your head and superimpose over them. That's illusion and lies to me.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Affliction (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #22))
“
He had no idea what missing was. Missing was lying in the dampness of your tears night after night. Missing was a constant hollow spot in the center of your chest. Missing was a yawning ache that was never satisfied.
”
”
Denise Hunter (The Accidental Bride (A Big Sky Romance, #2))
“
Without hope, love dies and parts of you wither.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #10))
“
Yeah, well, it’s what happens when we spoil the things we love. They don’t always understand the boundaries and their ridiculous wants can get us killed if we’re not careful. (Jaden)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
It’s not so much where I want you,Sophie, as it is how. Nothing tastes quite like a woman, and no woman tastes like you. - Marc Hunter
”
”
Pamela Clare (Unlawful Contact (I-Team, #3))
“
You’re the luckiest person in the whole world to have already figured out what you love. And you’ll be, quite possibly, the stupidest person in the world—if you don’t hold on to it.
”
”
Anne Eliot (Unmaking Hunter Kennedy)
“
Isabelle!” Simon called. “Stop throwing clothes at me! Just because you’re a Shadowhunter and I’m a vampire doesn’t mean we can never happen. Our love is forbidden like the love of a shark and a—and a shark hunter. But that’s what makes it special.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
That was the problem with loving people: it made you weak. It made you need them. It made the thought of not having them the worst thing in the world.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #18))
“
You don’t want the Simi to watch over the bitch-goddess, do you? ‘Cause no offense, akri, that would just be wrong, and I love you, but that’s more love than the Simi has for anything. Even Diamonique. (Simi)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
She cut her eyes to the woods and whispered, "We're not alone, remember?"
"I don't care who hears it. I love you!" His voice rose louder this time.
She frowned. "Nothing's changed."
"Everything has changed," he said.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5))
“
Sometimes love isn't about being smart. Sometimes it's about being stupid together.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Affliction (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #22))
“
No one can ever make you feel inferior without your permission, Tory. Don’t give it to them. Realize that it’s their own insecurities that make them attack you and others. They’re so unhappy with themselves that the only way they can feel better is by making everyone as unhappy as they are. Don’t let those people steal your day, baby. You hold your head high and know that you have the one thing they can never take away from you. (Theo)
What's that, Papa? (Tory)
My love. Your mother’s love and the love of your family and true friends. Your own self-respect and sense of purpose. Look at me, Torimou, people laugh at me all the time and say that I’m chasing rainbows. They told George Lucas that he was a fool for making Star Wars – they used to even call it Lucas’s Folly. Did he listen? No. And if he’d listened to them you wouldn’t have had your favorite movie made and think of how many people would never have heard the phrase 'May the Force be With You.' (Theo)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
I became blinded by what I thought I needed to do. I was wrong. I was stupid. But not for one minute did I ever stop loving you. And that's why I deserve to be forgiven.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5))
“
If you really love her, Cratus, let her know it every day. And always put her before you and your wants just as you’ve done here today. Take it from someone who knows. Love lost is the hardest burden to shoulder, and it’s one you can never get under. (Artemis)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dream Warrior (Dream-Hunter, #4; Dark-Hunter, #17))
“
I love you," he said, his voice almost musical with happiness.
She shot him a scowl. "Isn't saying that a bit dangerous considering these aren't wooden swords and the ends aren't even taped?"
He laughed.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5))
“
Go and rot, you worthless bastard. (Artemis)
I may be a worthless bastard, but better that than a frigid whore who sacrificed the only man to ever love her because she was too self-absorbed to save him. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
Under her palm, his heart beat strong and sure. It was such a human sound, so honest, so real.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
Our love is forbidden like the love of a shark and a—and a shark hunter. But that’s what makes it special.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
Love," he whispered in Italian, "is a single soul inhabiting two bodies".
”
”
Elizabeth Hunter (A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1))
“
I smiled,"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and adamant together mixed. Don't think I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter's horns. It's she who should take care, for when she strikes, my heart will make a sound so beautiful and bright that it can't help but bring her back to me in winged light.
”
”
Patrick Rothfuss
“
I can't. At least not for a while. I need time to get past this and I can't guarantee that I won't hurt him again. God knows, Nick has a true gift for saying the wrong thing in any given situation. (Acheron)
You know he loves you, right? (Amanda)
Yeah, but emotions don't have brains. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter #6))
“
You love her. (Shanus)
I barely know her. (Wulf)
Time has no meaning to the heart. (Shanus)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter, #4))
“
It's easy to look at people and make quick judgements about them, their present and their pasts, but you'd be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. what a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceburg hidden from sight. And more often then not, it's lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
Cupid is anything but cute. As for handing our hearts, he’s more likely to rip them out. (Julian)
But he can make people fall in love. (Selena)
No. What he offers is an illusion. No power from above can make one human love another. Love comes from within the heart. (Julian)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Fantasy Lover (Hunter Legends, #1))
“
Living men are bound by time... Thus, their lives have an urgency. This gives them ambition. Makes them choose those things that are most important, cling more tightly to that which they hold dear. Their lives have seasons, and rites of passage, and consequences. And ultimately, an end. But what of a life with no urgency? What then of ambition? What then of love?
