Michael Kurland Quotes

The rules that society chooses to live by have always struck me as especially fascinating," she said. "There are things one can do but not talk about, and there are things one can talk about but not do. There are things—not apparently gender-related—that men can do, but not women, and there are things women can do, but not men. We live in an invisible maze, and we have all learned where to turn and when, so as to find our way through."
"Some of the rules are good, Mary, and many are necessary," Lord Darcy said mildly.
"You misunderstood me, my dear," Mary of Cumberland told him. "As in magic, where there are absolutely essential words to say and gestures to make or the spell won't work; so in society there are absolutely essential words to say and gestures to make or we won't understand each other or trust each other, and it will all come tumbling down around us. The problem is that the rules of society, unlike magic, have never been formalized mathematically, and we don't know which words are essential to the spell and which are just silly words.

We are greatly complimented, my lord," Marquis Sherrinford said dryly. "You don't think we're gibbering madmen.

He takes every change that has taken place over the past two hundred years as a personal affront.

“A curious mixture, you,” I said, pulling her firmly toward me over the bowl of cement and commencing a lengthy kiss of agreement, exploration, adoration and lust.

Any truth," Chester said, "no matter how obscure, or seemingly unimportant, is a piece of the mosaic and a step toward completion.

The Duchess of Cumberland smiled at the little sorcerer. “Really, Master Dandro,” she said. “That’s certainly an orthodox view.”
Master Dandro turned to her and smiled a rabbity smile. “Orthodoxy is my only doxy,” he said.

He could have assigned this part of the job to another, but it was not in his conception of his duties to do so. The shorter the chain, the less chance for a broken link.

I apologize for asking the obvious, but I have learned in matters magical to always state what I think is happening, because it so often is not what is actually the case at all.

Everyone leaned over the map and examined it with interest. Here was a tangible thing to look at, to make them feel that something was being accomplished. Everything’s under control, Lord Darcy said wryly to himself, we have a map.

You're from Liverpool, of course," He was very proud of his ability to place different accents.
"No," Sylvia told him. "Boston.

I don’t like eating in the dark. Dimly lit restaurants always make me think they’re trying to hide the food.

It’s what a man thinks is true which controls his actions, not what is really true.

I am not in the habit of letting someone else decide what I can and cannot do.

A dead man, Sir Moses," Lord Darcy told him.
"Remember, young man, he isn't dead until I say he's dead," Sir Moses said. He pushed Lord Darcy aside and stepped over to the throne. He stared down at Master Sorcerer Dandro Bittman.
"This man is dead," Sir Moses said.
"Indeed he is, Sir Moses," Master Sean said, coming up behind him. "And that's something that neither you with your bone cutting nor I with my spells, nor the finest healer with the most sensitive hands in the kingdom, can do aught about.

It had been a long time ago, when life had been less complex. Or, perhaps, it had only seemed less complex.