All writers believe in the magic of books; Jim Hines has created a system where that magic becomes real, usable, and very definitely not always safe.

What do they do for a village idiot when you're here?

Empty words show an empty mind, and silence speaks most eloquently of all.

Large men in black plate mail with red cloaks and plumes don't sneak worth a damn.

Violence is never the answer but sometimes, like with cockroaches, it is the only possible response.

Better the comfort of a lie than the absurdity of the truth.

Most people don't care who's in charge as long as someone is.

I tell you what I won't put up with. You chose how to behave.

The world tilted slightly sideways. 'I think I need to sit down.' The floor seemed like the best option. It was close and he'd already proved that he could hit it. His legs folded.

It took him forever to get to downtown Vancouver although Tony had to admit that saving the world by public transportation was a particularly Canadian way to do things.

I'm sorry." About what?" He shrugged, made uncomfortable by the question."I'm not sure. It's a Canadian thing.

Nobody is better than me.

When meeting criticism, he would regard it not as something to resent but as a thing to be examined, like an interesting beetle. "That's a curious view, not uninteresting.

My favorite time of day is to get up and eat leftovers from dinner, especially spicy food.

You have social media and the Internet and immigration and so, suddenly, cultures are clashing and people feel as if they're less familiar with the people around them. That causes social anxieties.

Sin in the theater, I can observe now, is comparable to education in a university: it is there for those who wish to take advantage of it, but fewer do than you might suspect.

You can say anything if enough people will listen.

Either kill me or take me as I am, because I'll be damned if I ever change.

I'm lonely and I'm still kind of searching for someone I can have a real connection with.

The most fertile source of insight is hindsight.

He who least likes courting favour, ought also least to think of resenting neglect; to feel wounded at being refused a distinction can only arise from an overweening appetite to have it.