110 Quotes & Sayings By Leigh Bardugo

They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things-if love can ever be called that. Leigh Bardugo

What is she to you anyway?"" Here's my answer captain. She's the thing that made this all okay-the threadbare coats and the old boots and the guns that jams when you most need them to fire, the loneliness of knowing that you don't matter, that you will never matter, the fact that you're just another body, another uniform to be sent into the fold or the frost, another good boy who knows his place, who does his job, who doesn't ask questions, who will lie down and die and be forgotten. What is she? She's everything, you dumb son of a bitch. Leigh Bardugo

Have any of you wondered what I did with all the cash Pekka Rollins gave us?"" Guns?" asked Jesper."Ships?" queried Inej."Bombs?" suggested Wylan. "Political bribes?" offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. "This is where you tell us how awful we are, " she whispered. Leigh Bardugo

Good luck, Oretsev. Find the firebird, and when this is over, I'll see you well rewarded. A farmhouse in Udova. A dacha near the city. Whatever you want."" I don't need any of that. Just..." He dropped Nikolai's hand and looked away. "Deserve her. Leigh Bardugo

Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he'd learned from Nina, the will he'd learned from Matthias, the focus he'd studied in Kaz, the courage he'd learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope he'd learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, somehow they would win. Leigh Bardugo

There is something more powerful than any army. Something strong enough to topple kings, and even Darklings. Do you know what that thing is?” I shook my head, inching away from him.“ Faith, ” he breathed, his black eyes wild. “Faith. Leigh Bardugo

Waiting was the part of the criminal life so many people got wrong. They wanted to act instead of hold fast and gather information. They wanted to know instantly without having to learn. Sometimes the trick to getting the best of a situation was just to wait. If you didn't like the weather, you didn't rush into the storm - you waited until it changed. You found a way to keep from getting wet. Leigh Bardugo

Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. “Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost.” Brekker’s lips quirked. “I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.”“ My ghost won’t associate with your ghost, ” Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain. . Leigh Bardugo

You're very welcome, " she said, giving my hair a hard tug. "You should be used to being gawked at by now."" And yet I'm not."" Well, if it gets too bad, give me a signal, and I'll get up on the banquet table, toss my skirt over my head, and do a little dance. That way no one will be looking at you. Leigh Bardugo

You just punched a prince, Alina. I guess we can add one more act of treason to our list.” I shook out my sore hand. My knuckles smarted. “First of all, are we so sure he really is a prince? And second, you’re just jealo Leigh Bardugo

I shouldn't have lost my temper that way. It just pricks his pride, makes him dig in his heels."" So why did you?" I asked, genuinely curious. It was rare for Nikolai's emotions to get the best of him. "I don't know, " he said, shredding the leaf. "You got angry. I got angry. The room was too damn hot."" I don't think that's it."" Indigestion?" he offered." It's because you actually care about what happens to this country, " I said. "The throne is just a prize to Vasily, something he wants to squabble over like a favorite toy, You're not like that. You'll make a good king." Nikolai froze. "I…" For once, words seemed to have deserted him. Then a crooked, embarrassed smile crept across his face. It was a far cry from his usual self-assured grin. "Thank you, " he said. I sighed as we resumed our pace. "You're going to be insufferable now, aren't you?" Nikolai laughed. "I'm already insufferable. . Leigh Bardugo

If it works, it will be plenty dramatic. And I suppose that if it doesn't work, it will be even more dramatic, what with the blast."" David, I think you just made a joke." He frowned, utterly perplexed. "Did I? Leigh Bardugo

It's always been this way. There were rumors about me even before I was born. It's why my mother never calls me Sobachka. She says it makes me sound like a mongrel." My heart gave a little pang at that. I'd been called plenty of names growing up." I like mongrels, " I said. "They have cute floppy ears."" My ears are very dignified. Leigh Bardugo

I'll get them out and come back. I promise."" On your word as a cutthroat and a pirate?" He touched my cheek once, briefly. "Privateer."Another explosion rocked the grounds." Let's go! " shouted Mal.As we sprinted into the tunnel, I glanced back and saw Nikolai silhouetted against the purple twilight. I wondered if I'd ever see him again. Leigh Bardugo

Jesper: “If Pekka Rollins kills us all, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost.” Kaz: “I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.” Matthias: “My ghost won’t associate with your ghost. Leigh Bardugo

