Black Belt Quotes

When you get a black belt, it's not the number of techniques you know, but how well you know them. ~ Caio Terra

While I enjoy teaching people on the basic and intermediate levels to work them up to advanced levels, my real talent is for the advanced students. You could say that I'm like a ninth-degree black belt in martial arts. ~ Frederick Lenz

Stunt performing is a highly structured career path - you have to gain qualifications in six different sports to a high standard. It takes four or five years and costs at least £20,000; a black belt in a martial art from scratch costs a fortune. ~ Steve Truglia

You're a black belt in the 1st round but sometimes you're a purple belt in the 5th. ~ Gilbert Melendez

I earned a black belt when I was in high school. And I did a lot of boxing and full contact karate in college. ~ Dean Norris

My martial arts came a lot from my uncle, who actually taught martial arts through the military. He was a black belt in tae kwon do, but also, he used a lot of military-style fighting where it's not the high kicks or anything like that. It's basically defeat your opponent as fast as possible. ~ Brian Tee

Good God." he said incredulously. "You've got a black belt in purse attack, that's for damn sure. ~ Linda Howard

A black belt is nothing more than a belt, a piece of cloth. Your ultimate goal should not be to get your black belt. Your ultimate goal should be to be a black belt. Being a black belt is a state of mind, a way of life. ~ Bohdi Sanders

Punch a black belt in the face, he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again, purple ... ~ Carlson Gracie

The road from white belt to black is long and arduous; most never reach the end. There are simply too many obstacles of daily life, and too much effort and attention required, for this to be something that the majority of practitioners achieve. This is why a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, especially from a reputable source, is the pinnacle of martial arts rank. It is valuable because of what must be traded for its achievement. ~ Chris Matakas

I started taekwondo at 5 or 6 years old and did a bunch of kick-boxing later, too. Eventually I became a black belt and coached as well. I did some basketball and softball growing up, but most of my activity was martial arts. ~ JWoww

Kyo: ...I can't help it. I'm...not made for interacting with people.

Shigure: People aren't born social. Sure it comes easier to some people...but most people, like you, need to work at it. Some more than others. You're just inexperienced. For example, as a martial artist, you have the strength to break the table with your first. But you also have the self-control to stop your fist right before it hits the table. You weren't born with that control, were you? You had to refine it. That's the result of fighting bears in the mountains.

Kyo: I DIDN'T FIGHT BEARS!

Shigure: You're missing my point. It's the same as interacting with people. But training for that isn't in the mountains--it has to be in town where people live. Mingling with people, hurting them, getting hurt by them...that's how you learn about others...and about yourself. If you don't, you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself. You may be a black belt fighter, but you're still a white belt in dealing with people. For the sake of the girl who will one day tell you she loves you...don't run away, keep training.

Kyo: As if someone would ever tell me that.

Shigure: And if someone did, what would you do?

Kyo: I can't even imagine. I guess...I'd ask her if she was sane. ~ Natsuki Takaya

As I talk about strengths and weaknesses in academic economics, one interesting fact you are entitled to know is that I never took a course in economics. And with this striking lack of credentials, you may wonder why I have the chutzpah to be up here giving this talk. The answer is I have a black belt in chutzpah. I was born with it. ~ Charlie Munger

We must remember that regardless of our differences in rank we are all equal as human beings. You can always tell how caring and compassionate others are in their actions towards those "below" them. Of course you are going to treat your black belt professor kindly, but how do you treat the white belt taking their first class? In spite of the division in belt rank there must be no division as people. ~ Chris Matakas

Sometimes during my set I invite volunteers up on stage to get speed-roasted and I'm worried that I may have hundreds of people rushing the stage all at once. Luckily I'm a black belt in karate and I can fend them off. ~ Jeff Ross

I started doing martial arts when I was about 7, and I got my second degree black belt when I was 19. So I have my second degree black belt, but I've never used it, and I had to stop when I got 'Instant Star' because I couldn't train. ~ Laura Vandervoort

