Garth Nix Quotes

I won't let you go! I love you, Dog!'
'There will be other dogs and friends, and loves' whispered the Dog. 'You have found your family, your heritage, and you have earned a high place in the world. I love you too, but my time with you has passed.

I am not afraid," he said to himself.

She was no longer a shy Second Assistant Librarian. She was the Abhorsen-in-Waiting.

So are you saying that somebody went to all the trouble to make you a crypt a thousand years ago on the off chance that you might turn up one day, walk in, and have a convenient heart attack?

Millennia of servitude, Abhorsen. Chained by trickery, treachery ... captivenin a repulsive, fixed-flesh shape ... but there will be payment, slow payment - not quick, not quick at all!

Oh, Dog!" Lirael said plaintively, giving the hound a hug. "Why is everything so difficult?"
"It just is," said the Dog, woofling gently in her ear. "But sleep will make it seem easier. A new day will bring new sights and smells.

Some were Charter Mages, and there would not be time to argue rights and wrongs, so any aggressive magic he used would be countered or negated by these others, as was the nature of Charter Magic.

But think of how much worse it would be to sit here, not knowing. Until the Dead choke the Ratterlin and Hedge walks across the dry bed of the river to batter down the door.

Prepare a crossing party," snapped Horyse. "A single person to cross. Miss Abhorsen, here. And Sergeant, if you or Private Rahise so much as talk in your sleep about what you may have heard here, then you'll be on gravedigging fatigues for the rest of your lives!

I'll sing you a song of the long ago -
Seven shine the shiners, oh!
What did the Seven do way back when?
Why, they wove the Charter then!
Five for the warp, from beginning to end.
Two for the woof, to make and mend.
That's Seven, but what of the Nine -
What of the two who chose not to shine?
The Eighth did hide, hide all away,
But the Seven caught him and made him pay.
The Ninth was strong and fought with might,
But lone Orannis was put out of the light,
Broken in two and buried under hill,
For ever to lie there, wishing us ill.

You can't work in the library without going into the Old Levels," said Mirelle somberly. "At least some of the time. I wouldn't be keen on going to some parts of the Library, myself."
Lirael listened, wondering what they were talking about. The Great Library of the Clayr was enormous, but she had never heard of the Old Levels.
She knew the general layout well. The Library was shaped like a nautilus shell, a continuous tunnel that wound down into the mountain in an ever-tightening spiral. This main spiral was an enormously long, twisting ramp that took you from the high reaches of the mountain down past the level of the valley floor, several thousand feet below.
Off the main spiral, there were countless other corridors, rooms, halls, and strange chambers. Many were full of the Clayr's written records, mainly documenting the prophesies and visions of many generations of seers. But they also contained books and papers from all over the Kingdom. Books of magic and mystery, knowledge both ancient and new. Scrolls, maps, spells, recipes, inventories, stories, true tales, and Charter knew what else.
In addition to all these written works, the Great Library also housed other things. There were old armories within it, containing weapons and armor that had not been used for centuries but still stayed bright and new. There were rooms full of odd paraphernalia that no one now knew how to use. There were chambers where dressmakers' dummies stood fully clothed, displ

your librarians go into battle?" "When they must," said Lirael. "The Library is very old, and deep, and contains many things that have been put away for good reason. Creatures, dangerous knowledge, artifacts made not wisely, but too well . . . books that should not be opened without proper preparation, some books that should never be opened at all." "Creatures?

I don't have a lot of valuables on me at the moment though... and I need the ones I have for my Quest. Could you perhaps agree to rob me later? - Anya

Fear and realisation of ignorance, strong medicines against stupid pride.

Unlike the stereotypical author, I've never had a job as a short-order cook, but I love cooking hot breakfasts for lots of people, juggling the eggs and the bacon and the tomatoes and the fried potatoes and so on.

I like to write books that I would have liked as a child, that would have got me thinking and imagining beyond the words on the page. In a way, my audience is always how I remember myself as a child.

There is never one absolutely right thing to do. All you can do is honor what you believe, accept the consequences of your own actions, and make the best out of what happens.

Unhand my tail!" squealed the Will.

Who or what are you? Besides insufferably rude?

How could anyone even start to put it all back together?'
'You start small,' said Dehlia. The raven had a very particular stare. Her single eye, bright with moonshine, was focused on Anya in a very alarming way. 'With a Quest to save one of those small kingdoms, and set it to rights, and have its ruler swear to uphold the bill. Then you go on from there.

Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.

Conor had volunteered to carry it, perhaps hoping it would make the others think better of him. Rollan

What do we do? asked the next-oldest puppy, one who rarely spoke. What can we do?

Watch. Wait. Protect the princesses. Keep them cheerful and unafraid. They will need whole hearts and the memory of happiness, at least, to have any chance of doing what must be done.

I used to think like that at school," Sabriel answered. "Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be
"
"Rescued?

Just like the Perimeter! It never rains but it pours, declared the Major.

As if they were crazed stoats that had to be got rid of before they killed again.

