Rhodes Quotes

If what I write is perfect, I'd rob myself the thrill of improvement. ~ Dustin Adrian Rhodes

I believe with all my heart, that Magnus is a worthy and superior successor to your current king. Therefore, I ask today that you reject Gaius Damora as your leader and take Prince Magnus as your new king. He will right the wrongs that have overtaken Mytica. And he will make Gaius Damora pay for all he has destroyed. ~ Morgan Rhodes

It was "not so much the [lack of] leisure, but also the nervous tension. One comes back to one's native land and sees that one has been abandoned." - Antheil ~ Richard Rhodes

You don't have to speak. Words fade," she whispered. "I know that better than anyone. Words are forgotten; they are regretted.Unnecessary. I know. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

They all thought that civilized Germans would not stand for anything really rough happening." Szilard held no such sanguine view, noting that the Germans themselves were paralyzed with cynicism, one of the uglier effects on morals of losing a major war. ~ Richard Rhodes

Unlike many graduate fellowships, the Rhodes seeks leaders who will 'fight the world's fight.' They must be more than mere bookworms. We are looking for students who wonder, students who are reading widely, students of passion who are driven to make a difference in the lives of those around them and in the broader world. ~ Heather Wilson

The truth is, I like to engage with life fully. Given an opportunity to do something I don't often get a chance to do, I feel the need to try it, even if I suspect I'll make a fool out of myself. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Eva," Jason said, leaning over to his fiancée as I took a seat next to Tyler. "How you doin'?"
Eva made a face and pushed him away. "Nope, doesn't work for everyone. Not even you."
"But it's "The Joey"-- it has to work!" Jason said, sitting back and taking a sip from his water bottle. ~ Alexandria Rhodes

She passed close enough to Magnus that, for a moment, Cleo thought he might reach out and snap her neck, but he didn't. That, Cleo felt, was unfortunate. ~ Morgan Rhodes

You're the same as you were yesterday and the day before. Nothing has changed. Not really. Forget what troubles you. Regret nothing, but learn from any mistakes you make. Tomorrow will be a brighter day, I promise. ~ Morgan Rhodes

instead of mourning, instead of a moment of silence or a hateful, islamophobic message, how about today we make the world a little brighter?
be kinder. be a little gentler, with yourself and others. take more pictures. tell more jokes. be a better human.
today is a lot more than a tragedy. today is a birthday. a day of suicide awareness. a wedding. a birth. a new job. today is a kiss and someone on a tarred over warehouse roof whispering about the day the earth stood still and the day it began spinning again.
be kind. just be kind. it's time we took this day back for the wild ones, for the fiery eyes, for the happy and the brave and the new. no more mourning. let it just be a sunday. ~ Taylor Rhodes

If there be a God, I think he would like me to paint Africa British-Red as possible. ~ Cecil Rhodes

MTV didn't exist in 1980, but by 1982, it had gotten to be a force to be reckoned with. ~ Nick Rhodes

I hope the teacher doesn't say, 'Write an essay about your summer vacation.' If she does, I'll leave the paper blank. Else I'll have to lie. Say eviction is the best vacation. Hearing Ma weeping and Pa wheezing, cracking his knuckles while Leda sucks her pacifier, double-time, and Ray holds my hand. I never lie. I won't. It's better to keep quiet. ~ Jewell Parker Rhodes

You seem rather obsessed with Magnus. Perhaps next time I should try to arrange a meeting between the two of you instead. ~ Morgan Rhodes

It is commonly said to my little friend Legion: Read the great writers for style. But I say to him: Read the great dead masters for ideas. Devour them, Fletcherize them, digest, assimilate, make them part of your blood; let the enriched blood visit your brain. The resultant activities will be fairly your own, and the little kinks and convolutions of your brain, which are entirely different from the kinks of any other brain, will furnish you all the style you will ever get.
There are no really fresh ideas; just as there is not any fresh air. Air and ideas are refreshed and refreshing, vitalized and vitalizing; but the thoughts have been thought before and the air has been breathed before. ~ Eugene Manlove Rhodes