”
”
Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, #1))
“
You know–my flower, I am responsible for her. She doesn’t even have four thorns to protect herself from harm.’ (Zarek)
Why do you love that book so? (Astrid)
Because I want to hear the bells when I look up at the sky. I want to laugh, but I don’t know how. (Zarek)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
Beat him until there’s no skin left on his back. If he passes out, wake him and beat him again. (Father)
Love you, too, Father. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
But you know, when you're in love, there's this denial button you just switch on, and everything is good for a while.
”
”
Piper Shelly (Ryan Hunter (Grover Beach Team, #2))
“
You know, the thing about life and love is that they are both ever-changing while people seldom are. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2))
“
Every ruler should strive for his people to love him. But if they cannot love you, then make them fear you. Love is better, but fear will do the job.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #10))
“
It's better to be loved than feared, but if you can't be loved, then fear will do.-Dino quoting Machiavelli
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #19))
“
He'd kill for her, destroy for her, savage anyone who dared attempt to take her from him.
And he would never let her go...even if she begged for her freedom.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
Zerbrowski said, "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."
It took me a second to realize that he had just quoted Star Wars to me. It made me smile, and in that moment I loved him, just for that.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Kiss the Dead (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #21))
“
We just hide from the people we love. Sad, isn't it?
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5))
“
I could kiss you forever," she murmured against his lips, sucking at the lower one, playing with the upper, his body weight a luscious pressure. "I love feeling you against me."
"You say such things, Elena. You will make me your slave.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Legion (Guild Hunter, #6))
“
Why do all men have to suck? I knew you all sucked and still I stupidly fell in love with one of you. Why? Why would I be such a masochist? You pour your heart out to a man and what does he do? ‘Could you change the channel, babe?’ You’re all pathetically cold. You don’t care about anyone but yourselves! (Kat)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
(His heart clenched as she made a kissing noise to him then handed the phone back to Vane. Gods, how he loved that woman.)
Ahh, Tally, me lub you too. (Vane)
Shut up, crotch-sniffer. You’re not allowed to make lovey noises at me, only my honey is. (Talon)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2))
“
A human’s love. I couldn’t wish anything better for him. Animals protect what they know. They protect what they are bound to, but humans…humans have a greater capacity for sacrifice for those who live in their hearts. (Aristotle)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Unleash the Night (Dark Hunter, #8; Were-Hunter, #2))
“
Love was an agony beyond compare
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.
”
”
Howard W. Hunter
“
Be patient? That's all you've got for me?" Steve complained ten minutes later.
Kylie glanced up at Perry, circling them as they sat behind the office, and then frowned at Steve. "I don't know why everyone thinks I'm the love guru.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5))
“
Mr. Sourpuss Pants God I love her Nicholas " Thomas crowed. When he noticed that neither Nicholas nor Inez looked impressed by the words he added quickly "In a totally sister-in-law type fashion of course.
”
”
Lynsay Sands (The Renegade Hunter (Argeneau, #12; Rogue Hunter, #3))
“
I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but for some reason I don’t understand, I actually like you…most of the time. (Simone)
Well, you also love Jesse. Obviously your taste in men leaves a lot to be desired. (Xypher)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter, #13; Dream-Hunter, #3))
“
I stared at Jean-Claude and it wasn't the beauty of him that made me love him, it was just him. It was love made up of a thousand touches, a million conversations, a trillion shared looks. A love made up of danger shared, enemies conquered, a determination to neither of us would change the other, even if we could. I love Jean-Claude, all of him, because if I took away the Machiavellian plottings, the labyrinth of his mind, it would lessen him, make him someone else.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #11))
“
She laughed. 'It won't last. Nothing lasts. But I'm happy now.'
'Happy,' I muttered, trying to pin the word down. But it is one of those words, like Love, that I have never quite understood. Most people who deal in words don't have much faith in them and I am no exception--especially the big ones like Happy and Love and Honest and Strong. They are too elusive and far too relative when you compare them to sharp, mean little words like Punk and Cheap and Phony. I feel at home with these, because they're scrawny and easy to pin, but the big ones are tough and it takes either a priest or a fool to use them with any confidence.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (The Rum Diary)
“
For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and valor. Of the endless fluid passage of the humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and of those who - one word- love. His soul expanded. But for a moment only. For in him, he felt a warning, a shaft of terror.
”
”
Carson McCullers (The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter)
“
Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and… I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"
To begin with," Zoe said, "immortality."
I stared at her, then at Artemis. "She's kidding, right?"
Zoe rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."
What oath?" I said.
To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said.
To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."
Like you?"
The goddess nodded.
I tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middle-school girls forever. I couldn't get my mind around it.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3))
“
Tell me, Acheron, is there anyone you will ever trust enough to release your soul? (Artemis)
You know better. You’ve tutored me too well on how vicious women are. On how much love ruins and destroys. Thank you for the lesson, Artemis. It was just what I needed. And I assure you, it’s one I’ll never forget. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
There will always be a part of you that misses her. You'll see something that reminds you of her and want to tell her about it, only to realize she's not there anymore. Then you'll feel her loss all over again. (Ravyn)
You're not helping me, Ravyn. (Jack)
I know, buddy. But you will eventually make peace with yourself, and that's the most important thing. Eventually, you'll even be able to smile again when you think about her. (Ravyn)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter, #9; Were-Hunter, #3))
“
I know and I’m sorry. (Epithymia)
So am I. I’m sorry I ever trusted you with the one thing you knew I loved above all others. You ungrateful bitch! I hope your actions haunt you into eternity. (Apollymi)
(Apollymi blasted her sister to death.)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
While Dmitri, as the leader of Raphael’s Seven, could not accept such a weakness, the mortal he’d once been, the one who had loved a woman with a wide mouth and eyes of slanted brown . . . that man understood what it was to love so deeply it was a kind of beautiful madness.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, #4))
“
He said,'Trust yourself, mon ami. You are not your friend with his so-sad tale. And Anita is not human. Through us she is more than that. Both of us huddle around her humanity like it is the last candle flame in a world of darkness. But by our very love, we make her less human, and more.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8))
“
Why couldn't my heart have picked him? Life would have been so much easier."
"Because hearts are ornery, sneaky little bastards, designed to cause misery. They want what they want, and they don't give a damn about what would make life easier or harder for the heart's owner." Della snapped.
”
”
C.C. Hunter
“
Stop it. This is serious! (Selena)
Serious? Please. I’m standing out here on my twenty-ninth birthday, barefoot and in jeans my mother would burn, holding a stupid book to my chest in an effort to summon a Greek love-slave from the great beyond. (Grace)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Fantasy Lover (Hunter Legends, #1))
“
I'm in love with you, Kylie." He looked almost embarrassed by the admission. He jumped up, took one step away, then swung around and faced her again. "I don't expect you to say it back and I don't think this will change your mind about anything. But you deserved to know. And I needed to tell you because.....I've never felt this way before-for anyone.
”
”
C.C. Hunter (Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3))
“
Isabelle!" Simon called.
"Stop throwing clothes at me! Just because you're a Shadowhunter and I'm a vampire doesn't mean we can never happen. Our love is forbidden like the love of a shark and a - and a shark hunter. But that's what makes it special."
"Oh?" Isabelle snapped.
"Which one of us is the shark, Simon? Which one of us is the shark?
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6))
“
I have a flamthrower. (Zarek)
You have a what? (Astrid)
It pays to be prepared. (Zarek)
Well. Those are nice for toasting marshmallows, but they’ll only make Thanatos mad. Regular fire won’t hurt him. I have this really neat gelatinous goo that comes out with my fire and it squirts my victims so that it don’t come off. Wanna see it? (Simi)
No! (Zarek/Astrid)
No? I don’t like that word. (Simi)
We love you, Simi. We’re just scared of your goo. (Astrid)
Oh, that I understand. Okay, you can live. (Simi)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
Being a successful couple was learning what you were willing to compromise on, and what you weren't; learning when to stand your ground, and when to give it up; what was truly important enough to fight over, and what was just you being pissy. You learned each other's hot buttons, the places that hurt, or angered, when you pressed them. Love makes you learn where all the pitfalls are, and how to avoid them, or how to set them off.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Kiss the Dead (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #21))
“
Trust me, little one. Everyone makes mistakes. Even the gods, and ours are much worse than those of humans. Unlike humans, we don’t suffer alone. Rather, we share the pain with thousands. That’s why you must learn to be like your father. To hold in your tears and anger. Try not to punish what you love. (Artemis)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, #11))
“
The curse was broken. Manon just stared at them, her breathing turning jagged. Then she roused Abraxos, and was in the saddle within heartbeats. She did not offer them any explanation, any farewell, as they leaped into the thinning night. As she guided her wyvern to the bit of blasted earth on the battlefield. Right to its heart. And smiling through her tears, laughing in joy and sorrow, Manon laid that precious flower from the Wastes upon the ground. In thanks and in love. So they would know, so Asterin would know, in the realm where she and her hunter and child walked hand in hand, that they had made it. That they were going home.
”
”
Sarah J. Maas (Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7))
“
He was a finisher who could not finish. He was the heart of a hunter who lacked the heart to kill.
In her journal she had written I am humanity, and something in those three words split him in two.
She was the may fly, here for a day, then gone. She was the last star, burning bright in a sea of limitless black.
Erase the human.
In a burst of blinding light, the star Cassiopeia exploded and the world went black.
Evan Walker had been undone.
”
”
Rick Yancey (The Last Star (The 5th Wave, #3))
“
Do you think you have the right to give me orders now?"
The Archangel of New York, a creature so lethal that part of her feared him even now, lifted the hair off her nape, brushed his lips across her skin. "Of course. You are mine." No hint of humor, nothing but stark possession.
"I don't think you've quite got the hang of this true love thing.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2))
“
If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept.
