You don't win races by wishing, you win them by running faster than everyone else does. Philip Pullman More Quotes by Philip Pullman More Quotes From Philip Pullman A murderer was a worthy companion. Philip Pullman murderercompanionworthy When he'd sworn at her and been sworn at in return, they became great friends. Philip Pullman great-friendreturn Iorek Byrnison: Can is not the same as must. Lyra Silvertongue: But if you must and you can, then there's no excuse. Philip Pullman no-excusesexcuseifs It does not make sense. It cannot exist. It's impossible, and if it isn't impossible, it's irrelevant, and if it isn't either of those things, it's embarrassing. Philip Pullman academicimpossibledoe Her last conscious thought was disgust at life; her senses had lied to her. The world was not made of energy and delight but of foulness, betrayal, and lassitude. Living was hateful, and death was no better, and from end to end of the universe this was the first and last and only truth. Philip Pullman delightbetrayalenergy One moment several things are possible, the next moment only one happens, and the rest don't exist. Except that other worlds have sprung into being, on which the did happen. Philip Pullman other-worldsnextmoments All the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity. Philip Pullman human-lifestupiditystruggle Lyra learns to her great cost that fantasy isn’t enough. She has been lying all her life, telling stories to people, making up fantasies, and suddenly she comes to a point where that’s not enough. All she can do is tell the truth. She tells the truth about her childhood, about the experiences she had in Oxford, and that is what saves her. True experience, not fantasy - reality, not lies - is what saves us in the end. Philip Pullman oxfordlyingreality Tolkien, who created this marvellous vehicle, doesn't go anywhere in it. He just sits where he is. What I mean by that is that he always seems to be looking backwards, to a greater and more golden past; and what's more he doesn't allow girls or women any important part in the story at all. Life is bigger and more interesting than The Lord of the Rings thinks it is. Philip Pullman girlmeanpast Human beings can't see anything without wanting to destroy it. That's original sin. And I'm going to destroy it. Death is going to die. Philip Pullman originalssinhumans Then she was pressing her little proud broken self against his face, as close as she could get, and then they died. Philip Pullman proudbrokenself You going to be a scientist when you grow up?” That sort of question deserved a blank stare, which it got. Philip Pullman blankscientistgrowing-up I look at the state of the American politics and I scratch my head in wonder. How can the Republican Party, any party, have fallen into to such a state of self-destructiveness - self-destructive stupidity? How is it possible? I don't know. It's an absolute mystery to me. Philip Pullman mysterystupidityparty The Specters feast as vampires feast on blood, but the Specters’ food is attention. A conscious and informed interest in the world. The immaturity of children is less attractive to them. Philip Pullman vampirechildrenblood The first ghost to leave the world of the dead was Roger. He took a step forward, and turned to look back at Lyra, and laughed in surprise as he found himself turning into the night, the starlight, the air. . .and then he was gone, leaving behind such a vivid little burst of happiness. Philip Pullman leavingairnight Everything means something. Philip Pullman his-dark-materialsmean When you choose one way out of many, all the ways you don't take are snuffed out like candles, as if they'd never existed. At that moment all Will's choices existed at once. But to keep them all in existence meant doing nothing. He had to choose, after all. Philip Pullman doing-nothingchoicesway And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it? Philip Pullman doeworrythinking There are some who live by every rule and cling tightly to their rectitude because they fear being swept away by a tempest of passion, and there are others who cling to the rules because they fear that there is no passion there at all, and that if they let go they would simply remain where they are, foolish and unmoved; and they could bear that least of all. Living a life of iron control lets them pretend to themselves that only by the mightiest effort of will can they hold great passions at bay. Philip Pullman ironpassionletting-go For a human being, nothing comes naturally,' said Grumman. 'We have to learn everything we do. Philip Pullman studentssaidinspirational
