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Take this as a gift from a crone to a maiden, and know there is not so much difference between the two. For even a tottering granddam keeps a portion of girlish heart, and the youngest maiden a thread of old woman’s wisdom.
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Once you have courage to look upon evil, seeing it for what it is and naming it by its true name, it is powerless against you, and you can destroy it.
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'I can't make sense out of that girl,' he said to the bard. 'Can you?' 'Never mind,' Fflewddur said. 'We aren't really expected to.'
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Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.
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'Llonio said life was a net for luck; to Hevydd the Smith life was a forge; and to Dwyvach the Weaver-Woman a loom. They spoke truly, for it is all of these. But you,' Taran said, his eyes meeting the potter’s, 'you have shown me life is one thing more. It is clay to be shaped, as raw clay on a potter’s wheel.'
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The muse in charge of fantasy wears good, sensible shoes.
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'There is much to be known,' said Adaon, 'and above all much to be loved, be it the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.'
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The raw materials of story are the raw materials of all human cultures. Story deals with the same questions as theology, philosophy, psychology. It is concerned with polarities: love and hate, birth and death, joy and sorrow, loss and recovery.
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Even in a fantasy realm, growing up is accomplished not without cost.
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'Believe what you like. You'll be surprised how comforting it is.''I ask no comfort,' Taran replied, 'but the truth, be it harsh or happy.'
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'I don't even know who I am.''In a way,' answered Gwydion, 'that is something we must all discover for ourselves.'
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Is there worse evil than that which goes in the mask of good?
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Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.
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This much have I learned: A man’s life weighs more than glory, and a price paid in blood is a heavy reckoning.
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He’s as impartial as a herring’s backbone, for he favors neither side and is attached to both!
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'Didn’t you ever see a cat before?''Of course I did,' said the boy. 'Hundreds of them. But just because you’ve seen something, it doesn’t mean you stop looking. There’s always something you didn’t see before.'
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Draw Dyrnwyn, only thou of noble worth, to rule with justice, to strike down evil. Who wields it in good cause shall slay even the Lord of Death.
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Are these signs of hope, or do we deceive ourselves by wishing them to be?
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'Count yourself lucky,' the potter went on, 'that you have understood this now and not spent your years in vain hope. This much have you learned, and no learning is wasted.'
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Our only hope for tomorrow is peace now.
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'That’s another thing about emperors-and regents,' Gareth said. 'They aren’t very fond of changes, even if the changes are for the better.'
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Speak up, my boy. If you want truth, you should begin by giving it.
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Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we believe we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.
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'Neither refuse to give help when it is needed,' Medwyn continued, 'nor refuse to accept it when it is offered.'