”
”
Howard W. Hunter
“
He made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. "Oh thank you so much. That's what every man wants to hear about his name. You might as well call me 'Little Pecker' while you're at it and tell me you would love to have me go shopping with you for feminine hygiene products. Oh and by all means, carry a big, sparkling pink bag with flowers on it and make me hold it.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (No Mercy (Dark-Hunter, #15; Were-Hunter, #7))
“
Summer has never been the same since the 2000 Presidential Election, when we still seemed to be a prosperous nation at peace with the world, more or less. Two summers later we were a dead-broke nation at war with all but three or four countries in the world, and three of those don't count. Spain and Italy were flummoxed and and England has allowed itself to be taken over by and stigmatized by some corrupt little shyster who enjoys his slimy role as a pimp and a prostitute all at once--selling a once-proud nation of independent-thinking people down the river and into a deadly swamp of slavery to the pimps who love Jesus and George Bush and the war-crazed U.S. Pentagon.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson (Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness: Modern History from the ESPN.com Sports Desk)
“
The Babar the Elephant book is sitting in front of me. I pick it up and start reading it. I remember reading it as a small Boy and enjoying it and imagining that I was friends with Babar, his constant Companion during all of his adventures. He went to the moon, I went with him. He fought Tomb Raiders in Egypt, I fought alongside him. He rescued his elephant girlfriend from Ivory Hunters on the Savanna, I coordinated the getaway. I loved that goddamn Elephant and I loved being his friend. In a childhood full of unhappiness and rage, Babar is one of the few pleasant memories that I have. Me and Babar, kicking some motherfucking ass.
”
”
James Frey
“
From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
“
I know what it’s like to be torn between a love so pure it burns you deep down in a place you didn’t know someone could touch you and between your oath and duties. Between the love of a father you’ve always known and one you know you can depend on forever versus a love that’s new and untested. But you know what I learned? It’s a lot easier to live without my father’s love than it is to live without Phoebe’s. (Urian)
(Acheron didn’t speak as Urian left him alone.)
That just makes you want to vomit, doesn’t it? (Jaden)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14))
“
I wish I had left him as he was. I wish you had told me this would happen. (Amanda)
Told you what, Amanda? That the two of you would spend the rest of your lives loving each other? Raising your kis? Neither one of you have any idea how miraculous your life is. How many people would gladly sell their souls for what you have. Forget Artemis and immortality. What you have is infinitely more previous and rare. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter #6))
“
In my time,” he said, “they believed in witches. Are you a witch, Honor, that you make me say these things to you?”
Causing him to rip open wounds that had stayed safely scabbed over for so long that, most of the time, he managed to forget they existed.
Her hands, so very, very gentle, continued to hold his face as she tugged him down until their foreheads touched.
“I’m no witch, Dmitri. If I was, I’d know how to fix you.
”
”
Nalini Singh (Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, #4))
“
Does your manager know that you talk to your customers like this? (Blaine)
If you’d like to talk to my mother, who owns this bar, my overindulgent brother, who manages it, or my father, who delights in kicking everyone’s ass around, about your treatment by me, just let me know and I’ll be more than happy to go get one of them for you. I know they’d just love to waste their time dealing with you. They’re real understanding that way. (Aimee)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Unleash the Night (Dark Hunter, #8; Were-Hunter, #2))
“
Consider again that dot [Earth]. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
“
Be a part of the world, but never in it. Because of what we do, we have to interact with people. But we must be unseen shadows who move among them. Never let anyone know you. Never give them a chance to realize you don’t age. Move through the darkness ever watchful, ever alert. We are all that stands between the humans and slavery. Without us, they all die and their souls are lost forever. Our responsibilities are great. Out battles numerous and legendary. But at the end of the night, you go home alone where no one knows what it is you have done to save the world that fears you. You can never bask in your glory. You can never know love or family. We are Dark-Hunters. We are forever powerful. We are forever alone. (Acheron)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2))
“
Inside us all are pieces of that which makes the neagitve. Demons are neither good nor bad. Like you, they have many facets. It is that inner essence, or drive, if you will, that we all have that guides us through our lives. Sometimes those voices that drive us are whispered memories that live deep inside and cause us such pain that we have no choice except to let it out and to hurt those around us. But at other times, the voice is love and compassion, and it guides us to a gentler place. In the end, we, alone, must choose what path to walk. No one can help us with it. (Menyara)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18; Were-Hunter, #4; Hellchaser, #2))
“
Look! You got sparklies like akri. He gives all of his to me. He say I look beautiful in sparklies, ‘specially them red ones that match my eyes. Here, Astrid. I know you can’t see it, Astrid, but it’s very lovely, like you. You need to wear that and then you have sparklies, too. But still no hornays. We need to fix you up with hornays one day so you can be a demon, too. It’s fun being a demon – except when people try to exercise you…Wait, that’s not the right word. I forget, but you know what I mean. (Simi)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
Hatred is a bitter, damaging emotion. It winds itself through the blood, infecting its host and driving it forward without any reason. Its view is jaundiced and it skews even the clearest of eye sights. Sacrifice is noble and tender. It’s the action of a host who values others above himself. Sacrifice is bought through love and decency. It is truly heroic. Vengeance is an act of violence. It allows those who have been wronged to take back some of what was lost to them. Unlike sacrifice, it gives back to the one who practices it. Love is deceitful and sublime. In its truest form, it brings out the best in all beings. At its worst, it’s a tool used to manipulate and ruin anyone who is stupid enough to hold it. Don’t be stupid. Sacrifice is for the weak. Hatred corrupts. Love destroys. Vengeance is the gift of the strong. Move forward, not with hatred, not with love. Move forward with purpose. Take back what was stolen. Make those who laughed at your pain pay. Not with hatred, but with calm, cold rationale. Hatred is your enemy. Vengeance is your friend. Hold it close and let it loose. May the gods have mercy on those who have wronged me because I will have no mercy for them. (Xypher)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter, #13; Dream-Hunter, #3))
“
Your mother stands against everything my parents believe in," I say. "But I'm not my parents."
