Quotes from Diana Gabaldon

What if I cannot keep ye safe?... You and the rest of them? I shall try wi all my strength, Sassenach, and I dinna mind if I die doing it but what i should die too soon - and fail? You won't. 'll try not. If I die dinna follow me. The bairns will need ye. Stay for them. I can wait.

And that knowledge, bred in the bone, is what lies behind mob rule. Because to step outside the group, let alone to stand against it, was for uncounted thousands of years death to the creature who dared it. To stand against a crowd would take something more than ordinary courage; something that went beyond human instinct. And I feared I did not have it, and fearing, was ashamed. It

Those who are led of the spirit to follow a different path, let us say," she said, a little tersely. "And, no, they wouldn't. But the point I am making is that when such a group breaks away over some point of doctrine, they are inclined to cling even more rigorously to the rest of their beliefs and be more fierce even than the original group." Ian

He could imagine himself some demon of the air, taking wing to haunt the dreams of a man, seize upon a sleeping body and ride it—could he fly as far as England? he wondered. Was the night long enough?

Wat's tes-tees?" inquired a small voice. Jemmy had abandoned his rocks and was looking up at me in profound interest. "Er Ã¢â'¬Â¦Ã¢â'¬Â I said. I glanced round the room in search of aid. "That's Latin for your balls, lad," Roger said gravely, suppressing a grin.

This is the grimoire of the witch, Geillis. It is a witch's name, and I take it for my own; what I was born does not matter, only what I will make of myself, only what I will become. And

What sort of mother talks about whores on her deathbed? Your mother wouldn't do that, would she? I have no idea," Grey said, "The situation has fortunately not arisen.

Bairns are certain joy, but nay sma' care

lowest common denominator.

It wasn't that Friends thought that the Lord spoke only to them; it was only that they weren't sure other folk listened very often.

Grey sat in his bedchamber, unshaven and attired in his nightshirt, banyan, and slippers, drinking tea and debating with himself whether the authoritative benefits conferred by wearing his uniform outweighed the possible consequences - both sartorial and social - of wearing it into the slumps of London to inspect a three-day-old corpse.

The Bible says, "Seek, and ye shall find," he thought. And said aloud to the vibrant air, "But there's no guarantee about what you'll find, is there?

He turned to face the assembled clansmen, raised his arms and greeted them with a ringing shout. "Tulach Ard!" "Tulach Ard!" the clansmen gave back in a roar. The woman next to me shivered. There was a short speech next, given in Gaelic. This was greeted with periodic roars of approval, and then the oath-taking proper commenced.

O Lord, bless the blood and the flesh of this the creature that You gave me," Jamie said softly. He scooped a pinch of the herbs himself, and rubbed them between thumb and forefinger, in a rain of fragrant dust. "Created by Your hand as You created man,  Life given for life.  That me and mine may eat with thanks for the gift,  That me and mine may give thanks for Your own sacrifice of blood and flesh,  Life given for life.

Some nights, he even slept.

The most irritating thing about clichés, I decided, was how frequently they were true.

It's the anonymity of the war that makes the killing possible. When the nameless dead are named again on tombstone and on cenotaph, then they regain the identity they lost as soldiers, and take their place in grief and memory, the ghosts of sons and lovers.

Oh God. It isn't Wednesday, is it, Hardy?" he pleaded, ascending the steps toward the footman, who smiled at sight of him, bowing as he opened the door. Yes, my lord. Has been all day, I'm afraid

Though I could wish your own limits went a bit further.

Actually, it wasn't bad," Claire said, surprisingly. "Mullein leaves are really very nice; quite as good as two-ply bathroom tissue. And in the winter or indoors, it was usually a bit of damp rag; not very sanitary, but comfortable enough.

of spit-up milk, soft feces, and the ultimate

Far be it from me to offer you moral advice. But you are not --repeat not--to be questioning whores in any deeply personal manner. Do I make myself clear? Auntie! he said, pretending shock. The idea! But a broad grin spread across his tattooed face.

Ian, your Latin would disgrace a dog! And as for the rest, ye havena got enough understanding of Greek to tell the difference between water and wine!" "If they're drinkin' it, it's not water

He could feel the shape of his eyeballs beneath his lids, round and hot, tasty bits of jelly rolling restless to and fro, looking vainly for oblivion, while the rising sun turned his lids a dark and bloody red.