Brennan Quotes

Why should a great and powerful nation like the United States allow its relationship with more than a billion Muslims around the world to be defined by the narrow hatred and nihilistic actions of an exceptionally small minority of Muslims? ~ John O. Brennan

Do you like him? Ty asked. "Not that I care." "I do," I said, because it was true. Even though it didn't matter anymore. "Not that I care you don't care. Though you clearly do care, and I don't care about that either." "Well, I don't care that you don't care that I don't care. In fact i'm glad. Because, um, if I were seeming someone that I liked, I'd want you to be happy for me.""Are you seeing someone?" I asked, pretty sure he wasn't. "Not that I care. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

If there are older black people in the audience that I can see I will not say the n-word. I know they grew up with a different meaning. ~ Neal Brennan

And though it is true that the church must always dissociate itself from sin, it can never have any excuse for keeping any sinner at a distance ~ Brennan Manning

Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. ~ Brennan Manning

Though lip service is paid to the gospel of grace, many Christians live as if only personal discipline and self-denial will mold the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing. In this curious process God is a benign old spectator in the bleachers who cheers when I show up for morning quiet time. ~ Brennan Manning

There isn't much of a Goth or Wicca scene in Exeter, but I went to a few places I know and asked around. A lot of people wouldn't talk to me because the Goths think I'm a bit of a baby bat, and the Wiccans think I'm a playgan."

"People think you're - a bat," Nick said slowly. "Well, of course. Many people think I'm a blueberry scone. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Several times in my ministry people have expressed the fear that self-acceptance will abort the ongoing conversion process and lead to a life of spiritual laziness and moral laxity. Nothing could be more untrue. The acceptance of self does not mean to be resigned to the status quo. On the contrary, the more fully we accept ourselves, the more successfully we begin to grow. Love is a far better stimulus than threat or pressure. ~ Brennan Manning

Are you telling me that I have magical powers ... because I can't walk through walls? That dosen't seem right. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Authoritative interpretations of the First Amendment guarantees have consistently refused to recognize an exception for any test of truth whether administered by judges, juries, or administrative officials and especially one that puts the burden of proving truth on the speaker. ~ William J. Brennan

He moves with the predatory grace of a penguin. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Have mercy, Dad," said Kami. "Tell me you're here to rescue me before they break out the Jell-O. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The kingdom belongs to people who aren't trying to look good or impress anybody, even themselves. They are not plotting how they can call attention to themselves, worrying about how their actions will be interpreted or wondering if they will get gold stars for their behavior. ~ Brennan Manning

You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," said Jared, low enough so that Kami wasn't sure if she was hearing it or understanding it through Ash. "Your mom's not the boss of you."

Ash smiled, rueful and charming. "My mom's kind of the boss of me."

"Nope," Jared said easily. "We time-share bossing you around, and it's my turn. I say do whatever you want. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

For the Christian one dislocating, self-impoverishing hour spent with a child living in a broken-down dump is worth more than all the burial mounds of rhetoric, all the enfeebled good intentions, all the mumbling and fumbling and tardiness of those Christians who are so busy cultivating their own holiness that they cannot hear the anguished cry of the child in the slum. ~ Brennan Manning

In my experience, self-hatred is the dominant malaise crippling Christians and stifling their growth in the Holy Spirit. ~ Brennan Manning

There is an extraordinary power in storytelling that stirs the imagination and makes an indelible impression on the mind. ~ Brennan Manning

Catherine de Hueck Doherty observes in The Gospel Without Compromise: The Gospel can be summed up by saying that it is the tremendous, tender, compassionate, gentle, extraordinary, explosive, revolutionary revelation of Christ's love. ~ Brennan Manning

Ash went in, casting a look that was half amused and half dubious back at her. His stride toward his desk was checked when he walked into the line of Jared's glare.

Ash gave him a chilly glance, then continued to his own desk.

Jared turned his attention to Kami. Do you want to go out with him?