"Aria," Hunter whispers into my ear.
"Yes?"
"Just kiss me."
We press our lips together gentle, and it's like I am alive, on fire, like I can do anything in the world. I know this because he's a mystic, but there's something more familiar, something safe and sexy and irresistible about the way his lips feel, his tongue brushing lightly against mine. Our passion is like what's described in my love letters: it's like coming home, finally, when I never even knew I'd been away.
”
”
Theo Lawrence (Mystic City (Mystic City, #1))
“
Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind,” he said, “That from the nunnery, Of they chaste breast and quiet mind.”
I looked up at him, and said the next line, “To war and arms I fly.”
“True, a new mistress now I chase,” he said.
“The first foe in the field,” I said, and let him draw me closer.
“And with a stronger faith embrace,” he said.
“A sword, a horse, a shield.” And the last word was whispered against his chest, still looking up into those eyes, searching his face.
“Yet this inconstancy is such, As thou too shalt adore,” he whispered against my hair.
I finished the poem with my face pressed against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, that truly beat with my blood. “I could not love thee, dear, so much, Loved I not honor more.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #12))
“
Gale didn't say, "Katniss will pick whoever it will break her heart to give up," or even "whoever she can't live without." Those would have implied I was motivated by a kind of passion. But my best friend predicts I will choose the person "I can't survive without." There's not the least indication that love, desire, or even compatibility will sway me. I'll just conduct an unfeeling assessment of what my potential mates can offer me.
As if in the end, it will be the question of whether a baker or a hunter will extend my longevity the most. It's a horrible thing for Gale to say, for Peeta not to refute. Especially when every emotion I have has been taken or exploited by the Capitol or the rebels. At the moment, the choice would be simple. I can survive just fine without either of them.
”
”
Suzanne Collins (Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3))
“
Is This Happiness"
High up in the Hollywood Hills taking violet pills
Writing all of my songs about my cheap thrills
You're a hard man to love and I'm
A hard woman to keep track of
You like to rage, don't do that
You want your way, you make me so mad
Got your gun, I've got my dad
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
High up in the Hollywood Hills crushing violet pills
You've been trying to write a novel about your cheap thrills
You think you're Hunter S. Thompson
I think you're fucking crazy as the day's long
Man to man, heart to heart
I love you but you drive me so far
Wish you well on that star
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Witch Hazel, Witch Hazel
Betrayal, betrayal
One gun on the table
Headshot if you're able
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
Is this happiness?
”
”
Lana Del Rey
“
That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
“
Dear Victor: Wow. That … really got out of hand. I’m sending this cat in as a peace offering. I forgive you for all the stuff you wrote on the walls about my sister, and I’m going to just ignore all the stuff you wrote about my “giant ass” (turn cat over for rest) because I love you and you need me. Who else loves you enough to send you notes written on cats? Nobody, that’s who. Also, I stapled a picture of us from our wedding day to the cat’s left leg. Don’t we look happy? We can be that way again. Just stop leaving wet towels on the floor. That’s all I ask. I’m low-maintenance that way. Also, this cat needs to go on a diet. I shouldn't be able to write this much on a cat and still have room left over.
”
”
Jenny Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir)
“
I let Richard walk out on me. I think he’d have gone anyway, but I just sat on the floor and watched him go. I didn’t stand in his way. I figured it was his choice, and you cant hold someone if they don’t want to be held. If someone really wants to be free of you, you have to let them go. Well, fuck that, fuck that all to hell. Don’t go, Asher, please, don’t go. I love the way your hair shines in the light. I love that way you smile when you’re not trying to hide or impress anyone. I love your laughter. I love the way your voice can hold sorrow like the taste of rain. I love the way you watch Jean-Claude when he moves through a room, when you don’t think anyone’s watching, because its exactly the way I watch him. I love your eyes. I love your pain. I love you.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #11))
“
It is through the light that we are born and through the night that we travel. The light is the love of our parents who greet us and welcome us into this world and it is with the love of our partner that we leave it. Wulf and Cassandra have chosen to be with each other, to ease their remaining journey and to comfort one another in the coming nights. And when the final night is upon them, they vow to stand together and ease the one who travels first. Soul to soul we have touched. Flesh to flesh we have breathed. And it is alone that we must leave this existence, until the night comes that the Fates decree we are reunited in Katoteros. (Apollite Marriage Vows)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter, #4))
“
You can stay on the porch. Like how you left me on the floor outside our room."
"I didn't know what else to do. You found the check, and I panicked."
"That isn't an excuse."
"I know. And I'm not saying that this is going to make up for it. I'm going to try, really try, to make you trust me again. I want you to trust me. I just... I couldn't sleep last night without you. It was the strangest thing, being in the room alone without you. I couldn't hear you breathing, and your laughter was gone and you were gone, and it was like a part of my life was missing. A big part. I tripped going to the bathroom and banged my head. See?" He pointed to a lovely gash on his forehead.
