Quintana Quotes

The worst thing about our problems is that nobody has nothing to do with them ~ Mario Quintana

Why question what Froi of Lumatere was doing here?' he asked.' When you should be questioning what would have happened to Charyn if he hadn't been here. Who else would have saved Gargarin of Abroi from the street lords? ... 'Who would have saved Quintana of Charyn from hanging? Who would have rescued her from Tariq of Lascow's compound? Who would have sent her to a safe place to birth the cursebreaker? Blah, blah, blah. I'm bored now,' Finnikin said, looking around. ~ Melina Marchetta

How is it that she spoke to you of such things?" Quintana asked.
"Oh, you know. She opened her mouth and words came out. ~ Melina Marchetta

Quintana had known Tubbs since high school; Tubbs had been one of the slightly nerdy intellectuals on the edge of the popular clique, while Quintana had been metal shop and a football lineman. ~ John Sandford

A kiss is the prize?' he asked sadly. 'Even more than giving me the rest of you? It should be the other way round, Princess. In the real world, it's called courting. You let a lad kiss you and then you offer him more.'

'Let me tell you something, Olivier,' she said with tears of sorrow in her eyes, 'this is my real world. ~ Melina Marchetta

Electricity poured though him like liquid agony, setting every nerve on fire. His body arched, his muscles going into spams, a cry tearing itself from between clenched teeth.

Then Quintana stepped back, leaving Zach shaking, breathless, wanting to puke. Strangely, he found the pain easier to bear now than he had two weeks before. Perhaps it was just that he'd been through this before. Or perhaps it was the fact that his pain was buying time for the woman he loved.

Why hadn't he told her? Why hadn't he told Natalie he loved her when he'd had the chance? It would've taken only a few seconds. What the hell had he been afraid of?
And all at once it hit him- regret as deep and wide as the ocean.

Natalie.

If he died today, she would never know what she meant to him. If he died, he would never even get a shot at building a life with her, of knowing what it was like to come home every night and find someone waiting for him. Hell, he wouldn't even know whether he'd gotten her pregnant.
Then don't die, McBride.

Zach looked into the eyes of the man who was going to kill him.

I love you, Natalie. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Forgive me. ~ Pamela Clare

I've been waiting for you all night and day,' she said.
Froi shivered. He realised that the words came from Quintana the ice maiden. Realised, as he felt his face heating up, that the idea of this Quintana waiting for him with excitement spoke to parts of him he believed to be dormant. And then she winked.
'Did I do that right?' she asked. Her smile was lopsided and he saw a glimpse of the teeth.
And Froi imagined that he would follow her to the ends of the earth. ~ Melina Marchetta

How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Dante Quintana? ~ Benjamin Alire Saenz

I liked it all, but most of all I liked the fact that although the play was entirely focused on Quintana there were, five evenings and two afternoons a week, these ninety full minutes, the run time of the play, during which she did not need to be dead.
During which the question remained open.
During which the denouement had yet to play out.
During which the last scene played did not necessarily need to be played in the ICU overlooking the East River.
During which the bells would not necessarily sound and the doors would not necessarily be locked at six.
During which the last dialogue heard did not necessarily need to concern the vent.
Like when someone dies, don't dwell on it. ~ Joan Didion

Books don't change the world, people change the world, books only change people. ~ Mario Quintana

And then the Charynite last borns were lifting Quintana on their shoulders and the Lumaterans had Froi on theirs, and she was laughing and he thought he'd never seen her look so beautiful. And over everyone's heads, Froi could see Gargarin and Arjuro staring up at her with their bittersweet smiles, and Froi imagined two boys with the same face all those years ago in a filthy cave beneath the swamps of Abroi, praying for a better life. ~ Melina Marchetta

There it was. Suddenly the strangeness of Quintana of Charyn's face made sense. Because it was a face meant for laughing, but it had never been given a chance. It robbed Phaedra of her breath. ~ Melina Marchetta

Because I remembered your words," she said quietly. "I remembered that you liked me least. You said it in my palace chamber. 'Have one of the others wake me, for I like you least.'" She turned to face him and brushed tears fiercely from her face. "Sometimes when I see what's left of Quintana of Charyn through my own eyes, I think I can learn to love her. But when I see her through your eyes, I despise her." If she saw Quintana of Charyn through Froi's eyes, he knew she'd see a part of himself. ~ Melina Marchetta

Then she was laughing. They both were, and the savage teeth were the most joyous sight Phaedra had seen for a long time. It was as if they were dancing. There it was. Suddenly the strangeness of Quintana of Charyn's face made sense. Because it was a face meant for laughing, but it had never been given a chance. ~ Melina Marchetta

It's not that I like you least [ ... ] it's that I feared you most. The reginita taught me to like you. There was a strange joy to her that lifted my spirits. But you, Quintana of Charyn, you made me love you. ~ Melina Marchetta

He took her face in his bloody hands. I'll come and find you wherever you are. I'll not stop breathing until I do. So you're going to have to promise me that you won't lose hope. That you will keep yourself alive. ~ Melina Marchetta

To pray shows a lack of faith. Our Lord, supposedly, knows what He's doing ~ Mario Quintana

No one knows if I'm dying to laugh or to cry
So my verse has
this almost imperceptible thrill
Life is sad, the world is crazy!
Not worth killing yourself for it
Not for anyone
For no love
Life goes on, indifferently! ~ Mario Quintana

I heard your song the moment we were born. And years later, it dragged me back from the lake of the half-dead when all I wanted to do was die. Each time someone tried to kill me, it sang its tune and gave me hope. ~ Melina Marchetta

There could be no snakes in Quintana Roo's garden.
Only later did I see that I had been raising her as a doll. ~ Joan Didion

Don't waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come. ~ Mario Quintana

Part of Quintana had left this world and Froi knew that part of him was gone as well. ~ Melina Marchetta

Why is it you like to cuss so much, Dante?"
"It's fun," he said.
Mr. Quintana laughted. "It is fun," he said. But then he said, "That kind of fun needs to happen when your mother isn't around."
Mrs. Quintana didn't like Mr. Quintana's advice. "What kind of lesson are you teaching him, Sam? ~ Benjamin Alire Saenz