We agreed to try to stay out of stuff like that when we were fourteen years old. You remember when we were fourteen! ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

It was the emotional equivalent of being stung in the pride by a jellyfish. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Faithfulness requires the courage to risk everything on Jesus, the willingness to keep growing, and the readiness to risk failure throughout our lives. ~ Brennan Manning

The North American Church is at a critical juncture. The gospel of grace is being confused and compromised by silence, seduction, and outright subversion. The vitality of the faith is being jeopardized. The lying slogans of the fixers who carry religion like a sword of judgment pile up with impunity. Let ragamuffins everywhere gather as a confessing Church to cry out in protest. Revoke the licenses of religious leaders who falsify the idea of God. Sentence them to three years in solitude with the Bible as their only companion. ~ Brennan Manning

Jared told her he used to be an exotic dancer in San Francisco.'
'My body is a gift from God,' Jared said gravely. 'Except for my hips, which are clearly a gift from the devil. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Are a woman's wishes only fit to be considered when blessed by a male relative? ~ Marie Brennan

The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become - the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and joyful thanksgiving. Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude causes us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. ~ Brennan Manning

I'm always on your side. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

I'd love to see more novels and short stories where the characters have their own folklore that isn't the Plot-Bearing Prophecy of Doom. ~ Marie Brennan

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it. ~ Brennan Manning

I go to bed at night worrying that I didn't do enough that day to make sure I protect the American people. ~ John O. Brennan

Al-Qa'ida does not follow a traditional command structure, wear uniforms, carry its arms openly, or mass its troops at the borders of the nations it attacks. Nonetheless, it possesses the demonstrated capability to strike with little notice and cause significant civilian or military casualties. ~ John O. Brennan

I can smite you " Nick grumbled. "Anytime I like. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

My mood depends heavily on what happens to me right after I get up. ~ Marie Brennan

What could you teach me?" Jamie asked, a dimple flashing in his right cheek next to his earring. "Do I need to learn a secret magician handshake? Do I need to learn to do finger wands?"

Gerald burst out laughing. "I - " he said, and seemed somewhat at a loss. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like a finger gun, but only magicians get to do it," Jamie explained, grinning and shifting his schoolbag on one shoulder. He swished one finger in a dramatic circle, making a swooshing sound to accompany the gesture.

"We don't use wands," said Gerald.

"Don't think that wasn't a crushing blow for me. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

If we continue to focus solely on the sinner/saint duality in our person and conduct, while ignoring the raging opposition between the Pharisee and the child, spiritual growth will come to an abrupt standstill. ~ Brennan Manning

I said very quietly, "Do you think you might need to go to the bathroom at any point in the near future?"
"Uh," said Carwyn, "what? No. What?" He paused. "I want you to know that was my first time," he added. "Not knowing what to say to someone. I always have something to say."
"Well, your first time didn't last long, but I guess that's always how it goes," I said. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

You're going to Hallow's Field on your motorcycle?"

"Want a lift?"

"No," said Kami. "I mean, you're going into a situation where something really bad might be happening, and you've decided to make sure they can hear you coming? Better hope being a tavern wench works out, because you, sir, will never be a ninja. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

I like your jumper," she said into it.

"You like my what?" Jared asked. Kami tugged at his sleeve in response and he laughed. "In the civilized land of the Americas, we call that a sweater. A jumper is a dress. You might as well have just said, 'Why, Jared, what a fetching frock you're wearing today.' "

"Why, Jared, what a fetching frock you're wearing today," Kami said instantly, raising her head so she could lift her face up to his. "You look ever so pretty."

Jared laughed, a soft huff of breath, and rested his forehead gently against hers. "Your frock's fairly fetching as well."

Kami closed her eyes, embarrassed to let him see she was happy he'd noticed. "Thanks."

"Not as fetching as mine, of course," Jared added. "I am the prettiest. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

U.S. computer networks and databases are under daily cyber attack by nation states, international crime organizations, subnational groups, and individual hackers. ~ John O. Brennan

Nudity, I find, rapidly becomes boring when it is not treated as scandalous. ~ Marie Brennan

Simply stated, the need for accurate intelligence and prescient analysis from CIA has never been greater than it is in 2013 - or than it will be in the coming years. ~ John O. Brennan

We will use all lawful tools at our disposal, and that includes authorities under the renewed PATRIOT Act. We firmly believe that our intelligence gathering tools must enable us to collect the information we need to protect the American people. ~ John O. Brennan

I hate this, I want this to stop, how are we supposed to live with this, and how am I supposed to walk away? You're real and I hate you for it. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Men and women whose outlook on life is conditioned by the Dow are shrewder on the street than are the disciples on their spiritual journey. ~ Brennan Manning

Do you love your country?"