Inej placed her hands on Nina’s shoulders. “We’ll see each other again.”“ Of course we will. You’ve saved my life. I’ve saved yours.”“ I think you’re ahead on that count.”“ No, I don’t mean in the big ways.” Nina’s eyes took them all in. “I mean the little rescues. Laughing at my jokes. Forgiving me when I was foolish. Never trying to make me feel small. It doesn’t matter if it’s next month, or next year, or ten years from now, those will be the things I remember when I see you again.” Kaz offered his gloved hand to Nina. “Until then, Zenik.”“Count on it, Brekker.” They shook. . Leigh Bardugo

I was done with hesitation. It wasn't just that we'd run out of options, or that so much was riding on the firebird's power. I'd simply grown ruthless enough or selfish enough to take another creature's life. But I missed the girl who had shown the stag mercy, who had been strong enough to turn away from the lure of power, who had believed in something more. Another casualty of this war. Leigh Bardugo

They wanted a Grisha queen. Mal wanted a commoner queen. And what did I want? Peace for Ravka. A chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. An end to the guilt and dread that I woke to every morning. There were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy’s arms around me and watch the wind move the clouds. Leigh Bardugo

Nina was about to snap that she didn't appreciate the sarcasm when she saw the expression on his face. He looked like someone had just given him a tuba full of puppies. Leigh Bardugo

Kaz reached into his coat pocket. "Here, " he said and handed Jesper a slender book with an elaborate cover." Are we going to read to each other?"" Just flip it open to the back." Jesper opened the book and peered at the last page, puzzled. "So?""Hold it up so we don't have to look at your ugly face."" My face has character. Besides - oh! "" An excellent read, isn't it?"" Who knew I had a taste for literature?. Leigh Bardugo

She tilted her head back, breathing deeply. It was a stone gray day, the sea a bleak slate broken up by whitecaps, the sky pleated with thick ripples of cloud. A hard wind filled the sails, carrying the little boat over the waves. 'It feels good to be this kind of cold, ' she murmured. 'This kind?'' Wind in your hair, sea spray on your skin. The cold of the living. Leigh Bardugo

There is no pain like the pain of transformation. Leigh Bardugo

I just know there's no way to live without pain - no matter how long or short your life is. People let you down. You get hurt and do damage in return. Leigh Bardugo

I've always known that whatever marriage I made would be political. It would be about power, not love. But we might get lucky. In time, we might have both.'' Or the third amplifier will turn me into a power-mad dictator and you'll have to kill me.'' Yes, that would make for an awkward honeymoon. Leigh Bardugo

He doesn’t need a donkey, ” says Ana Kuya. “He has a wife. Leigh Bardugo

I opened my mouth, but the same words came to me again and again. I will not scream. I will not scream. I will not scream. Leigh Bardugo

If you don't care about money, Nina dear, call it by its other names."" Kruge? Scrub? Kaz's one true love?"" Freedom, security, retribution. Leigh Bardugo

He looked down at his boots. "That berth belongs to you too. It will always be there when―if you want to come back." Inej could not speak. Her heart felt too full, a dry creek bed ill-prepared for such rain. "I don't know what to say. Leigh Bardugo

Her heart felt too full, a dry creek bed ill-prepared for such rain. Leigh Bardugo

Where are you going?" she called after me, her voice mocking. "What's waiting for you out there?" "Nothing! " I shouted at her. "No one! Leigh Bardugo

I thought the love I'd had for him belonged to the past, to the foolish, lonely girl I never wanted to be again. I'd tried to bury that girl and the love she'd felt, just as I'd tried to bury my power. But I wouldn't make that mistake again. Leigh Bardugo

Van Eck raised a brow. "How old are you, girl? Sixteen? Seventeen? Nations rise and fall. Markets are made and unmade. When power shifts, someone always suffers. Leigh Bardugo

Human courage was different from Amazon bravery. She saw that now. For all the suspicion and derision she'd heard from her mother and her sisters about the mortal world, Diana couldn't help but admire the people with whom she traveled. Their lives were violent, precarious, fragile, but they fought for them anyway, and held to the hope that their brief stay on this earth might count for something. That faith was worth preserving. Leigh Bardugo

I was just a girl again, but this girl didn’t owe her strength to fate or chance or a grand destiny. I’d been born with my power; the rest I’d earned. Leigh Bardugo

Nina, you taught me to be something better. They could be taught, too. Leigh Bardugo

You see, some people are born with a piece of night inside, and that hollow place can never be filled - not with all the good food or sunshine in the world. That emptiness cannot be banished, and so some days we wake with the feeling of the wind blowing through, and we must simply endure it as the boy did. Leigh Bardugo

But when someone does wrong, when we make mistakes, we don’t say we’re sorry. We promise to make amends.”“ I will.”“ Mati en sheva yelu. This action will have no echo. It means we won’t repeat the same mistakes, that we won’t continue to do harm. Leigh Bardugo

