Quotes from Naomi Mitchison

The lesser evil is also evil.

... the fishermen of Port Sonas care only for the two things, fishing and women. And there's some that are no' that keen on the fishing.

Travel light my child, as the Wanderer travels light, and his love will be with you.

If he could sleep, she thought, sleep through the unhappy months, the heart's hunger, the months of death and cold and not having what you most want, and wake with time gone past and blurred and a new year coming. But perhaps it is too early in the year, she thought after that, and besides, he is not a bear.

It could be verified that no princess was ever asked whether she wanted to be rescued and carried off by a dragon-slayer to a fate (no doubt) worse than death.

Heroes prided themselves on a thing called generosity. And what was generosity? It was the giving away of something to those that had not earned it, and it was usually done by those that had not earned it.

Men went by ways of old Gods or not of any Gods, but by the violent wills of kings who were their own law.

Perhaps she did not die," said Halla, "perhaps her nurse turned into a bear and carried her away into the forest. Perhaps she was brought up by bears and dragons. Perhaps it was better for her in the end than being a king's child." "That was never the story," said Modolf. "Forget the story," said Halla.

But Uggi was shocked and told her that lady dragons, who are in any case rare, stay at home and guard the treasure. Now this is an ancient dragon fallacy, since in fact the lady dragons are very much fiercer than any other, especially when they have a nest full of eggs. And, although this is always denied, lady dragons have been known to kill and cat other dragons and, what is worse, to take their treasures.

The baby girl was quite still except for her cheeks and lips sucking at her finger, and a rhythmical curving and straightening of her toes, as if some current of thick air were passing over them.

A time came when all the riches in the State belonged to scarcely more than a hundred families, and of these many were unbelievably rich, though some had mortgaged their land and were deep in debt, and had nothing but the appearance of riches. The rest of the people worked for them, and were humbl and slavish through debt and anxiety and poverty, and there was no happiness.

Forget the story.

VICTRIX CAVSA DIIS PLACVIT SED VICTA PVELLIS

In this place—one can never see from one end of a street to the other, let alone men's hearts.

He was telling her of the great good that might be done, say, to a nunnery, by this gift of prediction, and perhaps she should become a nun and give not only her cloak but all her other gifts to God. Indeed, if she did not do that, it might appear that her prediction was from Satan, and that would indeed be a serious thing for her.

Worse things have been done than that. Yes, much worse. Yet perhaps the death of the very innocent always carries a curse.

The Corn King and the Spring Queen, The Conquered, and Memoirs of a Spacewoman.

Naomi Mitchison,

Occasionally, and for everyone's good, mankind were instructed to offer a fresh and juicy princess to their own particular dragon. It was said that the princesses enjoyed the experience. Certainly the dragons did.

There's liberty in the other scale. It's heavy".

Those who live in caves, die in caves," said All-Father, "and the love of the Wanderer is to wanderers.

There was a terrible pain in his voice; it reminded Halla of a wound hurt; she wanted suddenly to lick the hurt place with a soft warm, bear's tongue, to lick it clean and into a shape of healing. But there was no wound on him that could be seen, nothing she could do but lay a hand on his shoulder, uncertainly.

I will comb it with my own claws," said the dragon, "for I see that the child has hair the colour of gold, which is the only right colour for hair.