Ann Leckie quotes

Not safe?” I asked, all innocence. "Surely it isn't illegal here to complain about young people these days? How cruel. I had thought it a basic part of human nature, one of the few universally practiced human customs. (Ann Leckie)
Without feelings insignificant decisions become excruciating attempts to compare endless arrays of inconsequential things. It's just easier to handle those with emotions. View quote
Ann Leckie
What, after all, was the point of civilization if not the well-being of citizens? View quote
Ann Leckie
Now I'm going to make you angry again.” "Really?” I asked, drily. "Aren't you getting tired of that? View quote
Ann Leckie
People often think they would have made the noblest choice, but when they find themselves actually in such a situation, they discover matters aren't quite so simple. View quote
Ann Leckie
You don't like me saying that, but here's the truth: luxury always comes at someone else's expense. One of the many advantages of civilization is that one generally doesn't have to see that, if one doesn't wish. You're free to enjoy its benefits without troubling your conscience. View quote
Ann Leckie
I don't confuse abstract philosophical concepts with reality. View quote
Ann Leckie
You might also see why it seemed a bit odd, to Radchaai ears, to hear someone who believed gravity wells were the land of the dead call people superstitious for worshiping a lizard. View quote
Ann Leckie
Her respectful tone sounded almost sincere. View quote
Ann Leckie
It's easy to say that if you were there you would have refused, that you would rather die than participate in the slaughter, but it all looks very different when it's real, when the moment comes to choose. View quote
Ann Leckie
We have a saying where I come from: Power requires neither permission nor forgiveness. (Ann Leckie)
If you're going to do something that crazy, save it for when it'll make a difference. But absent near-omniscience there's no way to know when that is. You can only make your best approximate calculation. You can only make your throw and try to puzzle out the results afterward. View quote
Ann Leckie
Now I'm going to make you angry again. View quote
Ann Leckie