Amber has a black belt in insensitivity, which she often mistakes for constructive criticism. ~ H.B. Gilmour

A Black Belt under the Nogueira Brothers is like saying I got a free toy in my happy meal ~ Chael Sonnen

That's funny. You would think after being followed and shoved into a dark alley by a stranger, you would be at least a little shaken. Don't tell me, you are a black belt just waiting for the perfect moment to strike." He laughed soundlessly. "I mean your words do sound brave but your eyes and the fact that you're trembling like a scared little kitten say something else entirely." Even though the alley was submerged in darkness and shadows, it was obvious there was a devilish grin stretched across his face ... ~ Nicole Rae

Well everyone's a world class ground fighter until they get a punch to the face. So that's how I deal with all these ground fighters like everyone else. I hit 'em in the head and there goes your F**king black belt. ~ Mark Hunt

I have a black-belt in self-pity. I was an expert in the field. Still am. It's a skill you never forget. ~ Katja Millay

I think more awareness is very important so women can learn how to protect themselves. As a fourth-degree black-belt, I learned from a young age that you need to be confident and be able to defend yourself, and that's something that we should start to implement for a lot of women. ~ Nia Sanchez

You stupid chick ... nun ... whatever. I'm a tenth-degree black belt in Korean Karate!" "But you don't have the power of God, you uncircumcised philistine! ~ James Scott Bell

I love going shopping. I have a black belt in it. ~ Russell Crowe

That has not yet been put to the test. I got my fourth-degree black belt this winter. When I make martial arts noises, thousands flee in terror. Don't test me."
"Can you hear that? It's my knees knocking."
"They're wise to fear me. ~ Nora Roberts

Shigure: "Lemme guess; you lost your temper and yelled at her again, right? You know, you shouldn't do that if you're just going to regret it. Not too bright, now is it?"
Kyo: "Save your breath. I'm just not meant to get along with other people. Period. End of story."
Shigure: "Oh sure, some people just aren't. But you're not one of them. You lack experience, that's all. For example, I'm sure you could smash this table to bits with your bare hands. But I'm equally sure you could punch the table without breaking it. And why is that? Because I know your training has taught you to control your fists... at least I should hope so, after four months of fighting bears and-"
Kyo: "I didn't fight bears!"
Shigure: "My point is, it takes just as much training to get along with people. Only, training by yourself in the mountains won't do you any good. You need to surround yourself with others. As you get to know them, of course you take the chance that you'll end up hurting them, or they'll end up hurting you. One of those things might very well happen. That's the only way we learn... about others, and about ourselves. You're a black-belt in martial arts, but I'd guess you still a white-belt in social skills. Someday, you're going to meet someone that truly wants to be your friend, and you, theirs. But it if you don't keep training, you won't be ready when that happens."
Kyo: "It'll never happen, anyways!"
Shigure: "Uh-uh! Never say never."
Kyo: "Ok, fi ~ Natsuki Takaya

You'll learn how to design and code better, reduce time-to-market, produce always up-to-date documentation, obtain high code coverage through quality tests, and write clean code that works. Every journey has a start and this one is no exception. Our destination is a Java developer with the test-driven development (TDD) black-belt. ~ Viktor Farcic

I've never been beaten up! I'm a black belt in Run-Fu. ~ Tre Cool

I started training in martial arts when I was 7 years old. I got my first black belt at 13. ~ Katheryn Winnick

A Black Belt should be...
...a REFLECTION of what IS inside
...NOT the PROOF of it! ~ Robert W. Dallmann

So come on, tell me all the dirt about your date. Did he tie you up with his black belt? Show off his mystic knowledge of Eastern sex practices? What?" I let my head slump into my hands. "He gave me a kiss and said good night." "He didn't! The bastard. ~ J.L. Merrow

Someone once told me to "be a black belt at whatever you do." In other words, don't just be good or okay - be the best you can be. Not only do I apply that to my work as an actress, but I also went out and got my black belt. ~ Heather Hemmens