"What, England?" asked Elliot. "Wow. Am I a poet in 1914?"

"What," said Commander Woodsinger.

"What," said Elliot. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

I don't like wizard stories all that much. Stories about witches are better, because witches are morally ambiguous and traditionally disempowered. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

I'm not sure he could've handled a nip slip," she said blandly. ~ M.L. Brennan

It's only in the deep depth of one's soul you will find the truth of a person. But, be fore warned, what you find may be black, sinister, and more inhuman than you could have ever imagined. ~ J.C. Brennan

Because I know what it's like to feel alone. I know what it's like to live in a paper world, to be good at hurting people, to think everybody should just shut up and do what you say.
And then I remember that deep down, people are good, everybody's trying, and nobody deserves respect just for being powerful.
So if I've got the voice in my head that tells me to crush people, then I think you probably have the voice that says the other thing too. If people keep calling us heroes and villains, they'll never know how close we came to listening to the other voice all those times. ~ Brennan Lee Mulligan

Oh no, Nick" Jaime said in tones of supremely unconvincing shock, "how could you? When my back was turned for one momement. And my food was so delicious. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

It's the family motto," Ash said.
"Don't tell me, let me guess," Kami said, since Ash showed no signs of telling her. "Your motto is 'Blonds really do have more fun.' "
Another Lynburn motto possibility, if her mother was to be believed, was "Hot Blond Death. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Being the beloved is our identity, the core of our existence. It is not merely a lofty thought, an inspiring idea, or one name among many. It is the name by which God knows us and the way He relates to us ~ Brennan Manning

Love always costs more than you can afford to pay," he said. "And it's always worth the price. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

They were standing in a very large room. The floorboards stretched in a pale expanse at their feet. There was so much dust on the floor that it had a pearly sheen.
"Even you could not nap on this floor," Kami told Angela.
"I don't know, a dust mattress might be very comfortable," said Angela. "Also possibly orthopedic. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Assured of your salvation by the unique grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the heartbeat of the gospel, joyful liberation from fear of the Final Outcome, a summons to self-acceptance, and freedom for a life of compassion toward others. ~ Brennan Manning

To feel safe is to stop living in my head and sink down into my heart and feel liked and accepted ... not having to hide anymore and distract myself with books, television, movies, ice cream, shallow conversation ... staying in the present moment and not escaping into the past or projecting into the future, alert and attentive to the now ... feeling relaxed and not nervous or jittery ... no need to impress or dazzle others or draw attention to myself. ... Unself-conscious, a new way of being with myself, a new way of being in the world ... calm, unafraid, no anxiety about what's going to happen next ... loved and valued ... just being together as an end in itself. ~ Brennan Manning

You should wear whatever clothing you feel most comfortable in. Being comfortable in yourself is the best way to be attractive to others. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

His desperation and misery swept her up like a storm capturing the sea. She turned her mind to even these feelings, because they were his, like his terrified rage in the lift when they had first met, being wrapped in his arms in the cold well, being dazzled by his wonder at the woods and her home and her. Like being a child, awareness of him the morning chorus that woke her and the lullaby that sent her to sleep, his thoughts always her first and last song.
I love you, Kami told him, and cut. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The ancient spiritual tradition is that God gives himself fully to us in silence and solitude. ~ Brennan Manning

I suppose some were born acting, some achieve action, and some have action thrust upon while they wail feebly 'Dear God, no, let me sleep in.' I'm only acting once, and then never again. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Home in Ireland, I went to Collins Barracks and spent some time wandering around, making notes on the various guns, knives and swords. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

This is your life!" Jared shouted.
"That's right!" Kami shouted back at him. "It's my life! I get to decide what to do with it! Don't you dare act like my life means more to you than it does to me! ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