All things a wizard makes are flawed in some way. A Good Wizard, like myself, will do this intentionally. A Bad Wizard's works will have some accidental flaw, derived from their nature. All our work has some weakness.

But why?

To limit the object's power, said the Good Wizard softly. Power is always best limited.

Do not tarry, do not stop, no matter what happens.

Pause friend, be smelled and enter!"...

But we survived, didn't we? That makes it an adventure. If you get killed it's a tragedy.

It's you I'm concerned about. You are letting your fear come between you and getting better.

If an action must be taken that will benefit the majority at the cost of the minority, is it morally indefensible?
If an action taken for the benefit of a majority occurs at the expense of a minority, is it moral action?

I certainly have had experiences of a sense of wonder at the world and a feeling that even though it could all be explained rationally, it still feels that there is more to it.

What's too late?" asked Mogget. "Hold

I loved publishing; I loved working in the book industry, but I've been writing pretty much nonstop since I was 19. I realized very early on that I would need a day job, and I wanted one that was in books.

Sam picked up his pack, but before he could put it on, Mogget leaped onto it and slid under the top flap. All that could be seen of him were his green eyes and one white-furred ear.
"Remember I advised against this way," he instructed. "Wake me when whatever terrible thing is a about to happen happens, or if it appears I might get wet.

My parents are going to kill me!" "That seems rather harsh ...

Knowledge, like all things, is best in moderation," intoned the Will. "Knowing everything means you don't need to think, and that is very dangerous.

You mortals arose from the possibility she made and, though she always liked to think so, are consequently not of her direct design.

I didn't know why he became a tree. I don't really know anything about why druids become trees-

Peace and quiet, said Elisandria matter-of-factly. Abdication of responsibility. A good long sleep. All of that.

One thing I did learn early on was not to put all my trust in magic. If it can be done without magic, it's better done without magic.

Writing for children, you do bear a responsibility to not include overt or graphic adult content that they are not ready for and don't need, or to address adult concepts or themes from an oblique angle or a child's limited viewpoint, with appropriate context, without being graphic or distressing.

Midnight Visitors,' whispered Suzy fearfully. 'With nightmare-whips and night-gloves.

I'm not going," he said. He held up the Third key like a weapon. Sensing his mood, it grew longer and sharper, till he was holding a trident as long as he was tall ... "And anyone who tries to make me is going to suffer."
"Twice," added the voice under the table.

Blood trickled down his chin as he was hauled up onto his knees, the golden rope securing his arms behind him and his ankles together.
Arthur looked up and saw the fizzing sparkling crown coming down.
I'm Arthur Penhaligon, he thought desperately ...
The crown was wedged tightly upon his head- and Arthur fell silently screaming into darkness.

I think I would like to work in the Library."
"The Library," repeated Sanar, looking troubled. "That can be dangerous to a girl of fourteen. Or a woman of forty, for that matter."
"Only in parts," said Ryelle. "The Old Levels."
"You can't work in the Library without going into the Old Levels," said Mirelle somberly. "At least some of the time. I wouldn't be keen on going to some parts of the Library, myself.

I lied," said the Dog cheerily. "That's one of the reasons I'm the Disreputable Dog. Besides,

Clearly the Old One had the capacity to kill - or easily deliver some sort of final ending that sounded remarkably like death.

Why, Yrael?" it said, as the last of the dark gave way to silver, and the shining sphere of metal sank slowly to the ground. "Why?"
"Life," said Yrael, who was more Mogget than it ever knew. "Fish and fowl, warm sun and shady trees, the field mice in the wheat, under the cool light of the moon.

A breath? she asked. She didn't want to kiss just any wooden man. He looked nice enough, but he might not be like his looks. A kiss seemed very forward. He might remember it, and make assumptions.

A Kiss," said Mogget sleepily. "Actually, just a breath would do. But you have to start kissing someone sometime, I suppose."
"A breath?" she asked. She didn't want to kiss just any wooden man. He looked nice enough, but he might not be like his looks. A kiss seemed too forward.

All of us recruits are equal in the eyes of the Army: low as you can go.

As it 'appens, I am Arthur's right-hand man," said Suzy. "Or left-hand girl, I can't remember where I stood last time. Anyhow, me and Arthur is like two fingers of a gauntlet. Or at least the thumb and the little finger. I mean, I'm his top General, and all. So if I say you're in, you're in.

They had an instictive ability to love, so that when they encountered each other, they fitted together in a way that made the two of them more than each could ever be on their own

Are you . . . are you the athask? The great one?" "Maybe," said Mogget. "I can't remember." "Mogget,

Be careful..you're all I've got left, to remind me who I really am.

For all my longer works (i.e. the novels) I write chapter outlines so I can have the pleasure of departing from them later on.

Five Great Charters knit the land
Together linked, hand in hand
One in the people who wear the crown
Two in the folk who keep the Dead down
Three and Five became stone and mortar
Four sees all in frozen water.

