Shan Sa Quotes

Years have passed and how I am anxiously watching the twilight of my childhood, quietly sinking, never to rise again. ~ Shan Sa

The winter light, tinted by the bright colors in the street, plays on the go-board. All these festivities cut me off from the rest of the world. My loneliness is like a bolt of crimson silk stowed in the bottom of a wooden chest. ~ Shan Sa

I hand the cage to him and he takes it firmly in his arms.
'Your hankie smells nice,' he says, almost in a whisper. ~ Shan Sa

I talk to trees and animals. We have interesting conversations about food, weather, and love. They sometimes can predict the future. ~ Shan Sa

I splash my head with ice-cold water and turn to face the mirror. When my image appears I instinctively look away.
Is there a truth on the other side that we do not want to see? ~ Shan Sa

Heroes are damned. No mortal conquers Death. ~ Shan Sa

I reply with a letter as brief as his: 'My brother, after my first battle the only thing I now worship is the sun, a star that represents death's constancy. Beware of the moon, which reflects our world of beauty. It waxes and wanes, it is treacherous and ephemeral. We will all die some day ... ~ Shan Sa

Out on the street I start to run; I need to breathe in this life, the trees, the warmth of my town. I will be able to control my own fate and I will know how to be happy. Happiness is something you lay siege to, it is a battle ... ~ Shan Sa

To other women the choice of clothes was a form of ingenious exhibition, a shameless seduction. To me, dresses were like a breastplate that I put on to set off to war against this life. ~ Shan Sa

I have witnessed the strength of our people driven from their own land. The tenacious march south is like a silent protest against death. In this tidal wave of men and woman a hatred mingles with hope. And this furious force of will that has infected me too will carry me to the very end of my own lonely progress. ~ Shan Sa

The world in which we live is no more real than a moon beam reflected in water drawn from the palm of the hand ... ~ Shan Sa

Politicians are better liars than writers. ~ Shan Sa

She died a few days later, and her death buried once and for all the intrigues between the Precious Wife, the Gracious Wife, and all the Imperial favorites. Rivalries and alliances, loathing and attraction had been dissolved. Their existence had been a pointless tragedy, just as the talent of one prodigious poetess had been. ~ Shan Sa

The role of Empress became a full-time occupation. ~ Shan Sa

Life is an infernal loop where the day before yesterday has merged with today, and yesterday has been jettisoned. We think we are moving forward in time, but we are always prisoners of the past. ~ Shan Sa

The trees part before her slender form and close in again behind me. The roads weave a vast labyrinth, and I am lost. ~ Shan Sa

A man who does not like power will suffer from its cruelty. ~ Shan Sa

I am like them-I want life. I want to go back to Manchuria, to find my house and my go table. I will return to the Square of a Thousand Winds and wait for my Stranger. I know he will come ... one afternoon ... as he did that first time. ~ Shan Sa

In our time women can demonstrate prowess in a thousand ways. Long ago the great Princess Sun of Ping fought for her father, the August Sovereign. At her funeral, His Majesty called for the trumpets and drums to be sounded, an honor reserved for men. My dear, from this day you must dress her as a boy. Give her an education worthy of her own determination. ~ Shan Sa

Men's strengths go hand in hand with their weaknesses. That is why there is no such thing as an invincible warrior, and why heroes die. ~ Shan Sa

Inside its crumbling walls the house is riddled with bullet holes, and in its garden only the crimson dahlias still hold their heads high. Jing is lying on a chaise longue [sic] playing with his bird.
'I thought you were in prison.'
He looks up, his eyes filled with hate and desire.
'You are my prison. ~ Shan Sa

It has taken many years for the game of go to initiate me into the freedom of slipping between yesterday, today, and tomorrow. From one stone to the next, from black to white, the thousands of stones have ended up building a bridge far into the infinite expanse of China. ~ Shan Sa

Love has been buried forever under the leaves at my feet. I lie down on the ground and rest my head on my bag. The grass tickles my arms where I bend the stalks under my neck.
I want to sleep. ~ Shan Sa

My position at the Palace is our one opportunity. Have confidence in my destiny. Do not weep. ~ Shan Sa

I must go live at the ends of the earth and have my child there while I wait for Min and Jing to be freed.
That happy day will come: two men making their way towards a little cottage lost in the open countryside.
The door opens ... ~ Shan Sa

I have written too much about lives - I feel I have lived for too long. ~ Shan Sa

I envied these women I saw before me, their beauty still intact. Life has its revenge of life. Untimely death is the secret of eternal youth. ~ Shan Sa