I need the wisdom, reasoning, and apologetics of C. S. Lewis, though some of his theological beliefs are different from mine. I need the preaching and charisma of Charles Spurgeon, though his view of baptism is different from mine. I need the resurrection vision of N. T. Wright and the theology of Jonathan Edwards, though their views on church government are different from mine. I need the passion and prophetic courage of Martin Luther King Jr., the cultural intelligence of Soong-Chan Rah, and the Confessions of St. Augustine, though their ethnicities are different from mine. I need the justice impulse and communal passion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, though his nationality is different from mine. I need the spiritual thirst and love drive of Brennan Manning and the prophetic wit of G. K. Chesterton, though both are Roman Catholics and I am a Protestant. I need the hymns and personal holiness of John and Charles Wesley, though some of their doctrinal distinctives are different from mine. I need the glorious weakness of Joni Eareckson Tada, the spirituality of Marva Dawn, the trusting perseverance of Elisabeth Elliot, the long-suffering spirit of Amy Carmichael, the transparency of Rebekah Lyons, the thankfulness of Ann Voskamp, the Kingdom vision of Amy Sherman, and the integrity of Patti Sauls, though their gender is different from mine. As St. Augustine reputedly said, "In nonessentials, liberty." To this we might add, "In nonessentials, open-minded receptivity." We Christians m ~ Scott Sauls

The most annoying thing, perhaps, was that the elven troop were obviously good people and were being kind to them, and yet Elliot felt subtly wrong-footed at every turn. He wondered if this was how Serene felt all the time, and he promised himself to bear it as well as she did. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Quit keeping score altogether and surrender yourself with all your sinfulness to God who sees neither the score nor the scorekeeper but only his child redeemed by Christ. ~ Brennan Manning

Becoming a little child meant becoming aware that all is gift, that I am helpless and powerless to add a single inch to my spiritual stature. Without the subjective awareness of utter dependence, the personal consciousness of a dynamism outside of self at work in us, I seriously question whether anyone has made real progress in the spiritual life. ~ Brennan Manning

He had called girls to him before. There was nothing so easy whether you were walking into a classroom, a club, or down the street. All you had to do was send out the right signals, give her the right look, turn your body the right way, and never for a moment let it cross your mind that she might not be interested. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The question is not can we heal? The question, the only question, is will we let the healing power of the risen Jesus flow through us to reach and touch others, so that they may dream and fight and bear and run where the brave dare not go? ~ Brennan Manning

Since taking office, President Obama has worked to restore a positive vision of American leadership in the world - leadership defined, not by the threats and dangers that we will oppose, but by the security, opportunity and dignity that America advances in partnership with people around the world. ~ John O. Brennan

Jared glanced at Dad, then back at Kami, and said, "I'll call you later."

You have never called me once in the entirety of your life, said Kami. I'll talk to you in a few minutes. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The kingdom is not an exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a larger, homelier, less self-conscious caste of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle. ~ Brennan Manning

And about that," he continued. "Now that Kami and I have met, she likes me better than you. So you can leave. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

You can't go back. You can't have what was stolen.
Just forget... ~ Allison Brennan

I had rather face wild beasts and diseases than the perils of civilization.
There is a proverb, which Tom was kind enough not to voice: be careful what you wish for. Unfortunately, not only did I get it, but so did those around me. ~ Marie Brennan

He kills people. Now I'm no expert, but doesn't that make you a bad person?"
Jamie glared at Nick. "You've killed a lot more people than he has. What does that make you?"
"Not a person," Nick murmured, not sounding particularly interested. "Surely you remember. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Just as Manda Lewis's impressions of the world had been informed by her reading
leading her to expect balls, duels, and conveniently timed thunderstorms out of life
so, too, had mine; but what I expected was intellectual commerce between equals. ~ Marie Brennan

You were not the first dream I ever had, but you were the only dream that ever felt real. You were the dream the taught me I did have a soul. I don't know how low I will fall or what evil I will do, but I know you. I know there is nothing between us and there never could be. But I would do whatever you asked. I would do anything you want. If I had anything Worth giving to you, I would give it. If I had anything to sacrifice, I would sacrifice it for you. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Faith means wanting God and wanting to want nothing else. ~ Brennan Manning

We either misdirect or depress great amounts of energy in order to keep ourselves from feeling pain, including what we feel in the moment and being who we are in the moment. ~ Barbara Brennan

People always hate those they rely on. I should know. As Mark spoke, I held his hand fast, leaned against him, smiled for the cameras in the circle of his protection, and I could not imagine hating anyone more. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The rules may seem obvious but when you think about them they're not. For somebody who has my job they're not as obvious as one would think. ~ Neal Brennan