If writing doesn't come from the heart, the time spent was a waste ~ Dustin Adrian Rhodes

Was simply unable to let things be foggy. Since they always are, this kept him pretty active. ~ Richard Rhodes

The Internet is the greatest tool for any artist to have interaction with any audience. ~ Nick Rhodes

He had murdered any illlusion of Alex Remington. The golden pendant had been replaced by a spiked dog collar, and he was wearing a black T-shirt that hugged his form and showed off the many designs on his arms: Fenris on the right wrist, and Echidna, the greek mother of monsters, high on his left arm. The norse world serpent was wrapped around his left wrist, and a new design had recently been added: Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the gates of Hades. The world serpent was partially obscurred by a black leather knife sheath, which held a silver knife Aubrey had taken from a vampire hunter a few thousand years earlier.
His hair was slightly touseled, as if he'd been running, and a few strands fell across his face.
Looking at him now, Jessica couldn't imagine how she had ever mistaken him for a human. But illusion was Aubrey's art. And it was simple to fool people who expected nothing else.
For the moment, Aubrey appeared to be exactly what he was: stunning, michievous, and completely deadly all at once ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

King Gaius began to laugh. It was a dark sound edged in danger and it made a chill run up Magnus's back as it echoed through the cavernous hall. ~ Morgan Rhodes

they told her, "fear the reaper."
she laughed to herself and muttered, 'baby, death ain't nothing' more than a quick fuck.
a little bit of silence after he comes. ~ Taylor Rhodes

Cancer was a merciless executioner. It stripped away dignity and autonomy, leaving only pain and horror in its wake. ~ Catie Rhodes

Choices, princess. Life seems to be all about them. ~ Morgan Rhodes

There are no guarantees in this life, only strong possibilities. That's enough for me. ~ Morgan Rhodes

It is evident that it is the belief of Christian people in this country and in all other enlightened portions of the world that as a nation, we have passed through a severe ordeal - that severe judgments have been poured out upon us on account of the manner in which a poor, oppressed race was treated in this country. ~ Hiram Rhodes Revels

highway wildflowers swaying like the ocean. queen anne's lace like doilies for a tea party never attended. this is a conversation between two parts of yourself. the fever will break soon, but until then i'll be untangling you from the knots in my windblown hair. i smell like a wet forest, like long grass covered in sequins. i called your name but was drowned out by the thunder. i remember you murmuring, "please," while you took my shirt off. i remember you and the airy "please" when you pulled me toward you by my legs. i remember "pleeease" while i learned how to let go. i remember your divine "please." chanting it as if it'd draw a demon out of hiding. "please, please, please." and i screamed, "yes. ~ Taylor Rhodes

Of 76,000 buildings in Hiroshima 70,000 were damaged or destroyed, 48,000 totally. "It is no exaggeration to say," reports the Japanese study, "that the whole city was ruined instantaneously."2679 Material losses alone equaled the annual incomes of more than 1.1 million people. "In Hiroshima many major facilities - prefectural office, city hall, fire departments, police stations, national railroad stations, post offices, telegram and telephone offices, broadcasting station, and schools - were totally demolished or burned. Streetcars, roads, and electricity, gas, water, and sewage facilities were ruined beyond use. ~ Richard Rhodes

It didn't really matter who someone was, princess, peasant, rebel, or just a boy or a girl. ~ Morgan Rhodes

no one can recover if they won't admit the wrongdoings.
i won't recover if i pretend it was all sunshine.
i have to remember his vindictive temper and realize that sheltering the house from the storm wasn't actually going to make a difference if i still got damaged in the process. because then it's just another broken house with no one to tell its story. ~ Taylor Rhodes

I am transparent An open book; There's no choice in the matter But the breath from my mind Is living air, And the notes from my heart Are what I share. Words weren't made for cowards. ~ Happy Rhodes

