Orson Scott Card Quotes

When he loved his bride it was not a queen he loved, but rather the girl as she might have been if she had not been destroyed in her childhood.

As he had so many times before, Taleswapper addressed a few silent words to God, which always came down to this question: Why do you put us to so much trouble, when it all comes to naught in the end?...And, as usual, God had nothing much to say to Taleswapper when his questioning was done.

That's how it goes within a family. You think you know each other so well, and so you don't bother hardly getting to know each other at all.

Justice could be cruel, and crueler yet necessity, but mercy was the cruelest thing of all.

“You speak metaphorically, I hope,” said Peggy.
“I hope not,” said Becca. “Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.”

I've learned much, Father, and this above all: that no station in life is above any other, if it's occupied by someone with a good heart.

She will look at you as women look at men, and she will judge you as women judge men — not on the strength of their arguments, and not on their cleverness or prowess in battle, but rather on the force of their character, the intensity of their passion, the strength of their soul, their compassion, and — ah, this above all — their conversation.

Like all children they only wanted to be known, and cared little about giving that gift to others.

Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire,” when the saying should have been, “Where there’s scandalous lies there’s always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.

Once he had been so formidable that he was surrounded by enemies. Now even his enemies has lost interest in him. What clearer sign of failure could you find than that?

You take responsibility for us all. Without ever waiting to be told.
So do all good people. That's what it means to be a good person.

More than likely, mother would simply go enigmatic on him, give him one of her inscrutable smiles, and tell him that if he didn't already understand, he never would.

“I want to know how many years I got.”
“Many,” said Ta-Kumsaw. “Or few. All that matters is what you do with however many years you have.”

“You must be a prophet right enough,” said Alvin Junior, “cause I can’t understand a thing you said.”

Living with a god is not what it's cracked up to be. They think their women should be grateful just to have them around.