"And then I burned my hand on the toaster oven. And then my car wouldn't start. Again. I've never had such bad luck in my life.
”
”
Chelsea M. Cameron (My Favorite Mistake (My Favorite Mistake, #1))
“
Dear Son,
I would call you by name, but I’m waiting for your mother to decide. I only hope she is joking when she calls you Albert Dalbert.
For weeks now I have watched your mother zealously gather her tokens for this box. She’s so afraid of you not knowing anything about her, and it bothers me greatly that you’ll never know her strength firsthand. I’m sure by the time you read this, you’ll know everything I do about her.
But you’ll never know her for yourself and that pains me most of all. I wish you could see the look on her face whenever she talks to you. The sadness she tries so hard to hide. Every time I see it, it cuts through me.
She love you so much. You’re all she talks about. I have so many orders from her for you. I’m not allowed to make you crazy the way I do your Uncle Chris. I’m not allowed to call the doctors every time you sneeze and you are to be allowed to tussle with your friends without me having a conniption that someone might bruise you.
Nor am I to bully you about getting married or having kids. Ever.
Most of all, you are allowed to pick your own car at sixteen. I’m not supposed to put you in a tank. We’ll see about that one. I refuse to promise her this last item until I know more about you. Not to mention, I’ve seen how other people drive on the roads. So if you have a tank, sorry. There’s only so much changing man my age can do.
I don’t know what our futures will hold. I only hope that when all is said and done, you are more like your mother than you are like me. She’s a good woman. A kind woman. Full of love and compassion even though her life has been hard and full of grief. She bears her scars with a grace, dignity, and humor that I lack.
Most of all, she has courage the likes of which I haven’t witnessed in centuries. I hope with every part of me that you inherit all her best traits and none of my bad ones.
I don’t really know what more to say. I just thought you should have something of me in here too.
Love,
Your father (Wulf)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter, #4))
“
So what now?" he said.
"What do you mean?"
"What do we do now? We can't just be roommates."
"You said you didn't like me."
"I don't like you. I don't like how your hair smells, and how I can't stop thinking about waking up and seeing your face. I hate how my bed felt empty when you left. I don't like how good you were with my family, especially Harper, and how I wanted to see you with then again, but not just as a guest. As a member. You're right. I don't like you at all."
"When did you change your mind?"
"My mind never changed. I've wanted you since the moment you opened the door and had that stunned look on your face. It just took me a while to admit it. Why deny it now? It is what it is and it's not going to change."
"Oh."
"This doesn't mean I'm going to be nice. I'm still going to be an ass. I'll just be an ass who apologizes and brings you flowers to say he's been a dick."
"Chocolate," I said.
"What?"
"I'd rather have chocolate when you apologize."
"Chocolate it is." He smiled. "So does that mean what I think it means?"
"No. It just means that you get to bring me chocolate when you've been an ass. I'm going to weigh three hundred pounds." I focused my attention back on the peppers. I couldn't think about Hunter's declaration of... whatever it was.
Footsteps didn't make me look up.
"Taylor, look at me. Please." Damn. If only he didn't say please. "I can't promise to not make you mad. I can't promise that I won't hurt you. All I can promise is that I want you in my life, and I'll do anything to keep you there.
”
”
Chelsea M. Cameron (My Favorite Mistake (My Favorite Mistake, #1))
“
Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me they stick you out here where there are no Daimons and you don’t have a weak spot? What kind of shit is that? I live in Daimon Central with one hell of an Achilles’ heel that no one ever bothered to mention, and you live where there’s no danger to you and yet you don’t have one? What’s not fair with this picture? And then Ash asks me to come up here to save your ass and here we are dropping like flies while you’re Teflon. No, I have a problem with this. I love you, man, but dayam. This just ain’t right. I’m up here freezing my balls off, and you, you don’t need protection. Meanwhile I have a bull’s-eye on my arm that says, ‘Hey, Daimon on steroids, kill me right here.’ Do you realize, I put my keys in my mouth to pull out my wallet to pay for gas and they froze there? The last thing I want to do is die up here in this godforsaken place at the hands of some freaked-out something no one has ever heard of before except for Guido the Killer Squire from Jersey? I swear I want someone’s ass for this. (Jess)
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #3))
“
Human history can be viewed as a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group. Initially our loyalties were to ourselves and our immediate family, next, to bands of wandering hunter-gatherers, then to tribes, small settlements, city-states, nations. We have broadened the circle of those we love. We have now organized what are modestly described as super-powers, which include groups of people from divergent ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in some sense together — surely a humanizing and character building experience. If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth. Many of those who run the nations will find this idea unpleasant. They will fear the loss of power. We will hear much about treason and disloyalty. Rich nation-states will have to share their wealth with poor ones. But the choice, as H. G. Wells once said in a different context, is clearly the universe or nothing.