He felt at his face, wondering what the hot dampness was. For a moment he thought he was bleeding. Swearing under his breath, he pushed the tears away, vowing that they would be the last he ever shed. Strength, not weakness, was what he needed from this day forward. ~ Morgan Rhodes

The question then is, how much are you willing to give?" And I answered, "Anything." A breath later, Zane echoed my response with, "Everything. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The one person who didn't seem enthusiastic about giving a speech in Berlin was Obama. When Favreau and I talked to him about it, he didn't offer much beyond suggesting we use Berlin's story to talk about what we were proposing in our own foreign policy. Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected a request from the campaign for the speech to take place at the Brandenburg Gate, where Reagan had called on Gorbachev to tear down the wall, saying that the venue should be reserved for an actual president. When he learned about this, Obama was embarrassed and annoyed. "I never said I wanted to give a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate," he snapped. It spoke to a larger dynamic in the campaign: While Obama was often blamed for the cult of personality growing up around him - arty posters, celebrity anthems, and lavish settings for his events - he was rarely responsible for it, and worried that we were raising expectations too high in a world that has a way of resisting change.

"Before he left for Afghanistan, he read a draft of the speech and told us he was satisfied with it - "You could put this speech on the teleprompter and I'd be fine," he said - but I was hoping for more than that. I was hoping for edits that would elevate the speech and make it more than a summation of our worldview. The shift to a foreign audience hadn't been hard, as Obama's message about working across races "and religions, his preference for diplomacy over war, his embrace of the science of climate c ~ Ben Rhodes

My ultimate style icon is Grace Jones. ~ Nick Rhodes

No matter how much we try to keep things in order, life seems determined to scatter Legos under our bare feet. ~ Sammy Rhodes

Anna, like most English speakers, thought GASP was a silly name for the project. But the name got the point across. If there were modern wonders of the world, GASP - and Kali - stood as far above them as the Colossus of Rhodes had stood above man. ~ A. Ashley Straker

One of the few times I've ever wished for a penis," she said to Rae when the bartender stepped up to take the order of yet another male customer. They'd been waiting to be served for over twenty minutes. She'd even worn the red magic boob dress tonight, but unfortunately, its mojo offered no help in this particular situation.
"You haven't had sex in six months," Rae said. "If I were you, I'd be wishing for penises every night. ~ Julie James

Don't take this next undercover assignment. Stay with me instead."
Nick's eyes pierced hers, refusing to let her off that easily. "Tell me why."
"Because ... I love you." She exhaled. No take-backs. The words were out there forever.
And it felt great. ~ Julie James

She was his princess. No. She was his goddess. With her golden skin and golden hair. She was his light. His life. His everything.
He loved her more than anything else in this world. ~ Morgan Rhodes

When I was fourteen, I was one of those kids who wore all black because it matched everything. Seriously. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Another thing we have in common - a love of our individual lands. That's good. So, tell me, princess, will you continue to fight me on everything I do? Or will you be nice and cooperate?" Cleo didn't speak for a long, silent moment. But then she met his gaze full-on, and it was every bit as fierce as his was. "Fine. I'll cooperate. But I might not be nice about it." He couldn't help but laugh. "I can live with that. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Women's fashion is more interesting than men's. ~ Nick Rhodes

If you want something, you have to take it. Because nobody's ever going to give it to you. So we're going to take back what has been taken from us. Ad then we'l' create a better future for Paelsia. A better future for us all. ~ Morgan Rhodes

It's almost impossible for you to understand, isn't it, Rhodes? How much you can hate what you are. You don't know what it's like to pray every day for years to be something other than what you are and have those prayers go unanswered. ~ A.E. Wasp