Black belt in Akihito. (Amanda) Any other time, I'd kiss you for that. (Kyrian) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Last week I lost my temper in my karate class. Man, I'm not doing that again until I'm a black belt. Because I can tell you there's a difference between taking karate and receiving karate. ~ Demetri Martin

The internet is such a strange place. You can put up one thing on there like, Katy Perry was a taekwondo master of the black belt! When really all I did was one kickboxing class. That's how I think my short time in doing my gospel record was like. ~ Katy Perry

A karate black belt would make a great blindfold on a kidnap victim, after you karate chop them into submission. ~ Jarod Kintz

I'm a black belt in tae kwon do. ~ Mireille Enos

Microsoft is still not a black belt ~ Ken Kutaragi

Listen, Michael Jackson is really funny. To have time to spend with him and actually be around him, he's not what ... people think he is. Michael Jackson's like a black belt too, so he will kick your ass if you say something about him." In disbelief the interviewer replied "No, really?" to which Will said, "Yes, Michael Jackson kicked over my head! ~ Will Smith

Don't mess with me! I'm a black-belt! ~ Michael Rooker

There's a number of years that went by going from a white belt to a black belt. And I think, in a similar respect, years go by with your maturation process, and it's just as important to be disciplined with that as it was in karate. ~ D'Brickashaw Ferguson

The more advanced the teacher, the better for you. The fifth degree black belt is so expert that they will understand that you're a beginner and throw you perfectly so that no harm will befall you. ~ Frederick Lenz

I'm a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and 2nd degree in karate, and I'm a licensed bodyguard. ~ Katheryn Winnick

1-2 out of every 100 students reach Black Belt and of those only 1 out of every 1,000 achieves his 2nd Dan ~ Mas Oyama

I've got a black-belt in crazy, and I know where you live. ~ Marjorie M. Liu

When you first start to do jiu-jitsu everyone has the goal of being a black belt. You want to be great at everything you do. ~ Junior Dos Santos

If bitching were karate, my mother would be a black belt. ~ Lisa Burstein

it takes just as much training to get along with people. Only, training by yourself in the mountains won't do you any good. You need to surround yourself with others. As you get to know them, of course you take the chance that you'll end up hurting them, or they'll end up hurting you. One of those things might very well happen. That's the only way we learn... about others, and about ourselves. You're a black-belt in martial arts, but I'd guess you still a white-belt in social skills. Someday, you're going to meet someone that truly wants to be your friend, and you, theirs. But it if you don't keep training, you won't be ready when that happens." ~Shigure Sohma ~ Natsuki Takaya

As I became older, I was given many masks to wear. I could be a laborer laying railroad tracks across the continent, with long hair in a queue to be pulled by pranksters; a gardener trimming the shrubs while secretly planting a bomb; a saboteur before the day of infamy at Pearl Harbor, signaling the Imperial Fleet; a kamikaze pilot donning his headband somberly, screaming 'Banzai' on my way to my death; a peasant with a broad-brimmed straw hat in a rice paddy on the other side of the world, stooped over to toil in the water; an obedient servant in the parlor, a houseboy too dignified for my own good; a washerman in the basement laundry, removing stains using an ancient secret; a tyrant intent on imposing my despotism on the democratic world, opposed by the free and the brave; a party cadre alongside many others, all of us clad in coordinated Mao jackets; a sniper camouflaged in the trees of the jungle, training my gunsights on G.I. Joe; a child running with a body burning from napalm, captured in an unforgettable photo; an enemy shot in the head or slaughtered by the villageful; one of the grooms in a mass wedding of couples, having met my mate the day before through our cult leader; an orphan in the last airlift out of a collapsed capital, ready to be adopted into the good life; a black belt martial artist breaking cinderblocks with his head, in an advertisement for Ginsu brand knives with the slogan 'but wait--there's more' as the commercial segued to show another free gift ~ Frank H. Wu

If cunnilingus was a martial art, I'd wear my black belt with pride. ~ Jodi Knight

