Quotes from Madeline Miller

You are braver than most gods then. I once saw Aphrodite leave her son to die on the field over a scratch.

We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.

Si tienes que ir, sabes que iré contigo.

Il semble que punir les femmes soit le passe-temps favori des poètes. Comme s'il ne pouvait pas y avoir d'histoire à moins que nous ne rampions en pleurant.

My tongue ran away from me, giddy with freedom. This and this and this, I said to him. I did not have to fear that I spoke too much. I did not have to worry that I was too slender or too slow. This and this and this!

As I ran, I promised myself that if I ever saw him again, I would keep my thoughts behind my eyes. I had learned, now, what it would cost me if I did not.

Non vedevo i suoi lati peggiori. Anche al suo meglio non era un uomo facile. Ma mi è stato amico in un momento in cui ne avevo bisogno. - Strano pensare che una dea abbia bisogno di amici. - Tutte le creature che non siano pazze ne hanno bisogno.

This is Lord Diomedes, King of Argos," Lycomedes said. "A comrade of Odysseus." And another suitor of Helen's, though I remembered no more than his name.

most of what passed as cleverness was only archness and spite.

But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth.

The sons of Troy are known for their skill in battle, and their deaths will lift your name to the stars. If you miss it, you will miss your chance at immortality.

This is what all mortals ask first, in disbelief, shock, fear. Is there no exception for me?

Tutti questi dèi, tutti questi mortali che lo hanno aiutato. Gli uomini parlano della sua astuzia. Il suo vero talento stava nella sua abilità a prendere dagli altri." (#Odisseo)

There was an ache in my stomach, like hunger or despair.

And as we swam, or played, or talked, a feeling would come. It was almost like fear, in the way that it filled me, rising in my chest. It was almost like tears, in how swiftly it came. But it was neither of those, buoyant where they were heavy, bright where they were dull.

But there was something else, less easy to name. A loss, or lessening, that I feared her presence might bring.

The generals take the credit, of course, and indeed they provide the gold. But they are always calling you into their tent and asking for reports of what you're doing instead of letting you go do it.

There was a wildness in me, of hope and terror.

I feel like I would eat the world raw.

Wie lustig, « fuhr sie fort, »dass du selbst nach so langer Zeit immer noch erwartest, dass man dich belohnt, nur weil du gehorsam warst. Ich dachte, du hättest diese Lektion im Palast unseres Vaters gelernt. Niemand war so unterwürfig und ein-faltig wie du, und trotzdem trat der mächtige Helios dich umso rascher mit Füßen, denn du kauertest ja bereits da unten.«

The presence of the other boys did not comfort me; our dead come for their vengeance regardless of witnesses

Ich hatte kein Recht darauf, Anspruch auf ihn zu erheben, das war mir klar. Aber in einem einsamen Leben gibt es jene seltenen Momente, in denen eine Seele die andere berührt, so wie Sterne einmal im Jahr die Erde streifen.

I had never seen the joy he took in his own skill, the roaring vitality that was always just beneath the surface. Who was he if not miraculous and radiant? Who was he if not destined for fame?

Si chaque soldat ne tuait que les ennemis qui l'ont personnellement offensé, Pelides, il n'y aurait aucune guerre