I came to realize that this was about more than not offering up what some of his opponents craved - the picture of the angry black man, or the lectures on race that fuel a sense of grievance among white voters. Obama also didn't want to offer up gauzy words to make well-meaning white people feel better. The fact that he was a black president wasn't going to bring life back to an unarmed black kid who was shot, or alter structural inequities in housing, education, and incarceration in our states and cities. It wasn't going to change the investment of powerful interests in a system that sought to deny voting rights, or to cast people on food stamps working minimum wage jobs as "takers," incapable of making it on their own. The "last person who ever thought that Barack Obama's election was going to bring racial reconciliation and some "end of race" in America was Barack Obama. That was a white person's concept imposed upon his campaign. I know because I was once one of them, taking delight in writing words about American progress, concluding in the applause line "And that is why I can stand before you as president of the United States." But he couldn't offer up absolution for America's racial sins, or transform American society in four or eight years. ~ Ben Rhodes

Every step I take, I am alive. I am Life. ~ Happy Rhodes

Darkness will always try to extinguish the light. The light will always try to repress the darkness. ~ Morgan Rhodes

You couldn't do it with him because Rhodes wasn't the one ... Furious Barkley is. Furi ~ A.E. Via

I looked to Rei, wondering if his vague answer to Betsy meant he might let me slip away downstairs, but A'isha had once again engaged him, hooking one of the many melos scarves she wore around his waist in an attempt to draw him into the dance.
The crow looked at it with shock. A'isha plucked the scarf away with a flourish.
"No need to be shy, little crow," A'isha said. "If the gods didn't want people to admire you, they wouldn't have made you so stunning."
I got to see Rei flush for the first time, blood creeping into his tanned skin. A'isha flipped her scarf around his neck.
"One dance," A'isha implored. "I'm sure Zane would go elsewhere; you would be performing only for the nest."
"I'm sure Zane would," Rei said dryly, glancing at me.
I shrugged.
"What is your lady friend going to think, if she hears you are learning to dance but are ashamed to perform?" A'isha goaded the crow.
"One dance," Rei said, relenting. "And only because I know you'll never forgive me if I don't take my opportunity to make a public fool of myself." He turned to me. "You get out of here and thank A'isha for giving me an excuse to leave you alone."
I would indeed. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

During the canvass in the State of Mississippi, I traveled into different parts of that state, and this is the doctrine that I everywhere uttered: that while I was in favor of building up the colored race, I was not in favor of tearing down the white race. ~ Hiram Rhodes Revels

looking fiercely at Kyan. "Lucia," Kyan said calmly, taking a seat again. "It's fine." "No, it's not." In the space of a heartbeat, Lucia had grown ready to peel the skin from this loathsome thief one inch at a time for this insult. "Oh, you've got some fire in you, don't you?" The thief's loathsome gaze slid over her open cloak as he nodded with leering approval. "I like pretty young girls with fight in them. Makes it more interesting." "Kyan," Lucia snarled. "Can I kill him?" "Not quite yet. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Obviously with every new album we make, we always have to believe in it and feel we've gone in the right direction. ~ Nick Rhodes

We are all connected in ways we cannot even begin to fathom. Our lives unfold through each other and within each other. What one suffers, we all feel. What one does changes others forever. ~ David Rhodes

I genuinely believe that our awkwardness and awkward moments are invitations to know more deeply the grace of God. Awkwardness is an invitation to vulnerability, and vulnerability is where intimacy and connection are found. ~ Sammy Rhodes

Who am I? Who am I?"
"You're Jude St. Francis. You are my oldest, dearest friend. You're the son of Harold Stein and Julia Altman. You're the friend of Malcolm Irvine, of Jean-Baptiste Marion, of Richard Goldfarb, of Andy Contractor, of Lucien Voigt, of Citizen van Straaten, of Rhodes Arrowsmith, of Elijah Kozma, of Phaedra de los Santos, of the Henry Youngs. You're a New Yorker. You live in SoHo. You volunteer for an arts organization; you volunteer for a food kitchen. You're a swimmer. You're a baker. You're a cook. You're a reader. You have a beautiful voice, though you never sing anymore. You're an excellent pianist. You're an art collector. You write me lovely messages when I'm away. You're patient. You're generous. You're the best listener I know. You're the smartest person I know, in every way. You're the bravest person I know, in every way. You're a lawyer. You're the chair of the litigation department at Rosen Pritchard and Klein. You love your job; you work hard at it. You're a mathematician. You're a logician. You've tried to teach me, again and again. You were treated horribly. You came out on the other end. You were always you."