I have a black belt in sarcasm, and my wit is like lightning. ~ N.R. Walker

Are you scared?"
"Yes! It freaks me out, okay?"
Wyatt laughed. "Noah! You have a black belt!"
"What good does that do against ghosts and hobgoblins? Just because I can kick your ass doesn't mean I'm not tender. ~ Abigail Roux

I don't like to brag or frighten, but I've got a black belt. And a brown one, which I sometimes wear with black slacks. ~ Jarod Kintz

Black belt, and she'd earned the mother of all vendettas by leaving his bed without so much as a note. They'd been friends for almost ten years, since college, a world that lay just a few ~ Jeri Smith-Ready

Wanna dance?" he asked
"I guess you'll do. All the cute guys are already taken," I answered with a grin.
"You wound me with your callousness," he sighed dramatically, taking me in his arms.
"I do have a black belt in demolishing overstuffed egos. ~ Lani Woodland

I'm an extra dark black belt in ping pong. ~ Judah Friedlander

I had a black belt in Shotokan as a kid. ~ Joel Edgerton

It wasn't until I went to Korea out of high school and got exposed to the martial arts for the first time and was just completely enamored with the physical ability of the martial arts and making my black belt. ~ Chuck Norris

Many of us begin this art with little to no understanding of what we are getting ourselves into. Then, maybe a year or a black belt later, we realize this odyssey we have embarked upon and rest happily in knowing we have chosen a noble struggle.

I think we owe most of our successes to our initial ignorance. When we begin, we cannot see the obstacles ahead, and so we march on optimistically. In hindsight, when we look back and connect the dots, we see just how green we were at the start, and it was only our ignorance that upheld us from the crushing despair of the task at hand. ~ Chris Matakas

In Alabama, for instance, in 1900 fourteen Black Belt counties had
79,311 voters on the rolls; by June 1, 1903, after the new
constitution was passed, registration had dropped to just 1,081.
Statewide Alabama in 1900 had
181,315 blacks eligible to vote. By 1903
only 2,980 were registered, although
at least 74,000 were literate. From
1900 to 1903, white registered voters
fell by more than 40,000, although
their population grew in overall
number. By 1941, more poor whites
than blacks had been disfranchised in
Alabama, mostly due to effects of the
cumulative poll tax. Estimates were
that 600,000 whites and 500,000
blacks had been disfranchised. ~ Boundless

Some people seem to have a black belt in selfishness ... ninja narcissists with no regard to how they impact those around them ... but at the same time, a master at the art of playing victim. ~ Steve Maraboli

A black belt is a white belt who never quits! ~ Renzo Gracie

Most kinds of power require a substantial sacrifice by whoever wants the power. There is an apprenticeship, a discipline lasting many years. Whatever kind of power you want. President of the company. Black belt in karate. Spiritual guru. Whatever it is you seek, you have to put in the time, the practice, the effort. You must give up a lot to get it. It has to be very important to you. And once you have attained it, it's your power. It can't be given away: it resides in you. It is literally the result of your discipline.

Now what is interesting about this process is that, by the time someone has acquired the ability to kill with his bare hands, he has also matured to the point where he won't use it unwisely. So that kind of power has a built-in control. The discipline of getting the you so that you won't abuse it.
But scientific power is like inherited wealth: attained without discipline. You read what others have done, and you take the next step. You can do it very young. You can make progress very fast.
There is no discipline lasting many decades. There is no mastery: old scientists are ignored. There is no humility before nature. There is only a get-rich-quick, make-a-name-for-yourself-fast philosophy.
Cheat, lie, falsify--it doesn't matter. Not to you, or to your colleagues. No one will criticize you. No one has any standards. They all trying to do the same thing: to do something big, and do it fast.
"And because you can stand on the shoulder ~ Michael Crichton

