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Catherynne M. Valente

Catherynne M. Valente Quotes

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Famous Catherynne M. Valente Quotes

“You will always go into that tent. You will see her scar and wonder where she got it. You will always be amazed at how one woman can have so much black hair. You will always fall in love, and it will always be like having your throat cut, just that fast. You will always run away with her. You will always lose her. You will always be a fool. You will always be dead, in a city of ice, snow falling into your ear. You have already done all of this and will do it again.”

DoneRunningFallBlackLosesCitiesWonderCuttingHairFoolEarsFalling In LoveSnowIceThroatScarRunning AwayAmazedTentsOne WomanBlack HairSnow Falling
Author:Catherynne M. Valente
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“You and I, being grown-up and having lost our hearts at least twice or thrice along the way, might shut our eyes and cry out: Not that way, child! But as we have said, September was Somewhat Heartless, and felt herself reasonably safe on that road. Children always do.”

WayHeartChildrenSaidMightEyeLostFeltCrySafeSeptemberHeartlessThrice
Book:The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
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“Squeeze your eyes closed, as tight as you can, and think of all your favorite autumns, crisp and perfect, all bound up together like a stack of cards. That is what it is like, the awful, wonderful brightness of Fairy colors. Try to smell the hard, pale wood sending up sharp, green smoke into the afternoon. To feel the mellow, golden sun on your skin, more gentle and cozier and more golden than even the light of your favorite reading nook at the close of the day.”

ThinkingFeelsTryingHardLightEyeTogetherReadingPerfectSunWonderfulColorSkinsGreenBoundsWoodsSmellGoldenCardsAwfulSmokeGentleFairyAutumnAfternoonPaleBrightnessYour FavoriteCrispsMellow
Book:The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
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“I'm sure you've heard people talk about their Heart's Desire—well that's a load of rot. Hearts are idiots. They're big and squishy and full of daft dreams. They flounce off to write poetry and moon at folk who aren't worth the mooning. Bones are the ones that have to make the journey, fight the monster, kneel before whomever is big on kneeling these days. Bones do the work for the heart's grand plans. Bones know what you need. Hearts only know want.”

PeopleKnowsWantNeedsWritingWellsHeartDreamBigsDesireFightingPlansHeardJourneyMoonFolksBonesMonstersIdiotThese DaysLoadKneelingDaft
Book:The Fairyland Series
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“Do you suppose you will look the same when you are an old woman as you do now? Most folk have three faces—the face they get when they’re children, the face they own when they’re grown, and the face they’ve earned when they’re old. But when you live as long as I have, you get many more. I look nothing like I did when I was a wee thing of thirteen. You get the face you build your whole life, with work and loving and grieving and laughing and frowning.”

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Author:Catherynne M. Valente
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“I don’t want to be a Princess,” she said finally. “You can’t make me be one.” She knew very well what became of Princesses, as Princesses often get books written about them. Either terrible things happened to them, such as kidnappings and curses and pricking fingers and getting poisoned and locked up in towers, or else they just waited around till the Prince finished with the story and got around to marrying her. Either way, September wanted nothing to do with Princessing.”

WayWantWellsSaidBookStoriesWantedWrittenHappenedTerribleFingersFinishedCursePrincessLockedTowersSeptemberTerrible ThingsMarryingLocked UpKidnappingMarrying Her
Book:The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
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“Once more September marveled that even the Dodo knew what she wanted to be when she was grown. She simply could not think what she herself might do. September expected that destinies, which is how she thought of professions, simply landed upon one like a crown, and ever after no one questioned or fretted over it, being sure of one’s own use in the world. It was only that somehow her crown had not yet appeared. She did hope it would hurry up.”

ThinkingWorldUseMightWantedDestinyProfessionExpectedOver ItCrownsSeptemberEver After
Author:Catherynne M. Valente
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“You know, in Fairyland-Above they said that the underworld was full of devils and dragons. But it isn’t so at all! Folk are just folk, wherever you go, and it’s only a nasty sort of person who thinks a body’s a devil just because they come from another country and have different notions. It’s wild and quick and bold down here, but I like wild things and quick things and bold things, too.”

ThinkingKnowsPersonsSaidDifferentCountryBodyDevilNotionFolksDragonsNastyThey SaidUnderworldWild Things
Book:The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
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“It’s been me all along,” said September slowly. “Me who gave up my shadow, me who went down into Fairyland-Below and Fairyland-Lower-Than-That to wake up the Prince. Me who shot the poor Minotaur. You oughtn’t just hand the whole business over the moment a Prince comes on the scene. I’ve got to see it through, don’t you see? The Hollow Queen is hollow because she’s missing the part of her that’s me. We’ve got to come together again. And he can’t do a thing about that.”

SaidWholeMomentsHandsTogetherPoorMissingSceneShotsShadowWake UpQueensSeptemberHollowGave UpTogether AgainMinotaur
Author:Catherynne M. Valente
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