Quotes from Lois McMaster Bujold

Pen wondered at a world that hanged poor men for thievery, but celebrated great ones

Even ImpSec has to bend and spread 'em for an Imperial Auditor.

His expertise took in anything manufactured in the old gross way from inorganic materials. He was totally lost with modern bacterial electronics, where computers were grown, not made. His work was greatly valued by a few historians of science, and virtually unknown to everyone else

My mama used to say to me, What, you don't have time to do it right, but you do have time to do it over?

Quinn keyed up a three-dimensional holovid schematic of Vega Station and its neighbors. The jump routes were represented by sparkling jagged lines between hazy spheres of local space systems.

Los detalles corroboraban lo que ella decía que era, y eso se agregaba a una sensación sólida, aunque subliminal, de algo cierto que tal vez escapaba a la paranoia profesional de los que trabajan en seguridad

Funny mutie," said one of the older ones. He wasn't laughing. The attack was sudden, and almost took Mark by surprise; he thought etiquette demanded they exchange a few more insults first, and he was just working up some good ones.

Although demons can lie. So can humans, muttered Des. And rather more often.

She stared back. The animal suddenly grew very still. Ista stood on tiptoe, grabbed one ear, and whispered toward it, "Behave for Lord Arhys. Or I will make you wish I'd merely ripped your guts out, strangled you with them, and fed you to the gods." "Dogs," corrected the nervous groom holding the twitch. "Them, too," said Ista.

Sorcerer' had certainly not been on Pen's former list of scholarly ambitions, but then, neither had 'theologian', 'divine', 'physician', 'teacher', 'lawyer', or any other high trade taught there—yet another reason for Rolsch's dubiousness about it all. The Bastard's Order must have a separate seminary of some sort . . . ?

Never make key tactical decisions while having electro-convulsive seizures.

Miles stood with his legs slightly apart, threw back his head, and stared up with equal force. The man seemed totally oblivious to Miles's collar tabs. Exasperated, Miles snapped, "Are all the keepers on vacation, or is anybody actually running this bloody zoo?

Do you remember," Ivan sighed, "that time in the back garden at Vorkosigan House, when you'd been reading all those military histories about the Cetagandan prison camps during the invasion, and you decided we had to dig an escape tunnel? Except it was you who did all the designing, and me and Elena who did all the digging?

Her eyes were huge and gold and molten. You did say you liked to practice what you were great at. Miles had never realized how susceptible he was to flattery from tall women. A weakness he must guard against. Sometime. They retired to his cabin and practiced assiduously till halfway to Escobar.

Most days it's just stumbling around in the dark with the rest of creation, smashing into things and wondering why it hurts.

Miles decided he would have to point it out to his cousin at some appropriate moment, preferably when Ivan's mouth was full.

People do get hypnotized by the hard choices and stop looking at the alternatives. The will to be stupid is a powerful force

Ivan?" Falco prodded. "Huh?" Ivan started. "Oh, you know I'm fine, sir!" "So we all have long hoped," Falco murmured. "Well, that disposes of that issue. Next, adultery. Do either of you accuse the other of adultery?" "There's hardly been time, sir!" said Ivan indignantly.

Abuse—physical, mental, emotional?" "Sir?" said Tej, staring up in palpable confusion. "Does your husband beat you?" "No!" "Do you beat him?" "No!" said Ivan. "Good grief, sir!" "Does he insult you?" "Certainly not!" Their voices overlapped on that one.

Nevertheless, liking and disliking do not constitute proof any more than hearsay does.

Oh," said Penric. "I didn't introduce ourselves, did I. I'm Penric and my demon Desdemona. Say something, Des." "Idiot child," said Des dispassionately. "Could you be a more witless tool?" "Uh, not sure that's helpful, Des." "She tried to kill my favorite Cedonian general. You can't expect me to like her.

I could take over the universe with this army if I could ever get all their weapons pointed in the same direction.

I'll bet. I . . ." He couldn't say it, not so baldly. He dodged, while he mustered courage. "I promised to call Nicol when I had news of Bel, and I haven't had a chance. The news, as you may know, is not good; we found Bel, but the herm has been deliberately infected with a bioengineered Cetagandan parasite that may . . . may prove lethal.

Miles wanted to snap out a sharp rejoinder, but shivered instead. I miss Bothari, too. He had almost forgotten how much, till Ivan's words hit the scar of his regret, that secret little pocket of anguish that never seemed to drain.