Never underestimate the human capacity for wishful thinking and willful blindness,' said Miles. Such as a whole society of people who became so wrapped up in avoiding death, they forgot to be alive? Lois McMaster Bujold More Quotes by Lois McMaster Bujold More Quotes From Lois McMaster Bujold Any communitys arm of force - military, police, security - needs people in it who can do necessary 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 military evil people Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart. Lois McMaster Bujold desire heart life Well, what is a blessing but a curse from another point of view? Lois McMaster Bujold point-of-view blessing views A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. Lois McMaster Bujold change mind enemy How could you be a Great Man if history brought you no Great Events, or brought you to them at the wrong time, too young, too old? Lois McMaster Bujold events young men The world demands I make good choices on no information, and then blames my maidenhood for my mistakes, as if my maidenhood were responsible for my ignorance. Ignorance is not stupidity, but it might as well be. And I do not like feeling stupid. Lois McMaster Bujold ignorance stupid mistake I am who I choose to be. I have always been what I chose, though not always what I pleased. Lois McMaster Bujold Never argue with a pedant over nomenclature. It wastes your time and annoys the pedant. Lois McMaster Bujold nomenclature pedants waste If you make it plain you like people, it's hard for them to resist liking you back. Lois McMaster Bujold resistance friendship people Power is better than revenge. Power is a live thing, by which you reach out to grasp the future. Revenge is a dead thing, reaching out from the past to grasp you. Lois McMaster Bujold reaching revenge past I don't confuse greatness with perfection. To be great anyhow is the higher achievement. Lois McMaster Bujold achievement greatness perfection You can say a lot in a little time, if you stick to words of one syllable. Lois McMaster Bujold sticks time littles On the sixth day God saw He couldn't do it all, so He created ENGINEERS Lois McMaster Bujold saws engineers Anything worth achieving is worth overachieving. Lois McMaster Bujold overachieving achieve Change is possible.' 'Change is inevitable. Lois McMaster Bujold change-is-inevitable possible-change inevitable The most important thing about quests, he decided, was not in finding what you went looking for, but in finding what you never could have imagined before you ventured forth. Lois McMaster Bujold findings quests important You should have fallen in love with a happy man, if you wanted happiness. But no, you had to fall for the breathtaking beauty of pain. Lois McMaster Bujold pain happiness fall I'm not getting it all sorted, she worried. I'm not getting it right. You are brilliant, the Voice reassured her. It is imperfect. So are all things trapped in time. You are brilliant, nonetheless. How fortunate for Us that We thirst for glorious souls rather than faultless ones, or We should be parched indeed, and most lonely in Our perfect righteousness. Carry on imperfectly, shining Ista. Lois McMaster Bujold voice lonely perfect Honor is what you know about yourself. Lois McMaster Bujold honored about-yourself honor Most people go through their whole lives without killing anybody. False argument. Lois McMaster Bujold argument killing people