Kami glanced over at Angela. Angela lay serenely with her hands folded across her chest and her lashes like black lace against her white cheeks. "You look so sweet when you sleep," Kami said. "Like an emo ten-year-old's first Vampire Bride Barbie. Pull the string on the back and she says cruel things to her hardworking friends. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Some magicians are rich, some are famous, some are stupidly good-looking.'
Jamie gave Nick a rather complicated look.
Nick raised an eyebrow. 'Some of us manage to be stupidly good-looking on our own. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Christianity is not an ethical code. It is a love affair, a Spirit-filled way of living aimed at making us professional lovers of God and people. ~ Brennan Manning

Christianity happens when men and women accept with unwavering trust that their sins have been not only forgiven, but forgotten, washed away in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, my friend archbishop Joe Reia says, A sad Christian is a phony Christian, and a guilty Christian is no Christian at all. ~ Brennan Manning

Choose a single, sacred word or phrase that captures something of the flavor of your intimate relationship with God. A word such as Jesus, Abba, Peace, God or a phrase such as "Abba, I belong to you." ... Without moving your lips, repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often. ~ Brennan Manning

Henry went down on one knee. 'Like King Arthur's knights,' Mr. Fogarty had told him, but he didn't feel much like a knight. In fact he felt like a twit. ~ Herbie Brennan

'Fire and Hemlock' is the reason I'm a writer. ~ Marie Brennan

Hello," said the beautiful elven maid. "I was just thinking, and I mean no offence, but - how can any fighting force crowded with the softer sex hope to prevail in battle?"
"Huh?" said Elliot, brilliantly. "The softer what?"
"I refer to men," said the elf girl. "Naturally I was aware the Border guard admitted men, and I support men in their endeavor to prove they are equal to women, but their natures are not warlike, are they? ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

You make a really compelling argument. Join me or get walled up alive with a corpse? You should be a politician. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Rusty, Dad needs to work and I'm going out, so you're babysitting."
"I like that word," Rusty said, settling down for a nap. "Come, babies. Let us sit together. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

It's - it's as if there is a dragon inside me. I don't know how big she is; she may still be growing. But she has wings, and strength, and - and I can't keep her in a cage. She'll die. I'll die. I know it isn't modest to say these things, but I know I'm capable of more than life in Scirland will allow. It's all right for women to study theology, or literature, but nothing so rough and ready as this. And yet this is what I want. Even if it's hard, even if it's dangerous. I don't care. I need to see where my wings can carry me. ~ Marie Brennan

The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the adaptability of its great principles to cope with current problems and current needs. ~ William J. Brennan

Jon Glass had vaulted over the fence and was now approaching a horse chosen by some sort of weird horse-knowledge method, or possibly because it was shiny. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

Annabel was trying to hide her sword under her suit jacket without much success. People were staring ...
And then they weren't. There were no people, as if the whole town had forgotten as one that these streets and this square had ever existed. The deserted street they were racing down seemed darker than the busy street they had left, as if light was lost with memory, as if they were running into oblivion, and Mae didn't care as long as they got there in time. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

We cannot fully appreciate eternal life and all its bliss without first understanding the important testing ground of human life on Earth. We cannot be all until we are one. We cannot be raised high until we go low. And we cannot appreciate all our many freedoms until first we begin with nothing. ~ Sean Patrick Brennan

Nah, Dad, I'm good. Please leave me in this hotel bedroom with my handsome boyfriend. And several of his relatives, and a very sharp weapon."
"Clearly I went badly wrong somewhere when raising you," said Dad. "Well, best to do down before Tomo gets into the vodka. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan

The number of people who have fled the church because it is too patient or compassionate is negligible; the number who have fled because they find it too unforgiving is tragic. ~ Brennan Manning

I'm of the camp that if an angel tells you one thing, and a man in ruby slippers tells you another, you go with the angel. ~ Sean Patrick Brennan

The dragon within my heart stirred, shifting her wings, as if remembering they could be used to fly. ~ Marie Brennan

All Ash had ever wanted was to be at home and surrounded by his family. Now, under the judgmental gaze of a hundred Lynburns, with a sneering Lynburn voice in his ear, he started thinking about the merits of running away and changing his name. "Ash Smith" had a certain ring to it. ~ Sarah Rees Brennan