Quotes About Challenge

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 there's no game, isn't winning a pretty meaningless concept?

There's all of us adults, and one of him. We ought to be able to keep up. Why do I feel like he has us outnumbered and surrounded?

I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?

God save me from another such victory.

like swatting flies with a laser cannon. The aim's a bit tricky, but it sure takes care of the flies.

There is this, about being the sparring partner of the best swordsman in Caribastos. I always lost. But if ever I meet the third best swordsman in Caribastos, he's going to be in very deep trouble.

It could be surprisingly hard to counter Plain Stupid. Even by heroic measures.

The problem has just suddenly become a lot more interesting. Er, difficult. It's just become a bit more difficult.

The future is happening right here, every day. You can swim or you can drown, but you can't choose not to be in the flood. I suppose the real insight is that it's always been that way.

Koudelka puzzled over this attempted readjustment of his point of view, then let it bounce harmlessly off his impermeable habits of thought.

I know my limits. No one knows their limits till they've gone beyond them.

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

Lord Miles Naismith Vorkosigan. Occupation: security risk. Hobbies: falling off walls, disappointing sick old men to death, making girls cry.

At a growl from Kety, the procession paused in front of the entering Barrayarans. Miles heard Kety's voice, icy-cold: "Congratulations, Lord Vorpatril. I hope you may be fortunate enough to survive your victory." "Huh?" said Ivan. Oh

Nothing worth doing is fun all the time. But it's still worth doing all the time.

Desperately, Cordelia stuck her foot through the whatchamacallit foot-holder, stirrup, grabbed, and heaved. The saddle slid slowly around the horse's belly, and Cordelia with it, till she was clinging underneath among a forest of horse legs. She fell to the ground with a thump and scrambled out of the way. The horse twisted its neck around and peered at her, in a dismay much milder than her own, then stuck its rubbery lips to the ground and began nibbling up weeds.

Iselle swallowed. It was clear her mind was frantically churning over responses. She'd stifled her first scream of outrage, and had not the trick of falling down in a convincing dead faint. She stood trapped and conscious.

I'll lay it out straight, then. I don't like the way things are run around here. Oliver's mouth twisted sardonically; he did not comment aloud. He didn't need to. I'm going to change them, Miles added. Shit, said Oliver, and rolled back over. Starting here and now. After a moment's silence Oliver added, Go away or I'll pound you. Suegar

It's only for a week. If I can do it," he said manfully, "you can do it." "I've heard that before somewhere," she muttered.

The fastest way to get to easy is through hard.

I offer you an honorable new beginning. I do not guarantee its ending. Attempts fail, but not as certainly as tasks never attempted.

But I've always thought—tests are a gift. And great tests are a great gift. To fail the test is a misfortune. But to refuse the test is to refuse the gift, and something worse, more irrevocable, than misfortune.... If you think it's really wrong...that's one thing. Maybe that's the test. But if it's only the fear of failure, you have not the right to refuse the gift for that. It's an impossible job. That happens sometimes.

Ivan didn't want to know. "You play games like that with the big boys, you'd better make damn sure you win, Miles says. Rule One. And there is no Rule Two.