Any community's arm of force - military, police, security - needs people in it who can do neccesary evil, and yet not be made evil by it. To do only the necessary and no more. To constantly question the assumptions, to stop the slide into atrocity. Lois McMaster Bujold More Quotes by Lois McMaster Bujold More Quotes From Lois McMaster Bujold The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them. Lois McMaster Bujold cryjusticedeath Don't wish to be normal. Wish to be yourself. To the hilt. Find out what you're best at, and develop it, and hopscotch your weaknesses. Wish to be great at whatever you are. Lois McMaster Bujold being-yourselfinspirationallife Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. Lois McMaster Bujold divorcesuccesscharacter If you can't be seven feet tall, be seven feet smart. Lois McMaster Bujold sevensmartfeet When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action. When you desire a consequence you had damned well better take the action that would create it. Lois McMaster Bujold wellsactiondesire All great human deeds both consume and transform their doers. Consider an athlete, a scientist, an artist, or an entrepreneur. In service of their goals, they lay down time, energy and many other choices and pleasures; in return, they become most truly themselves. A false destiny may be spotted by the fact that it consumes without transforming, without giving back the enlarged self. Lois McMaster Bujold destinyartistathlete In mysticism, knowledge cannot be separated from a certain way of life which becomes its living manifestation. To acquire mystical knowledge means to undergo a transformation; one could even say that the knowledge is the transformation. Scientific knowledge, on the other hand, can often stay abstract and theoretical. Thus most of today’s physicists do not seem to realize the philosophical, cultural and spiritual implications of their theories. Lois McMaster Bujold philosophicalspiritualmean Since no one is perfect, it follows that all great deeds have been accomplished out of imperfection. Yet they were accomplished, somehow, all the same. Lois McMaster Bujold accomplisheddeedsperfect Miles exhaled carefully, faint with rage and reminded grief. He does not know, he told himself. He cannot know... "Ivan, one of these days somebody is going to pull out a weapon and plug you, and you're going to die in bewilderment, crying, "What did I say? What did I say?" "What did I say?" asked Ivan indignantly. Lois McMaster Bujold weaponsgriefdoe But pain seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain? Lois McMaster Bujold disabilitypainwinning Real destiny takes everything-the last drop of blood, and strip out your veins to be sure-and gives it back doubled. Quadrupled. A thousand-fold! But you can't give halves. You have to give it all. I know. I swear. I've come back from the dead to speak the truth to you. Real destiny gives you a mountain of life, and puts you on top of it. Lois McMaster Bujold destinyrealblood It's an ancient and honorable term for the final step in any engineering project. Turn it on, see if it smokes. Lois McMaster Bujold engineeringfinalssteps Aim high. You may still miss the target, but at least you won't shoot your foot off. Lois McMaster Bujold targetmissingfeet Have you ever heard the phrase, Living well is the best revenge?" "Where I come from, someone's head in a bag is generally considered the best revenge Lois McMaster Bujold bagsphrasesrevenge Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men have always a choice - if not whether, then how, they may endure. Lois McMaster Bujold eventschoicesmen The will to be stupid is a very powerful force, but there are always alternatives. Lois McMaster Bujold alternativespowerfulstupid Surely only correct understanding could lead to correct action. Lois McMaster Bujold understandingaction An honor is not diminished for being shared. Lois McMaster Bujold armyhonorinspirational A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the delight of its users did that. Lois McMaster Bujold measurementdelightgarden A good friend of my son's is a son to me. Lois McMaster Bujold lost-friendshipgood-friendson
