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Quotes from Harlot's Ruse — Esther Friesner

born 1951 United States

← All quotes by Esther Friesner

17 quotes

Dignity and self-assurance are everything to a woman, especially a naked one.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

There is a vast difference between innocence and stupidity.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

If we could all pick our fathers there might be ten men on earth who would have families.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Power can command wealth but wealth can’t always command power.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

For magic wears a thousand masks, but love is magic of its own and wears a myriad more.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Children, the gods call us when they choose, but not even the priests are eager to answer.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

In for a lamb, in for a ram, as the sheep-stealers say just before we hang them.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

I think the pampered highborn like the fantasy of equality.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Don’t mistake gratitude for love.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Talent is no doxy to follow only where gold jingles. Even in the poorest hovels artists can be born as often as cutpurses.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Little ones, if any mortal under the age of ninety ever tells you, “I always learned my lessons the first time, before it was too late,” mark that person well. He lies.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Better a live whore than a dead virgin!

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Monkeys and mortals are attracted to sparkly things. What makes us different from the apes is that we sometimes crack the shiny shell and see there’s nothing inside.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

“I won’t do it,” said Barti.
“Then we’ll kill you,” replied Aliska, who had grasped the fundamentals of religious debate pretty quickly.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Sex is like the pursuit of wild mushrooms: Both are fascinating hobbies, both can prove most addictive, and both for the most part yield tasty results.
And yet, for the novice, there exists always the chance of making that one fatal mistake. Ah, but if one lives, one learns!

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

I knew the Cardinal Rule of Experiments from Master Urion’s house: The wise mage never tampers with the order of things unless his circumstances are such that the worst possible result of the experiment will be no more disastrous than not performing the experiment at all.

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Chapter 4, “I Cover the Waterfront” (p. 88)

Harlot's Ruse (1986)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Esther Friesner (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.