White women have a black belt in the fake smile. ~ Khaya Dlanga

Back off, perv! I have a black belt in taekwondo
and I will fuck you up if you take another step toward
me."
Chase raised his hands in surrender, trying really,
really hard to keep his eyes on hers. "Whoa, there,
crouching tiger. Let's just take this down a notch. ~ Lorelei James

A black belt is what you prove to be, but also what it means in your heart. ~ Jason David Frank

Relativity is a beautiful, irrifutable truth. We must acknowledge that wearing a black belt in jiu jitsu does not make you a black belt in life. In the home, there are black belts who are white belt fathers, and there are white belts who are black belt fathers. This holds true for all areas of life. A black belt does not mean you are successful in life. It does mean that you have mastered this art to an enormous degree, and that the skills you have acquired can be transmuted to a plethora of other activities. It does not mean, however, that you have done this. ~ Chris Matakas

Black is beautiful .Black isn't power. Knowledge is power. You can be black as a crow or white as snow but if you don't know and you ain't got no dough, you can't go and that's for sho'. ~ Lewis H. Michaux

MOUNT PLAASMOORDE
If ever you visit South Africa
And do
Leave the brilliant beaches of Cape Town for a moment
Climb Mount Plaasmoorde Witkruis monument
And you'll see the victims of apartheid
White crosses marking a thousand white victims
Planted in the earth of a million black victims
They lie dissolved in the humus of the soils
They were too many to have their own marked graves
Too many to build black crosses for
And just too hard to forget about
Because they make the soil under your feet black ~ Dauglas Dauglas

I walked along the side with the spray-painted trees, some in white like a starched chemical snowfall, others painted gold, pink, red, even black. The black tree, about three feet high, looked like it had been burnt. I wondered who would want a black tree, but I knew someone would. There was no limit to the ways in which people could be strange."

~ White Oleander ~ Janet Fitch

No boyfriend wants to see their girlfriend in a video with a big, handsome black dude feeding his fingers into her mouth, do they? But that concept is my expression, and boyfriends have to deal with that, don't they? ~ FKA Twigs

You didn't know whether Chuck Berry was black or white - it was not a concern. ~ Keith Richards

Harvey Weinstein bought our film, and he's an animal. He's got us out there campaigning and everything because honestly it's a silent black-and-white film. ~ Penelope Ann Miller

means. I try not to roll my eyes. I remember women like me can't scream at women like her. I can't grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she listens. I need to cooperate. I need her on my side. I'm already in the negative with her. My build, my skin - shit, even my voice. Brooklyn and I both, since we hit puberty, have deep and raspy voices that can carry across a few rooms. Those Lewis girls sure pack a presence. To the detective, I've already been hysterical. To D.A. Flora Rivers, the next step paints me as someone who overreacts, the step beyond that means I'm unreasonable, then hostile and then I'm the one getting arrested.

(p. 35) Kindle Edition. ~ Rebekah Weatherspoon

I would straight up fuck a snowman right now, she says. Just to cool down. - Miriam Black ~ Chuck Wendig

We've all been in positions where we felt out of place or not accepted for whatever reason. For me, that's been my life. I've always been that person that stood out. And what makes you an outcast is what makes you unique, and you should harness that. Being a black sheep gives you creative license to do sh*t differently. ~ Andre Hueston Mack

It's a big thing now: A lot of people want to be assistants to celebrities. If you're pursuing that, you're an idiot. You're a moron. The shortest distance between two points is not a celebrity, or being next to a celebrity. ~ Lewis Black

Madam,
My sincere thanks for your offer to speak to the tenants regarding the drainage issues. However, since you are already burdened with many demands, I have sent my brother, Weston, to handle the problem. He will arrive at Eversby Priory on Wednesday, and stay for a fortnight. I have lectured him at length about gentlemanly conduct. If he causes you a moment's distress, wire me and it will be resolved immediately.
My brother will arrive at the Alton rail station at noon on Saturday. I do hope you'll send someone to collect him, since I feel certain no one else will want him.
Trenear

P.S. Did you really dye the shawl black?

