“Cats were often familiars to workers of magic because to anyone used to wrestling with self-willed, wayward, devious magic—which was what all magic was—it was rather soothing to have all the same qualities wrapped up in a small, furry, generally attractive bundle that looked more or less the same from day to day and might, if it were in a good mood, sit on your knee and purr. Magic never sat on anybody’s knee and purred.” HumorMagicCatsPurring Book:Spindle's End Source: Spindle's End
“The big difference between my mom and me-- besides the fact that she is dead normal and I'm a magic-handling freak-- is that she's the real thing. She may have a slight problem seeing other people's points of view, but she's honest about it. She's a brass-bound bitch because she believes she knows best. I'm a brass-bound bitch because I don't want anyone getting close enough to find out what a whiny little knot of naked nerve endings I really am.” HumorMagicSelf ConfidenceMothers Book:Sunshine Source: Sunshine
“The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like slightly sticky plaster-dust. (Housecleaners in that country earned unusually good wages.) If you lived in that country, you had to de-scale your kettle of its encrustation of magic at least once a week, because if you didn't, you might find yourself pouring hissing snakes or pond slime into your teapot instead of water.” IfsCountryMightWaterMagicWeekLandScalesDustFinding YourselfThickShelvesWagesSnakesPouringPondsStickyTenaciousChalkKettlesSlimePlastersTeapotsHissing Book:Spindle's End Source: Spindle's End
“The great thing about fantasy is that you can drag dreams and longings and hopes and fears and strivings out of your subconscious and call them 'magic' or 'dragons' or 'faeries' and get to know them better. But then I write the stuff. Obviously I'm prejudiced.” KnowsWritingDreamStuffFantasyMagicLongingStriveGreat ThingsDragonsDragSubconsciousFaerieHopes And Fears Author:Robin McKinley
“What you describe is how it happens to everyone: magic does slide through you, and disappear, and come back later looking like something else. And I'm sorry to tell you this, but where your magic lives will always be a great dark space with scraps you fumble for. You must learn to sniff them out in the dark.” DoeHappensDarkSpaceMagicSorryDisappearI'm SorrySlidesLike SomethingScrap Book:Spindle's End Source: Spindle's End
“Cats were often familiars to workers of magic because to anyone used to wrestling with self-willed, wayward, devious magic--which was what all magic was--it was rather soothing to have all the same qualities wrapped up in a small, furry, generally attractive bundle that...might, if it were in a good mood, sit on your knee and purr. Magic never sat on anybody's knee and purred.” IfsSelfMightUsedQualityMagicCatWorkersMoodKneesAttractiveSatWrestlingSoothingBundlesGood MoodDeviousFurry Book:Spindle's End Source: Spindle's End