The moon in all her immaculate purity hung in the sky, laughing at this world of dust. She congratulated me for my carefully considered maneuvers and invited me to share in her eternal solitude. ~ Shan Sa

Today I finally recognise the mistake that almost became my downfall: I expected too much out of life. I thought it would owe me happiness and cheerfulness. In fact, life offers neither good nor evil. Happiness is a fruit you cultivate and harvest inside your soul. You can not gain it from the outside. Why should I be fretful like a child that has got no gift? I have years ahead to be happy. ~ Shan Sa

I try very hard to keep my eyes open so that I can look at my beloved. ~ Shan Sa

would you dare to love me? ~ Shan Sa

Every man has to die. Choosing oblivion is the only way of triumphing over this. ~ Shan Sa

I have been brought up in a world dominated by honor. I have known neither crime, poverty, nor betrayal, and here I taste hatred for the first time: it is sublime, like a thirst for justice and revenge.
-the girl who played go ~ Shan Sa

In the closed world of the gynaeceum, despite the gardens and parkland extending beyong the horizon, despite the insurmountable walls separating pavillions and palaces, the tangled web of our fate was inescapable. Why did these women love each other to the point of madness? Why did they loathe one another so vehemently, and why did sworn enemies feel such horror and fascination for one another? Why should furious hate become obsession, then intoxication and the very reason to live?
Because love and hate were the two heads of the demon. ~ Shan Sa

If this were a made-up story, it would begin at night, with a storm blowing and owls hooting and rattling noises under the bed. ~ Darren Shan

Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That principle is of great antiquity; it is as old as Socrates; as old as the writer who said, 'Try all things, hold fast by that which is good'; it is the foundation of the Reformation, which simply illustrated the axiom that every man should be able to give a reason for the faith that is in him, it is the great principle of Descartes; it is the fundamental axiom of modern science. Positively the principle may be expressed: In matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration. And negatively: In matters of the intellect, do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the agnostic position, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him.

The results of the working out of the agnostic principle will vary according to individual knowledge and capacity, and according to the general condition of science. That which is unproved today may be proved, by the help of new discoveries, tomorrow. The only negative fixed points will be those negations which flow from the demonstrable limitation of our faculties. And the only obligation accepted is to have the mind always open to conviction.

That it is wrong for a man to sa ~ Thomas Henry Huxley

Melody is the essence of music. I compare a good melodist to a fine racer, and counterpointists to hack post-horses; therefore be advised, let well alone and remember the old Italian proverb: Chi sa più, meno sa - Who knows most, knows least. ~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Muslim scholars have clarified that two basic conditions must be fulfilled for the acceptance of righteous deeds. Firstly, the intention must be to perform those deeds for Allah's sake alone, without any showing off or desire to gain praise or fame. Secondly, such deeds must be performed in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger (sa) ~ Mohammad Rahman

Mr. Crepsley was every bit as composed as he'd sworn he would be. He didn't even shed a tear when the funeral litter was set alight. It was only later, when he was alone in his cell, that he wept loudly, and his cries echoed through the corridors and the tunnels of Vampire Mountain, far in the cold, lonely dawn. ~ Darren Shan

Germans grew reluctant to stay in communal ski lodges, fearing they might talk in their sleep. They postponed surgeries because of the lip-loosening effects of anesthetic. Dreams reflected the ambient anxiety. One German dreamed that an SA man came to his home and opened the door to his oven, which then repeated every negative remark the household had made against the government. ~ Erik Larson

That, of course, was when everything went wrong and the whole world crashed down around my ears. ~ Darren Shan

It was a time for reflection. Jebel had regained some of his vitality and was mildly excited to be closing in on Tubaygat. But he was troubled too and often fell to studying Tel Hesani, trying to imagine himself driving a knife into the Um Kheshabah's chest or slitting his throat.
It had been easy in the beginning. Tel Hesani was a slave, fit only for execution. Now Jebel considered him a friend. Could he brutally end the older man's life and send him to the hold of Rakhebt Wadak's boat?
Jebel knew that he must, or the quest would have been for nothing, but he wasn't sure that he could. He prayed to the gods to steady his hand when the time came, but he didn't think they were listening. In a strange sort of way, he almost wished they weren't. ~ Darren Shan

Throw up whatever's making you sick, Darren," he said, "then get your behind back in here. ~ Darren Shan

A true dreamer must be prepared to make any sacrifice for his dream. Even if it means sacrificing himself. The dream must be everything. (The Cardinal to Capac Raimi) ~ Darren Shan

Ever hear of the phrase, Banging you're head on a brick wall?
Ah, but you forget, Darren, vampires can break brick walls with their heads. ~ Darren Shan