"And who are you?"
"I'm Willem Ragnarsson. And I will never let you go. ~ Hanya Yanagihara

We've reached the point where a Rhodes Scholar like Florida State's Joe O'Shea - a philosophy major, no less - is comfortable admitting not only that he doesn't read books but that he doesn't see any particular need to read them. ~ Nicholas Carr

Every time I jerked off over the past few days, I thought about you. Forget the chicks - I'm going with the dicks. Well," he made a face, "one dick, I mean. My own private dick. Start off slow, you know, and then build up to the orgies."
Rhodes brought his lips down onto Wash's smiling mouth. "My dick," Rhodes growled against the curve of Wash's lips. "And my dick only. Remember that. ~ Katie Allen

Obama occasionally pointed out that the post–Cold War moment was always going to be transitory. The rest of the world will accede to American leadership, but not dominance. I remember a snippet from a column around 9/11: America bestrides the world like a colossus. Did we? It was a story we told ourselves. Shock and awe. Regime change. Freedom on the march. A trillion dollars later, we couldn't keep the electricity running in Baghdad. The Iraq War disturbed other countries - including U.S. allies - in its illogic and destruction, and accelerated a realignment of power and influence that was further advanced by the global financial crisis. By the time Obama took office, a global correction had already taken place. Russia was resisting American influence. China was throwing its weight around. Europeans were untangling a crisis in the Eurozone.

Obama didn't want to disengage from the world; he wanted to engage more. By limiting our military involvement in the Middle East, we'd be in a better position to husband our own resources and assert ourselves in more places, on more issues. To rebuild our economy at home. To help shape the future of the Asia Pacific and manage China's rise. To open up places like Cuba and expand American influence in Africa and Latin America. To mobilize the world to deal with truly existential threats such as climate change, which is almost never discussed in debates about American national security. ~ Ben Rhodes

The real fact is that I could no longer stand their eternal cold mutton. ~ Cecil Rhodes

Follow you heart wherever it leads. Appreciate life, Cleo. It's a gift that can be stolen at any time. ~ Morgan Rhodes

I've found rumors have much in common with feathers. It's rare that either holds much weight. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Ooh, the staring at threads class. My favorite. ~ Frank Beddor

I could have been a Rhodes Scholar, except for my grades. ~ Duffy Daugherty

Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better" (Rhodes). ~ Jewell Parker Rhodes

Her smile put the moon to shame. ~ Dan Rhodes

Listen and learn: you need fourteen characters, minimum. Use random letters, not words. Here's a tip: think of a sentence, and use the first letter in each of those words. Mix it up between upper and lower case. Then pick two numbers that mean something to you – not dates – and stick them somewhere between the letters. Put a punctuation mark at the beginning of the password and then a symbol, like a dollar sign, at the end. ~ Julie James

The Republican party is not inflamed, as some would fain have the country believe, against the South. Its borders are wide enough for all truly loyal men to find within them peace and repose from the din and discord of angry faction. ~ Hiram Rhodes Revels

I'm going to continue keeping an eye on him, Becca said. If he does anything shady, I'll report back. I swear I won't let anything bad happen to you if I can help it.
He nodded as he collected the copper box and began to follow after Barnabas. The feeling is entirely mutual, Becca Hatcher. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Betia kissed my forehead. "I won't leave unless you ask me to. I-" Her lips touched mine chastely. "The future will come. I will be there, if you want me. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I'm standing in a slaughterhouse where the cattle are begging to become hamburgers. I have a right to be jumpy. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Why did men always find it necessary to comment on whether or not a woman's exterior pleased them? She knew she was beautiful. No need to constantly restate it, as if doing so would earn one points in a game. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Before it is science and career, before it is livelihood, before even it is family or love, freedom is sound sleep and safety to notice the play of morning sun. ~ Richard Rhodes

