Quotes by Lois McMaster Bujold

There will be grace and forgiveness enough, old dog, even for you. I pray you will spare me a drink from that cup, when it overflows for you.- Miles Vorkosigan

Well, it is a particular sin to permit grief for what is gone to poison the praise for what blessings remain to us.

Royse Bergon: Ive seen your integrity in action. It...widened my world. Id been raised by my father, who is a prudent, cautious man, always looking for mens hidden, selfish motivations. No one can cheat him. But Ive seen him cheat himself. If you understand what I mean.Caz: Yes.R.B.: It was very foolish of you to attack that vile Roknari galley-man.Caz: Yes.R.B.: And yet, I think, given the same circumstances you would do it again.Caz: Knowing what I know now...it would be harder. But I would hope... I would pray, Royse, that the gods would still lend me such foolishness in my need.R.B: What is this astonishing foolishness, that shines brighter than all my fathers gold? Can you teach me to be such a fool, too, Caz?Caz: Oh, Im sure of it.

You were kind.”Cazaril shrugged. “Why not? What could it cost me, after all?”Bergon shook his head. “Any man can be kind when he is comfortable. I’d always thought kindness a trivial virtue, therefore. But when we were hungry, thirsty, sick, frightened, with our deaths shouting at us, in the heart of horror, you were still as unfailingly courteous as a gentleman at his ease before his own hear

You must learn to give, from sufficiency, not only take, from neediness.

It was suicide, wasnt it?In an involuntary sort of way, said Vorobyev. These Cetagandan political suicides can get awfully messy, when the principal wont cooperate.Thirty-two stab wounds in the back, worst case of suicide they ever saw? murmured Ivan, clearly fascinated by the gossip.Exactly, my lord.

It’s true that if your religion failed to deliver a miracle, that a human sacrifice would certainly follow.Ah...quite. You are a man of acute insight.That’s not insight. That’s a personal guarantee.

A true Vor, Miles told himself severely, does not bury his face in his liegewomans breasts and cry—even if he is at a convenient height for it.

Do it for yourself. The universe will be around to collect its cut later.

Lately I have come to believe that the principle difference between Heaven and Hell is the company you keep there....

You want to be good. All right, I can understand that. But you have to be careful who you let define your good.

Honesty is the only way with anyone, when you’ll be so close as to be living inside each other’s skins.

The world demands I make good choices on no information, and then blames my maidenhood for my mistakes, as if my maidenhood were responsible for my ignorance. Ignorance is not stupidity, but it might as well be. And I do not like feeling stupid.

People do get hypnotized by the hard choices and stop looking at the alternatives. The will to be stupid is a powerful force

We see the world not as it is, but as we are.~Dag Redwing Hickory Bluefield

It’s just a thing. You deal with it. As in, one damn thing after another?Yes, very like.

You go on. You just go on. Theres nothing more to it, and theres no trick to make it easier. You just go on.What do you find on the other side? When you go on?She shrugged. Your life again. What else?

It was hell to be so tired, and still care.

We should have taken our chances back then, when we were young and beautiful and didnt even know it.

Growing up, I have discovered over time, is rather like housework: never finished.