Quotes from K.J. Parker

Clemens IV, brother of the Invincible Sun, regent of Heaven and Earth, Undefeated, Father of His Country, King of Kings, whatever.

The trouble with now is, it's over in a heartbeat, and then you've got to think of something else.

I do housework," she said, "and I mend clothes. I'd do a proper job if I could. I'd have been a surgeon, like my father, except it's not allowed." He frowned. "It isn't?" "Of course not. Women can't be surgeons or clerks or lawyers or lecturers at Temple or merchants. There's not actually a law, but there doesn't have to be. People wouldn't stand for it.

Every man, woman and child, regardless of age, ability, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or social class was valuable and must be treated as such. His task, he realised, was finding someone to buy them all.

Bloody doctor hadn't got there yet; if he'd been there, I'd have smashed his face in for not being there yet—which is how your mind works when you're in that sort of a state.

It's about keeping the peace," said Rasso from the livery. His choice of words made Marzo want to smile. Rasso had borrowed the phrase from him and, like any man in the colony who borrowed anything, he seemed determined to use it till it fell apart before he was called on to give it back.

I fix broken people with things, with stuff; with tricks, lies, devices. I'm resourceful and ingenious. I don't confront, I avoid; and one of the things I do my best to avoid is justice, and another one is death.

That's one thing about human beings I don't see the point in: love. It does nobody any good. You love someone, and either they let you down or they die.

A city with no way of telling the time can by no stretch of the imagination be called civilised. It's just a mob with walls.

Phrantzes considered for a moment, collecting his thoughts like a general rallying his surviving troops after a massacre.

The trouble with running away is that, no matter where you go, you have to take yourself with you.

Gignomai took a book off the top of the pile, glanced at the spine (Caecilius on Prosody) and opened it. It began with a beautiful illuminated letter B and went downhill from there.

I could unleash violence and death on women and children in Mahec, but I could no more hit a woman than fly in the air; because I'm civilised, I suppose.

men are by nature very brave, except when it comes to opening doors to strangers)

Fine," I said. "Go back to the Dogs and wash some dishes." She left without a word.

She drank her wine, looking at me over the rim of her glass. It's a mannerism that has made her very popular with men over the years, and I guess it's like the violin: you have to keep practicing even when you're not performing to an audience.

There are certain traditions," Father went on, shifting his head a little so he was looking just over the top of Gignomai's head, as though he was talking to where Gignomai should have been at age fourteen, if he hadn't turned out disappointingly short.

If a man's a really good teacher, we stop him teaching and make him an organiser.

The question was, to what extent was he supposed to believe it? Of course, Gignomai had a special way of lying, which involved mostly telling the truth.

For what it was worth, she got the impression that Niessa liked her, or at least approved of her, in the same way a chess-player approves of one of his pieces when it stays where it's been put and doesn't go wandering off all over the board.

Be specially polite to people who annoy you. True feelings are for true friends.

The Cataboeans are all right. They believe some truly weird stuff. They believe that they're the only people on earth, and all the other anthropoid entities they meet are the spirits of the dead.

Did you ever hear of a place called Sphoe?

When I'm nervous, I talk a lot. And I'm rude to people. This is ridiculous.