My Lord,
Amid the daily tumult of construction, which is louder than an army corps of drums, your brother's presence will likely go unnoticed.
We will fetch him on Wednesday.
Lady Trenear

P.S. Why did you send me a shawl so obviously unsuitable for mourning?

In response to Kathleen's letter, a telegram was delivered from the village post office on the morning of West's scheduled arrival.

Madam,
You won't be in mourning forever.
Trenear ~ Lisa Kleypas

Pushing his black-framed glasses up his nose, he said, "Today, we're going to start building cabinets. I've run out of storage areas and I thought this would be a good learning experience for you. You should see a sheet in front of you that shows that dimensions that I need. You can either make a plain cabinet or you can add detailing for extra credit. And Sophie?" He looked at me.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Please, I'm begging you, stay away from the power tools. ~ Micalea Smeltzer

Her oil-black hair's sort of punky. She must use gel. I'd love to gel her gel in for her. ~ David Mitchell

Like many people who dress in black, the lump of coal was interested in becoming an artist. ~ Lemony Snicket

The clothes chosen for me as a child had a strong element of the Pre-Raphaelite, muted greens and ivories, dusty rose, what seems in retrospect an eccentric amount of black. ~ Joan Didion

He looked up to see if the sun had gone behind a cloud. It hadn't, but it almost seemed to him that there was a black corona forming around its brilliant circle, like a ring of mascara around a startled eye. Half ~ Stephen King

was Superman. He jumped off a building - a skyscraper, no less - thinking he could fly away, and died when he found that he couldn't. I don't know if he was wearing his super suit at the time. Noel Thomas's story began with the same ending, though the means weren't so dramatic. She sat in my office, slim black purse on the floor next to her, hands folded on her lap, and calmly related that her father had killed himself. She wanted to know why. ~ Judy K. Walker

I am black," she said, and a shudder rippled through me. "I am foul with a
thousand years of demon curses. Don't cross me or I will bring you and your house down. Rachel is the only clean thing I have, and you won't sully her to
further your high ideas. ~ Kim Harrison

I am married to a prince who will one day be a king. Usually this is where the fairy tale ends. Stories don't go much further than this moment, and I fear there's a good reason for it. A sense of dread hung over today, a black cloud I still can't get rid of. It is an unease deep in the heart of me, feeding off my strength. ~ Victoria Aveyard

Norm was lean, his short, straight black hair parted on the side, his mustache trimmed like he'd never heard of Adolf Hitler. ~ Jane Sunday

A gurgling chuckle came from behind him; Jonas had heard it often enough to know that it signified something as close to laughter as the creature ever got. Yet you believe those things won't come if you serve your Lord? You know what they say about the road to Hell, Judas. ~ Kaine Andrews

I got into one Metallica record. That was about it. I never got into AC/DC or Black Sabbath or any of that. I was interested in the side of heavy metal that had interesting guitar ideas, but that was a very short-lived thing. ~ M. Ward

I think that the response to the OJ Simpson trial was based on a kind of sensibility that emerged out of the many campaigns to defend black communities against police violence. ~ Angela Davis

I remember that rape case you defended, but I missed the point. You love justice, all right. Abstract justice written down item by item on a brief - nothing to do with that black boy, you just like a neat brief. His cause interfered with your orderly mind, and you had to work order out of disorder. It's a compulsion with you, and now it's coming home to you - ~ Harper Lee

Bringing up a child and caring for a sick person have this in common: both require an energy that is not really yours. You are instilled with it by them, by their eager love, their expectant fear. And they clamor for it as though scenting fresh meat. I sometimes feel that motherhood is a black hole. Whatever you put in is never enough, and you've no idea where it goes. At other times, though, I feel like a vampire feeding off her own child. Devouring his enthusiasm in order to carry on believing in life. ~ Andres Neuman

I. Those of us born by water are never afraid enough of drowning. Bruises used to trophy my knees from my death-defying tree climb jumps. Growing up, my backyard was a forest of blackberry bushes. I learned early nothing sweet will come to you unthorned.