For a moment, we all just stared out the window at the crowds. "I'm reading a good book now," Obama said. "It reminds you, the ability to tell stories about who we are is what makes us different from animals. We're just chimps without it." He described how all civilization, religion, nations were rooted in stories, which could be harnessed for good or bad. Obama's tendency to take the long view was getting even more pronounced in his last year in office. But in his own way, he was also telling me that everything was okay, that this was now just one more subject in our endless conversation about everything.
"What's the book?" I asked, looking for something to grab on to.
"It's called Sapiens. You should check it out." Perhaps sensing that this was sensitive terrain, he changed the subject. ~ Ben Rhodes

So here's the question," Melinda led in. "Who's Tall, Dark and Smoldering? ~ Julie James

OBAMA'S FRUSTRATION WITH HIS critics boiled over during a lengthy trip to Asia in the spring of 2014. In the region, the trip was seen as another carefully designed U.S. effort to counter China. We'd go to Japan, to bring them into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - weaving together twelve Asia Pacific economies into one framework of trade rules, environmental protections, and labor rights. We'd go to South Korea and discuss ways to increase pressure on North Korea. We'd go to Malaysia, something of a swing state in Southeast Asia, which we were bringing closer through TPP. And we'd end in the Philippines, a U.S. ally that was mired in territorial disputes with China over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea. ~ Ben Rhodes

But even the coldest hate can shift into something warmer if given enough time, just as an ugly caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly. ~ Morgan Rhodes

My cousin tried to kill me today," he said. He realized that his voice held an edge of hysteria. "She nearly succeeded. But I guess that's fair, since I was trying to kill her at the time. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Life is strange sometimes. It throws things at us that, at
the moment the events are happening, we can't possibly believe or
understand they could be good in any way, we can't believe it's
what's supposed to happen to us. But sometimes really hard things
that make us hurt, that make us struggle, that make us fight for
what we want, are blessings in disguise. Sometimes we have to
live through them in order to have a better appreciation of our lives
and the good things that happen. ~ M.L Rhodes

It was far easier for me to see how the war in Syria was in part an unintended consequence of other American wars, no matter how well-meaning they might have been. The toppling of "Saddam Hussein had strengthened Iran, provoked Putin, opened up a Pandora's box of sectarian conflict that now raged in Iraq and Syria, and led to an insurgency that had given birth to ISIL. The toppling of Muammar Gaddafi had made plain to dictators that you either cling to power or end up dead in a sewer. Syria looked more and more like a moral morass - a place where our inaction was a tragedy, and our intervention would only compound the tragedy. Obama kept probing for options that could make a positive difference, finding none. ~ Ben Rhodes

I had become a bit annoyed with Fermi . . . when he suddenly offered to take wagers from his fellow scientists on whether or not the bomb would ignite the atmosphere, and if so, whether it would merely destroy New Mexico or destroy the world. ~ Richard Rhodes

Sometimes you don't realize how strong you are until you're tested ~ Morgan Rhodes

I still love music - that's never gonna go away. ~ Nick Rhodes

The first time I kissed you, you had just cut off your hair with a plastic knife. You were in restraints and your lips were completely chapped and dry from the tranquilizers. The next day you tried to kill me with a torn-off piece of bedsheet. I've seen you at your worst. You hardly need to dress up for me. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

If every mortal looked at others as their friends, not as their enemies, the world would be a much better place, wouldn't it? ~ Morgan Rhodes

There are those about us who say that such research should be stopped by law, alleging that man's destructive powers are already large enough. [...] There is no doubt that sub-atomic energy is available all around us, and that one day man will release and control its almost infinite power. We cannot prevent him from doing so and can only hope that he will not use it exclusively in blowing up his next door neighbour (Aston in 1936) ~ Richard Rhodes