”
”
Carl Sagan (Cosmos)
“
If we're lucky, we find the one person who will hold our trust and keep it sacred and safe against all attackers. That one soul who will restore our belief that people are decent and kind, and that life, while messy, is still the most wondrous gift anyone can know. But until that day comes, we have to try and remember that home isn't a specific place or person. It's a feeling we carry inside ourselves. That touch of the divine that lights a fire inside us that burns out the past and consumes the pain until nothing is left but a warmth that allows us to love others more than ourselves. A warmth that only grows when we do right even while others seek to do us wrong. Peace is knowing that one life, no matter how trivial it seems, touches thousands of others, and learningto respect that about all people. While you may not mean much to the world, to those who know and love you, you are their entire world. And it is knowledge that no one can hurt you unless you allow them to. The only power they have isn't something they're taken or demanded. It's what we give them by choice. And while it is imperative that we value the lives of others, it is equally important to value our own.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Time Untime (Dark-Hunter, #21))
“
Auggie said you were too sentimental for your own good sometimes."
Out loud he said, "Perhaps, but you have taught me that sentiment is not always a bad thing."
I stared up at that impossibly beautiful face, and felt love swell up inside me like a physical force. It filled my body, swelling upward until it made my chest ache, my throat tighten, and my eyes burn. It sounded so stupid. But I loved him. Loved all of him, but loved him more because loving me had made him better. That he would say that I had taught him about being sentimental made me want to cry. Richard reminded me at every turn that I was bloodthirsty and cold. If that were true, then I couldn't have taught Jean-Claude about sentimentality. You can't learn, if you don't have it to teach.
He kissed me. He kissed me softly, with one hand lost in the hair to the side of my face. He drew back and whispered, "I never thought to see that look upon your face, not for me."
"I love you," I said, and touched his hand where it lay against my face.
”
”
Laurell K. Hamilton (Danse Macabre (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #14))
“
The inconsistencies that haunt our relationships with animals also result from the quirks of human cognition. We like to think of ourselves as the rational species. But research in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics shows that our thinking and behavior are often completely illogical. In one study, for example, groups of people were independently asked how much they would give to prevent waterfowl from being killed in polluted oil ponds. On average, the subjects said they would pay $80 to save 2,000 birds, $78 to save 20,000 birds, and $88 to save 200,000 birds. Sometimes animals act more logically than people do; a recent study found that when picking a new home, the decisions of ant colonies were more rational than those of human house-hunters.
What is it about human psychology that makes it so difficult for us to think consistently about animals? The paradoxes that plague our interactions with other species are due to the fact that much of our thinking is a mire of instinct, learning, language, culture, intuition, and our reliance on mental shortcuts.
”
”
Hal Herzog (Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals)
“
Brambleclaw's tail filicked angrily. "Did there have to be so many lies?" He was staring at Squirrelflight. "Couldn't you have told me the truth?"
Squirrelflight dipped her head. "It was never my secret to tell. Leafpool had so much to lose".
"She lost everything anyway", Brambleclaw snarled.
"No, I didn't". Leafpool lifted her muzzle. "I watched my kits grow into fine warrior, and I still serve my Clan with all my heart".
Lionblaze felt his heart prick. Perhaps this was the truth that was most important. Leafpool had sacrificed so much and, even though her kits rejected her time and again, she'd never stopped loving them. In his darkest moments, he couldn't deny that.
"Brambleclaw, I'm sorry". Squirrelflight moved closer to the ThunderClan deputy. Her voice was stronger now, as if she was tired of being punished for something she had believed to be right. "You have to understand that I never intended to hurt you. I loved you, and was proud to raise these kits with you. You were a wonderful father".
"But I wasn't their father!" Brambleclaw hissed.
"Yes, you were!" Squirrelflight thrust her muzzle close to Brambleclaw's. Her eyes blazed. "Don't throw away everything just because you are angry with me!"
Lionblaze swallowed. "I was so proud to be your son".
Brambleclaw looked at him in surprise, as if he'd forgotton Lionblaze was there. Something in the deputy's expression changed. "And I couldn't have asked for a better son. And you Jayfeather. Or a better daughter, Hollyleaf." Hollyleaf opened her mouth as if to protest, but Brambleclaw spoke first. "You played no part in this deception, I know that. Whatever you did, it was because of the lies taht had been told when you were born."
"It was my fault alone," Leafpool meowed quietly. "You are wrong to blame Squirrelflight. She was just being loyal to me. And now that we know about the prophecy, surely the only thing that matters is that these kits were accepted by their Clan? It's not about us, after all. It's about them. Their destinies shaped ours, right from the moment they were born."
Squirrelflight nodded. "Everything was meant to be".
Lionblaze looked down at his paws. If these cats could accept their destinies, then he had enough courage to accept his. I am one of the Four.
”
”
Erin Hunter (The Last Hope (Warriors: Omen of the Stars, #6))
“
A qui écris-tu?
-A toi. En fait, je ne t'écris pas vraiment, j'écris ce que j'ai envie de faire avec toi...
