Sherwood Smith Quotes

Nothing is "always," my dear. Except the greater truths, one of which is that power begets politics, and politics are more dangerous than war because there are fewer rules.

It is a shame when we must regard a people as an enemy. It is a shame and a regret when the two peoples share so much. And it is a shame, a regret, and a tragedy when those peoples meet as individuals and find much to admire.

I realized that despite how entertaining certain stories were, at the bottom of every item of gossip there was someone getting hurt.

Judging the actions of the many by those of the one is both human and dangerous.

Angry men with pointy things sent to secure a foreign city are pretty much alike anywhere. That's what I've heard. So far nothing's convinced me different.

Probably. That doesn't make you into one.

What might have happened to them to make them the way they were? It did not change what they now did, but it changed, profoundly, how he perceived their motivations, their place in the world.

That's not good, that's triumph.

When in doubt, be ridiculous.

Choose the duty that you can most effectively execute: that is, finally, all we can do in life.

War is a convenient fix for government problems if it happens somewhere else. To other people.

What's it really like to always be the prettiest person in a room? Dos it mean you're always acting as if in a play, because no one stops looking at you?

Who in the universe halts when the enemy tells them to?

I've been working hard at assuming Court polish, but the more I learn about what really goes on behind the pretty voices and waving fans and graceful bows, the more I comprehend that what is really said matters little, so long as the manner in which it is said pleases. I understand it, but I don't like it. Were I truly influential, then I would halt this foolishness that decrees that in Court one cannot be sick; that to admit you are sick is really to admit to political or social or romantic defeat; that to admit to any emotions usually means one really feels the opposite. It is a terrible kind of falsehood that people can only claim feelings as a kind of social weapon.

If your opponent is better armed and has longer reach, then surprise is your only ally. And then you'd better hope he's half asleep.