Not only is evil what irrupts from indecision and ambiguity, but irruptive anger, malignity, is the structure of ambiguity itself ~ Marcia Sa Cavalcante Schuback

i have learnt to live to please myself first instead of other people, when I lived to please others, I lay late in bed with my eyes open in the dark wondering who I was, now I know myself ~ Stan The Man SA

The ten thousand things are all reflections
the moon originally has no light ~ Han-shan

Give me a hidden eddy
a residence free from dust and noise
paths of newly trampled grass
clouds above for neighbors
birds to help me sing
no one asking for sermons
springtime for this Saha tree
nowadays lasts how many years ~ Han-shan

Wars raged everywhere as men found new, inventive ways to kill even more of their race. It was like a contest, the many tribes of mankind competing to see who could commit the worst atrocities. ~ Darren Shan

Did you hear it?"
"Just about," I said, trembling nervously.
"That's not good enough." She frowned. "Just about will kill you. ~ Darren Shan

I mean, seriously, what lady of taste could resist a shiny green
head of hair like mine? ~ Darren Shan

Xmas all grown ups sa is the season for the kiddies but this do not prevent them from taking a tot or 2 from the bot and having, it may seme, a better time than us. For children in fact Xmas is often a bit of a strane wot with pretending that everything is a surprise. Above all father xmas is a strane. You canot so much as mention that there is no father xmas when some grown-up sa Hush not in front of wee tim. So far as i am concerned if father xmas use langwage like that when he tripped over the bolster last time we had beter get a replacement. ~ Geoffrey Willans

So what do you do?' she asked. 'I sneak around at night, well, usually at night, and gather coins out of fountains', I said slowly, watching her face for judgement. She burst into laughter. 'Like spare change? You collect people's wishes? And you spend them on yourself?' 'They're not wishes' I said. 'They lose their symbolism once they hit corporate water. At that time they either become extra income for people who don't need it, or they can help me get along in the world. ~ Caris O'Malley

The old legends of America belong quite as much to the blue-eyed little patriot as to the black-haired aborigine. And when they are grown tall like the wise grown-ups may they not lack interest in a further study of Indian folklore, a study which so strongly suggests our near kinship with the rest of humanity and points a steady finger toward the great brotherhood of mankind, and by which one is so forcibly impressed with the possible earnestness of life as seen through the teepee door! If it be true that much lies "in the eye of the beholder," then in the American aborigine as in any other race, sincerity of belief, though it were based upon mere optical illusion, demands a little respect.

After all he seems at heart much like other peoples. ~ Zitkala-Sa

The Portuguese call it saudade: a longing for something so indefinite as to be indefinable. Love affairs, miseries of life, the way things were, people already dead, those who left and the ocean that tossed them on the shores of a different land - all things born of the soul that can only be felt. ~ Anthony De Sa

I've never met a politician who didn't deserve to be tossed into a pit full of Kallin, Beranabus grunts. ~ Darren Shan

Okay," I sighed. "I don't like it, but my hands are tied. I just want you to know this: if I ever get the chance to betray you, I will. If the opportunity arises to pay you back, I'll take it. You'll never be able to trust me."
"Fair enough," he said. ~ Darren Shan

Reading has always been the great love of my life. ~ Darren Shan

For 20 years, I faced 'Get Outs' (by publishers), did not sell copies of my books, but I kept on trying. Junoon hona bahut zaruri hai, aur thoda sa pagalpan bhi (Passion is important, so is a bit of craziness).

MINT
New Delhi
2nd May, 2016 ~ Laxman Rao

I labored in vain reciting the Three Histories
I wasted my time reading the Five Classics
I've grown old checking yellow scrolls
recording the usual everyday names
Continued Hardship was my fortune
Emptiness and Danger govern my life
I can't match riverside trees
every year with a season of green ~ Han-shan

Art that has depth makes a strong impact on the spirit, emotion, mood and thoughts of a human being. ~ Li Shan

I think you can spread yourself across any number of genres when you're a writer as long as you have a deep, abiding love for each of them. ~ Darren Shan

When men see Han-shan
They all say he's crazy
And not much to look at -
Dressed in rags and hides.
They don't get what I say
And I don't talk their language.
All I can say to those I meet:
Try and make it to Cold Mountain. ~ Gary Snyder

Its not Wingardium Levio-sa its wingrardium levi-o-sa ~ J.K. Rowling

Please Lady ... Do not speak of it. I was young and foolish."
"You most certainly were."
"You are cruel, Evanna. ~ Darren Shan