Il y avait des feuilles partout. Autour d'elle, à ses pieds, sur le lit. J'en ai pris une au hasard:
"...Pique-niquer, faire la sieste au bord d'une rivière, manger des pêches, des crevettes, des croissants, du riz gluant, nager, danser, m'acheter des chaussures, de la lingerie, du parfum, lire le journal, lécher les vitrines, prendre le métro, surveiller l'heure, te pousser quand tu prends toute la place, étendre le linge, aller à l'Opéra, faire des barbecues, râler parce que tu as oublié le charbon, me laver les dents en même temps que toi, t'acheter des caleçons, tondre la pelouse, lire le journal par-dessus ton épaule, t'empêcher de manger trop de cacahuètes, visiter les caves de la Loire, et celles de la Hunter Valley, faire l'idiote, jacasser, cueillir des mûres, cuisiner, jardiner, te réveiller encore parce que tu ronfles, aller au zoo, aux puces, à Paris, à Londres, te chanter des chansons, arrêter de fumer, te demander de me couper les ongles, acheter de la vaisselle, des bêtises, des choses qui ne servent à rien, manger des glaces, regarder les gens, te battre aux échecs, écouter du jazz, du reggae, danser le mambo et le cha-cha-cha, m'ennuyer, faire des caprices, bouder, rire, t'entortiller autour de mon petit doigt, chercher une maison avec vue sur les vaches, remplir d'indécents Caddie, repeindre un plafond, coudre des rideaux, rester des heures à table à discuter avec des gens intéressants, te tenir par la barbichette, te couper les cheveux, enlever les mauvaises herbes, laver la voiture, voir la mer, t'appeler encore, te dire des mots crus, apprendre à tricoter, te tricoter une écharpe, défaire cette horreur, recueillir des chats, des chiens, des perroquets, des éléphants, louer des bicyclettes, ne pas s'en servir, rester dans un hamac, boire des margaritas à l'ombre, tricher, apprendre à me servir d'un fer à repasser, jeter le fer à repasser par la fenêtre, chanter sous la pluie, fuire les touristes, m'enivrer, te dire toute la vérité, me souvenir que toute vérité n'est pas bonne à dire, t'écouter, te donner la main, récupérer mon fer à repasser, écouter les paroles des chansons, mettre le réveil, oublier nos valises, m'arrêter de courir, descendre les poubelles, te demander si tu m'aimes toujours, discuter avec la voisine, te raconter mon enfance, faire des mouillettes, des étiquettes pour les pots de confiture..."
Et ça continuais comme ça pendant des pages et des pages...
”
”
Anna Gavalda (Someone I Loved (Je l'aimais))
“
Hi there, cutie."
Ash turned his head to find an extremely attractive college student by his side. With black curly hair, she was dressed in jeans and a tight green top that displayed her curves to perfection. "Hi."
"You want to go inside for a drink? It's on me."
Ash paused as he saw her past, present, and future simultaneously in his mind. Her name was Tracy Phillips. A political science major, she was going to end up at Harvard Med School and then be one of the leading researchers to help isolate a mutated genome that the human race didn't even know existed yet.
The discovery of that genome would save the life of her youngest daughter and cause her daughter to go on to medical school herself. That daughter, with the help and guidance of her mother, would one day lobby for medical reforms that would change the way the medical world and governments treated health care. The two of them would shape generations of doctors and save thousands of lives by allowing people to have groundbreaking medical treatments that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford.
And right now, all Tracy could think about was how cute his ass was in leather pants, and how much she'd like to peel them off him.
In a few seconds, she'd head into the coffee shop and meet a waitress named Gina Torres. Gina's dream was to go to college herself to be a doctor and save the lives of the working poor who couldn't afford health care, but because of family problems she wasn't able to take classes this year. Still Gina would tell Tracy how she planned to go next year on a scholarship.
Late tonight, after most of the college students were headed off, the two of them would be chatting about Gina's plans and dreams.
And a month from now, Gina would be dead from a freak car accident that Tracy would see on the news. That one tragic event combined with the happenstance meeting tonight would lead Tracy to her destiny. In one instant, she'd realize how shallow her life had been, and she'd seek to change that and be more aware of the people around her and of their needs. Her youngest daughter would be named Gina Tory in honor of the Gina who was currently busy wiping down tables while she imagined a better life for everyone.
So in effect, Gina would achieve her dream. By dying she'd save thousands of lives and she'd bring health care to those who couldn't afford it...
The human race was an amazing thing. So few people ever realized just how many lives they inadvertently touched. How the right or wrong word spoken casually could empower or destroy another's life.
If Ash were to accept Tracy's invitation for coffee, her destiny would be changed and she would end up working as a well-paid bank officer. She'd decide that marriage wasn't for her and go on to live her life with a partner and never have children.
Everything would change. All the lives that would have been saved would be lost.
And knowing the nuance of every word spoken and every gesture made was the heaviest of all the burdens Ash carried.
Smiling gently, he shook his head. "Thanks for asking, but I have to head off. You have a good night."
She gave him a hot once-over. "Okay, but if you change your mind, I'll be in here studying for the next few hours."
Ash watched as she left him and entered the shop. She set her backpack down at a table and started unpacking her books. Sighing from exhaustion, Gina grabbed a glass of water and made her way over to her...
And as he observed them through the painted glass, the two women struck up a conversation and set their destined futures into motion.
His heart heavy, he glanced in the direction Cael had vanished and hated the future that awaited his friend. But it was Cael's destiny.
His fate...
"Imora thea mi savur," Ash whispered under his breath in Atlantean. God save me from love.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter, #9; Were-Hunter, #3))