“ A tale may have exactly three beginnings: one for the audience, one for the artist, and one for the poor bastard who has to live in it. Catherynne M. Valente
“ Why should he be spared?''Someone ought to be.' And it will not be me. I have survived, but I have not been spared. Catherynne M. Valente
“ Life is like that. Death sweeps it away. That's what death is for. That's why they keep telling this story. It's the only story. Catherynne M. Valente
“ She walks into my life legs first, a long drink of water in the desert of my thirties. Her shoes are red; her eyes are green. She's an Italian flag in occupied territory, and I fall for her like Paris… Catherynne M. Valente
“ The Heart of Fairyland is a story," she said, and she felt so warm and light and full of rightness of it that she thought she might faint. Catherynne M. Valente
“ I thought that for a long while, but you chose me, and then you chose him, and choosing is hard - one choice is never the end of the story. Catherynne M. Valente
“ I’m a monster,” said the shadow of the Marquess suddenly. “Everyone says so.” The Minotaur glanced up at her. “So are we all, dear,” said the Minotaur kindly. “The thing to decide is what kind of mons… Catherynne M. Valente
“ PERCIVAL: Now, who is telling the story?SEVERIN: The camera is telling the story. It's watching everything, and you can't lie to it, or it will know.PERCIVAL: My girl is so clever! No, the camera witn… Catherynne M. Valente
“ Stories,' the green-eyed Sigrid said, unperturbed, 'are like prayers. It does not matter when you begin, or when you end, only that you bend a knee and say the words. Catherynne M. Valente
“ Everything in this place was livid and lurid and living, and when he loved her and hurt her all at once she lived, too, higher and harder than she had thought she could. Catherynne M. Valente
“ The oligarchs do not care what justice is, only what seems just. They do not care what mercy is, only what appears merciful. Thus justice and mercy will always escape them. Catherynne M. Valente
“ She had a highly developed sense of humor which in some lights looked a bit like a sense of justice. Catherynne M. Valente
“ The tales lovers tell each other about how they met are hushed and secret things. They change year by year, for we all meet many times as we grow up and become different and new and exciting people--a… Catherynne M. Valente
“ The Glasshobs built it to keep an eye on the stars, who have a tendency to run off on adventures and forget about how much we down-below folks need to navigate and cast horoscopes and meet lovers on b… Catherynne M. Valente
“ I am a practical girl, and a life is only so long. It should be spent in as much peace and good eating and good reading as possible and no undue excitement. That is all I am after. Catherynne M. Valente
“ Fate is a woman, I said to them. In fact, she is three women. Young, like us, so that they will have the courage to be cruel, having no weight of memory to teach temperance. Young, but so old, older t… Catherynne M. Valente
