Skip to content

They never knew what they were making, those old philosophers. They invented a device that could split open the very smallest particles of matter, and they used it to steal candy. They had no idea that they'd made the one weapon in all the universes that could defeat the tyrant.

— Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife (1997)

Another quote →

More quotes by Philip Pullman

It tells you the truth. As for how to read it, you'll have to learn by yourself.

Northern Lights (1995)

Everything has a meaning, if only we could read it.

Lyra's Oxford (2003)

This edge," said Giacomo Paradisi, touching the steel with the handle of a spoon, "will cut through any material in the world.

The Subtle Knife (1997)

Argue with anything else, but don't argue with your own nature.

The Subtle Knife (1997)

Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit.

The Subtle Knife (1997)

All Philip Pullman quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Philip Pullman (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.