Nancy Farmer Quotes

I don't mind," he whispered. "If I had a soul, I'd probably wind up in hell anyway.

Music has a tremendous effect on me. When it's playing, I can't think or do anything other than listen. But I can write to it.

It isn't healthy to care for someone who can never love you back.

Matt had to swallow hard to keep tears from forming. Fidelito had called him brother!

You get used to being evil.

He's a scientist, and they know everything. Religion is crap.

Most of all, it was the wild music that impressed Matt. It did the same thing that playing the piano had done when he was frightened and lonely. It took him into another world where only beauty existed and where he was sage from hatred and disappointment and death.

I live in a 'sky island,' a unique mountain valley environment where half the animal species of North America can be found.

She took to reading with a fervor so extreme, Baba Joseph had to take the books from her hands by force. 'Your eyes are not tractors. They are not meant to pull heavy loads,' he said sternly.

Once, he'd been satisfied by the music alone. Now he had learned about friendship...

The other girls in the village never felt restless. Nhamo was like a pot of boiling water. 'I want ... I want ... ,' she whispered to herself, but she didn't know what she wanted and she had no idea how to find it.

I could do it," Listen boasted. "Show me how and I could run the whole damn planet."
"You can't even reach the on button," said Cienfuegos.

Matt discovered that no matter how terrified he'd been at first, it wasn't possible to stay terrified. It was as though his brain said, Okay. That's enough. Let's find something else to do.

Don't be angry," the Bard said. "Most people live inside a cage of their own expectations. It makes them feel safe. The world's a frightening place full of glory and wonder and, as we've both discovered, danger. Flying isn't for everyone.

Oh, yes he does. He's a scientist, and they know everything. Religion is crap," declared Listen.
"You're the most obnoxious little brat I've ever met."
"Both of you be quiet,

My view of civilization is that there have always been small pockets of good, decent, kind people surrounded by corrupt and evil power structures. It's always a battle to stay on the side of good.

The secret of successful education ... is finding out how a particular person learns

I remembered what Olaf always said: You must never give up, even if you're falling off a cliff. You never know what might happen on the way down.

Quests always have their ups and downs,' rumbled the giant. 'The point is never to give up, even if you're falling off a cliff. You never know what might happen on the way to the bottom.

You don't have a soul, so you can't be baptized. All animals are like that. I think it's unfair and sometimes I don't believe it. After all, what would heaven be without birds or dogs or horses? And what about trees and flowers? They don't have souls either. Does that mean heaven looks like a cement parking lot? I suppose this is what the nuns call a theological problem.

I always say the truth is best even when we find it unpleasant. Any rat in a sewer can lie. It's how rats are. It's what makes them rats. But a human doesn't run and hide in dark places, because he's something more. Lying is the most personal act of cowardice there is.

Tom is a filthy little pustule. If you quote me, I'll deny it!

You must not be hurt by other people's ignorance.

Bubonic plague killed a third of the people in Europe, but it destroyed the old governments and allowed their citizens to gain freedom. The result was a burst of creativity and prosperity never seen before.

The high point of your life was when you knocked me down

Tendai remembered his last birthday. It seemed one shouldn't make wishes idly. Who knew which spirits were listening. He considered a moment and then thought, I wish for courage. Because with courage, you weren't afraid to look at the truth. You weren't afraid to ask questions or do the right thing.

That was the best kind of story: when the teller was as much under its spell as the listener.

No one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. That's because there isn't any difference. The idea of clones being inferior is a filthy lie.

Heroes, well, they don't live so long. But they're muy suave, and we all admire them.

Guardian angels guide the steps of idiots.

I am one for whom dangers are play-
things
One who empties men of their
strength as a nut from its shell
The charms you use I chop up for
relish on my porridge
Beware! I am a deadly mamba
Wrestler of legends
A hive of hornets
A man among men

People's souls are like gardens. You can't turn your back on someone because his garden's full of weeds. You have to give him water and lots of sunshine.

A little extra forgiveness never hurts, said Matt, quoting one of Celia's favorite sayings.

When u are small, u can choose which way to grow. If you are kind and decent, you grow into a kind and decent man. And if you are like El Patron . . . Just think about it." – Tam Lin

Gods, if they're neglected, tend to fall asleep, but they never really go away.

Death must be fought with life, and that means courage and that means joy,

If you squat on a path, you'll get boils on your backside.

Just say no to pillaging.

He has his good side and his bad side. Very dark indeed is his majesty when he wants to be. When he was young, he made a choice, like a tree does when it decides to grow one way or the other. He grew large and green until he shadowed over the whole forest, but most of his branches are twisted.

Patience and love can do anything.

I'd guess that you have some purpose to fulfill and that is why you were saved. But don't get a swelled head over it. A cabbage has a purpose when someone needs to make soup.

I am now writing a book called 'Far Enough,' very loosely based on my childhood. This is difficult because it forces me to remember people I loved who are gone.

For purely selfish reasons, the old man had preserved what the rest of the world had destroyed.

Life and death are in constant battle. There is no way in this world for happiness to exist alone ...