Everything is always better for a walk.

They passed it late in the afternoon, their single sail stretched to bursting, clinker-built hull heeling well over, bow slicing up a column of spray that salted mouths, eyes and bodies.

If she had been in a pointing competition, she would have lost points.

Let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.

It always seemed somehow less real here ... a really detailed dream, but sort of washed out, like a thin watercolor. Softer, somehow, even with their electric light and engines and everything. I guess it was because there was hardly any magic.

Oh, fierce librarians, then? Tell you to shush and that sort of thing?

I wish I had adventures like you do," Leaf said as she traced her finger over the writing on the invitation.
"They didn't feel like adventures," said Arthur.

Stop! By the Keys I hold, I order the Nothing to stop! House, you must hold against the Void!

[Lunch] was composed of one of the fish she had caught, evidently rescued from Mogget. This had been grilled with ginger, pepper, and some spice she didn't know, set atop a salad of grains and greenleaf, accompanied by a lightly sparkling clear wine she had to admit was delicious and refreshing.

A hundred hundred heartbeats ... whispered Sabriel, tears falling down her face.

For everyone and everything, there is a time to die. Some do not know it, or would delay it, but its truth cannot be denied. Not when you look into the stars of the ninth gate.

Waiting feeds fear. Courage comes with deeds.

Bravery is about overcoming fear, not about not having it.

He was obviously a very arrogant ragamuffin, and younger than she was, to boot. And he was wearing a necromancer's bells! Apart from that, he was quite handsome, which was another black mark as far as she was concerned.

May I say that I approve of a piece that tries to remake the entire puzzle?

Our parts now
which perforce we must play
are not father and daughter, but one old Abhorsen, making way for the new. But behind this, there is always my love.

Is it a lack of faith to be thinking that we're all going to be slain or captured and sunk into the Hot Lake?" asked one of the four chosen archers.
"Yes," snapped the Carp.

I have never known what to tell anybody. Except that it is better to do something than nothing, even if the cost is great.

You have to know where you are to know where to go.

Maybe if I act well enough, I'll come to believe it myself.

A passion thwarted will often go astray.

I feel that you will be a maker, not a seer. You must promise me that it will be so. Promise me that you will not give in. Promise me that you will never give up hope.

*A kiss," said Mogget sleepy. "Accualy a breath might do. But you eventualy have to start kissing someone sometimes, I suppose.

Time and death sleep side by side.

I find the presence of the sea quite inspiring, and sometimes I do just get out and walk around and take in the sea breeze to try and clear my mind.

Both of them often turned to gaze at Sabriel.

...I don't expect to need rescuing. I'm not that kind of princess.

Authors are influenced by everything they've ever read. If you've read widely enough, it helps you create your own mix.

… I wonder why she hasn't spread the tale."
"The only reason she would not is if she is ill or the story would somehow reflect badly on herself," replied Lady Badgery. "Otherwise, Portia Troutbridge has never been known to keep a scandal to herself."
"Oh, I do hope she is ill!" exclaimed Truthful. "I mean, only just ill enough to keep the news quiet for a little longer. Is that too dreadful of me?"
"Not at all," announced Lady Badgery. "It is a very reasonable desire. In the case of Portia Troutbridge I myself would wish for something much more severe. Scarlet fever, perhaps. Or the plague.

I am not going to change who I am. I am human and I know how to love, and be kind, and be compassionate to those who are weaker than me. Just because I have power doesn't mean I have to use it!

The 'rob from the rich, give to the poor' is more of a general overview than a specific thing we have to do every time. It really means making sure those who have too much do some sharing with those who have too little, and it isn't always just about valuables or money or even basic things like food. It is also about sharing power and opportunities.

I hope you find some stories here that you will enjoy, or wonder about, or that linger uncomfortably in the mind when you wish they didn't.

Continue to love each other, something I discover is not an automatic state but must be worked at, like an ever-changing tactical problem, though I would never describe it that way to my beloved

Being published is not a necessary validation or a path everyone wants to take with their work. Writing - and finishing - a novel is a great thing in itself, whether or not the book is published, or becomes widely-read or not.

Choosers will be beggars if the begging's not their choosing.

Charity is a very labour-intensive virtue.

I grew up in a house full of books and parents who read, which led to me to reading from a very young age. And reading seemed to naturally progress to writing.

Be assured that any hurt to your spirit will pass in time. It is the nature of Death to take, but the nature of Life to give.

Do you think I could still be a wizard? One day?'
'Perhaps,' said the Good Wizard. 'I was a princess myself once.

Will Morven be a good queen?

Um, said Anya, flustered. She's the oldest...

Bert's eyes opened wider, questioningly. And that makes her fit to rule? Tell me, in your reading, do you study history?

Soft, the snow falling/Steam spiraling from coffee/The slain cold and still

I studied writing at university, and I actually majored in screenwriting. Then I went to work as a bookseller and then as a sales rep and publicist and then various editorial jobs until I ended up with HarperCollins in Australia.