Quotes from Lois McMaster Bujold

There was no limit to what one man might do, if he gave all, and held back nothing.

In mysticism, knowledge cannot be separated from a certain way of life which becomes its living manifestation. To acquire mystical knowledge means to undergo a transformation; one could even say that the knowledge is the transformation. Scientific knowledge, on the other hand, can often stay abstract and theoretical. Thus most of today's physicists do not seem to realize the philosophical, cultural and spiritual implications of their theories.

Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the delight of its users did that.

People give themselves to you, in their talking, and in other ways, if you are quiet and patient and let them, and not in such a damned rush to give yourself to them you go bat-blind and deaf.

But have you ever overheard two women discussing men? Men are crude liars, comparing their drabs, but women - I'd rather have [an] anatomist dissect me alive than to listen to the things the ladies say about us when they think they are alone.

Realize this, though. Half my genes run through your body, and my selfish genome is heavily evolutionarily pre-programmed to look out for its copies. The other half is copied from the man I admire most in all the worlds and time, so my interest is doubly riveted. The artistic combination of the two, shall we say, arrests my attention.

Egalitarians adjust to aristocracies just fine, as long as they get to be the aristocrats.

Colonel Otto, do you have a, perhaps, fuller and more detailed account than your preliminary one of why my Imperial Security building is now largely an underground installation? From a technical perspective.

Everybody has it wrong way round. Parents don't make children--children make parents. They shape our behavior from the first wail. Mold us into what they need. It can be a pretty rough process, too

Men have always a choice - if not whether, then how, they may endure.

So what's the test? Ah, that's the trick of it. It's not a test. It's real life.

You're worse than evil. You're inefficient .

the unknown breeds dragons in map margins

I can love you. I can grieve for you, or with you. I can share your pain. But I cannot judge you.

How fortunate that science hasn't cracked human immortality. It's a great blessing that we can outlive old wars. And old warriors.

We did it, he muttered to Ekaterin, now perching on the chair arm. Why didn't anybody stop us? Why aren't there more regulations about this sort of thing? What fool in their right mind would put me in charge of a baby? Two babies?

If you ever have to make a choice between learning and inspiration, boy, choose learning. It works more of the time.

No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used? Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation. Poor lambs. That's not how I'd describe them. I was thinking of animal sacrifice. Ah. That's closer.

It wasn't a case of storming heaven. It was a case of letting heaven storm you.

I'm not panicking. I'm watching you panic. It's more entertaining.

For a while, I thought I was going mad. At last, I became reconciled to my despair. The medications helped, too, I thought, sir.

I wonder if we should add a box to tick off -- Reason for travel: creepy planetary conquest ... no, I suppose not.

Perfect preservation isn't life, it's death.

a great man. But...not quite great enough.