I journeyed alone for almost ten years before I found home. Adoptions are like very delicate gardening with transplants and grafts. Mine took hold, rooted, and bloomed, even though there were inevitable adjustments to the new soil and climate. Yet I have not forgotten where my roots started. ~ Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Bach is a colossus of Rhodes, beneath whom all musicians pass and will continue to pass. Mozart is the most beautiful, Rossini the most brilliant, but Bach is the most comprehensive: he has said all there is to say. ~ Charles Gounod

Have the colored people done anything to justify the prejudice against them that does exist in the hearts of so many white persons and, generally, of one great political party in this country? Have they done anything to justify it? No, sir. ~ Hiram Rhodes Revels

For the scientist, at exactly the moment of discovery - that most unstable existential moment - the external world, nature itself, deeply confirms his innermost fantastic convictions. Anchored abruptly in the world, Leviathan gasping on his hook, he is saved from extreme mental disorder by the most profound affirmation of the real. ~ Richard Rhodes

You must draw from that strength. You must increase it. And you must hold on to it because sometimes that small glimmer of inner strength is all that we have to help us press forward through the darkness. ~ Morgan Rhodes

A KISS! A KISS!" the crowd chanted.
(...)
"I dont know," Cleo began, sickened by the thought of it. How far was she willing to go to appear agreeable? "Quite honestly, it seems like a bad--"

Magnus took a tight hold of her arm and turned her around. Before she could say another word, he put his hand behind her neck, drew her closer to him, and kissed her.

Every muscle in her body stiffened. It was the sensation of being a bird caught in a hinter's trap. Her wings screamed out for her to fly away as fast and as far as possible. But he held her firmly in place, his mouth against hers, soft but demanding a response.

She gripped the front of his shirt. It was all too much--she wasn't sure if she was pushing him away or pulling him closer. Much like diving into deep water, she had no idea which way would find her air to breathe or which way would drag her down deeper into the depths where she would surely drown.

And for a moment, just a moment, she found it didn't seem to matter.

The warmth of his body against hers on such a cold day, his now-familiar scent of sandalwood, the heat of his mouth against hers...it all made her head spin, and logic fell away. ~ Morgan Rhodes

The smell of cigarette smoke in the air in a tavern that changes names often,
a bar cursed because of a girl who died of a drug overdose
in the basement, we put a few coins in the jukebox;
chose "Angel Band" by Johnny Cash and sat down at the bar,
ordered a soda, you wanted a whiskey on the rocks.
We saw the coal miner who moved here from West Virginia
knocking back liquor like I drink sweet tea.
No one asked why he was so solemn today.
It was warm. It was relatively quiet.
To anyone else, this place could feel sinister.
But to us, it was freedom. It was a hiding place.
No one was ever here long enough to know us.
And we liked it that way. ~ Taylor Rhodes

That is your greatest mistake. The love you felt for him wasn't love at all - it was obsession. Real love means sacrifice, not selfishness. ~ Morgan Rhodes

Einstein was arguing against quantum theory just as irrationally as his opponents had argued against relativity theory. Einstein remained adamant (he remained adamant to the end of his life where quantum theory was concerned). ~ Richard Rhodes

Because if you don't choose to fight against the wrong in the world, then you are the wrong in the world. ~ Morgan Rhodes

She was murdered by rebels.' He took in her unconcealed look of shock. 'So there you go. Something for you to celebrate.'
Magnus turned away from her, ready to find solace in his chambers, but the princess grabbed his arm to stop him. He sent a dark look at her over his shoulder.
'I would never celebrate death, no matter whose it is,' she said, her gaze filled with anger and something else. Something that looked vaguely like sympathy.
'Come now, I'm sure you wouldn't mourn any Damora.'
'I know very well what it's like to lose a parent in a tragic way.'
'Oh, yes, we have so much in common. Maybe we should get married. ~ Morgan Rhodes

I fed on one of the true monsters - one of the many 'witch hunters' who interrogated and jailed the accused, seeking guilt where there was none. How humans can do such things to their fellows is beyond me. They torture, main and kill their own kind, saying it is God's will. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

No one can make you a victim but yourself. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

There was very little doubt in my mind that the world was headed for grief. ~ Richard Rhodes