II. At twelve your body becomes a currency. So Jenny and I sat down and cut up all our clothes into nothing. That year I failed math class but knew the exact number of calories in a carrot stick. I learned early being desired goes hand in hand with hunger.

III. The last time I tried to scream I felt my father climbing up through my throat and into my mouth.

IV. There is a certain kind of girl who reads Lolita at fourteen and finds religion. I painted my eyes black and sucked barroom cherries to red my tongue. There was a boy who promised Judas really did love Jesus. I learned early every kiss and betrayal are up for interpretation.

V. I think he must have conferenced with my nightmares on exactly how to hurt me.

VI. He never broke my heart. He only turned it into a compass that always points me back to him. ~ Clementine Von Radics

Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life's journey, remember that the black keys also create music. ~ Ehssan

They're a different generation, those kids; kids that are under the age of twelve. They're not that impressed by rock music, you know what I mean? They're like, it's cool and everything, but whatever. They're just as impressed by YouTube. ~ Frank Black

But before you do that, inform your master that we have arrived."
"His master," said a biting voice from a rear doorway, "is aware of that."
Elizabeth swung around at the scathing tone of Ian's voice, and her fantasy of seeing him fall to his knees in remorse the moment he set eyes on her collapsed the instant she saw his face; it was as hard and forbidding as a granite sculpture. He did not bother to come forward but instead remained where he was, his shoulder propped negligently against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest, watching her through narrowed eyes. Until then Elizabeth had thought she remembered exactly what he looked like, but she hadn't. Not really. His suede jacket clung to wide shoulders that were broader and more muscular than she'd remembered, and his thick hair was almost black. His face was one of leashed sensuality and arrogant handsomeness with its sculpted mouth and striking eyes, but now she noticed the cynicism in those golden eyes and the ruthless set of his jaw-things she'd obviously been too young and naïve to see before. Everything about him exuded brute strength, and that in turn made her feel even more helpless as she searched his features for some sign that this aloof, forbidding man had actually held and kissed her with seductive tenderness.
"Have you had an edifying look at me, Countess?" he snapped, and before she could recover from the shock of that rude greeting his next words rendered her nearly speechless. "Yo ~ Judith McNaught

Imagine a pitch-black room with a single candle lit in the center," he said, his voice gone low. "The room is the world. You are the candle. ~ Kresley Cole

Taking things personally makes you easy prey for these predators, the black magicians. They can hook you easily with one little opinion and feed you whatever poison they want, and because you take it personally, you eat it up. You eat all their emotional garbage, and now it becomes your garbage. But if you do not take it personally, you are immune in the middle of hell. Immunity to poison in the middle of hell is the gift of this agreement. ~ Miguel Ruiz

Where is it, Rudolf?" she whispers, pressing herself against me. "Tell me where it is! Has a piece of me
been left behind everywhere? In all the mirrors I have looked into? I have seen lots of them, countless ones!
Am I scattered everywhere in them? Has each of them taken some part of me? A thin impression, a thin slice
of me? Have I been shaved down by mirrors like a piece of wood by a carpenter's plane? What is still left of
me?"
I take her by the shoulders. "All of you is still here," I say. "On-the contrary, mirrors add something. They
make it visible and give it to you - a bit of space, a lighted bit of our-self."
"Myself?" She continues to cling to my hand. "But suppose it is not that way? Suppose myself is buried all
over in thousands and thousands of mirrors? How can I get it back? Oh, I can never get it back! It is lost!
Lost! It has been rubbed away like a statue that no longer has a face. Where is my face? Where is my first
face? The one before all the mirrors? The one before they began to steal me!"
"No one has stolen you," I say in desperation. "Mirrors don't steal. They only reflect. ~ Erich Maria Remarque

If you look hard enough, you can find race issues and racism in everything. I know people who say, 'See, I don't play pool 'cuz that's where the white ball chase the black ball off the table. So I prefer bowling, where the big black ball knock down the white pins with the red necks.' ~ Chi McBride