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It was all very well, the alethiometer telling her to be truthful, but she knew what would happen if she told the whole truth. She had to tread carefully and just avoid direct lies.

— Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife (1997)

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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.