You don't ask for forgiveness, Kaz. You earn it. Leigh Bardugo

The ox feels the yoke, but does the bird feel the weight of its wings? Leigh Bardugo

When had she stopped being a child? The first time a guy had whistled at her out of a car window when she was walking to school? The moment she started wondering how she looked when she ran, what jiggled or bounced, instead of the pace she was setting? The first time she’d kept from raising her hand because she didn’t want to seem too smart or too eager? Leigh Bardugo

I think we often hold heroines to an absurd standard. Be brave! Be wise! Always know what's in your heart and speak the truth of it! No and no and no. We fight to be brave. We learn to be wise. We struggle to know ourselves and voice what we want. Leigh Bardugo

Despise your heart. I wanted to. I didn't want to grieve anymore, to feel loss or guilt, or worry. I wanted to be hard, calculating. I wanted to be fearless. Leigh Bardugo

I’d learned to avoid mirrors. They never seemed to show me what I wanted to see. Leigh Bardugo

I think the hard work of writing is just how long a book is terrible before it's good. Leigh Bardugo

You cannot make this kind of decision, " he said. "Go off with someone you barely know. You're seventeen."" And you're the guy who got drunk on eggnog last Christmas and danced to 'Turn The Beat Around' in Aunt Rachel's wig, so stop acting like you're in charge."" We agreed not to mention that ever again, " Jason whispered furiously. Leigh Bardugo

Because I am a doll, and a servant. Because I am a pretty thing and a soldier all the same. Leigh Bardugo

Of course I'm jealous. I thought I was going to get to punch him. That isn't the point. Leigh Bardugo

She’d shown him in a thousand ways that she was honorable and strong and generous and very human, maybe even more vividly human than anyone he’d ever known. And if she was, then Grisha weren’t inherently evil. They were like anyone else–full of the potential to do great good, and also great harm. To ignore that would make Matthias the monster. Leigh Bardugo

They fear as I once feared you, ” he said. “As you once feared me. We are all someone’s monster, Nina Leigh Bardugo

David looked at me, then, the regret plain on his face. No matter what I said, we both knew the hard truth. We do our best. We try. And usually, it makes no difference at all Leigh Bardugo

I will tell you a story, one I used to tell to a little boy with dark hair. A silent boy who rarely laughs, who listened more closely than I realized. A boy who had a name and not a title Leigh Bardugo

The person she liked best didn't like her enough to want more of her, and she didn't want to pretend that wasn't awful. Leigh Bardugo

She'd hurt him, but she'd attempted everything in her power to make things right. She'd shown him in a thousand ways that she was honorable and strong and generous and very human, maybe even more vividly human than anyone he'd ever known. Leigh Bardugo

She knew she should say something profound, something beautiful in response. Instead, she spoke the truth. "If we make it out of here alive, I'm going to kiss you unconscious. Leigh Bardugo

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're better than waffles, Matthias Helvar." A small smile curled the Fjerdan's lips. "Let's not say things we don't mean, my love. Leigh Bardugo

Sometimes, the only way to get justice is to take it for yourself. Leigh Bardugo

I promise, Matthias. I'll take you home."" Nina, " he said, pressing her hand to his heart. "I am already home. Leigh Bardugo

I tilted my head back, breathing deeply. It was a clear, moonless night, and after those long months underground, the sight of all that sky was dizzying. And so many stars–a glittering, tangled mass that seemed close enough to touch. I let their light fall over me like a balm, grateful for the air in my lungs, the night all around me. Leigh Bardugo

Survival wasn't nearly as hard as he'd thought once he left decency behind. Leigh Bardugo

Mal was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “I’m not sure who my first kill was. We were hunting the stag when we ran into a Fjerdan patrol on the northern border. I don’t think the fight lasted more than a few minutes, but I killed three men. They were doing a job, same as I was, trying to get through one day to the next, then they were bleeding in the snow. No way to tell who was the first to fall, and I’m not sure it matters. You keep them at a distance. The faces start to blur.”“ Really?”“ No. Leigh Bardugo

I prefer to think of the good times. Like when you held my hair as I was vomiting into a bucket. Leigh Bardugo

Abruptly, Adrik snarled, 'I'm glad Sergei's dead. I'm just sorry I didn't get to wring his neck myself.'' You'd need two hands for that, ' said Leigh Bardugo

Kaz had always kept himself at a remove from everyone. They’d wanted camaraderie, friendship, but he had never agreed to play their game, only his own. Leigh Bardugo

A wise warrior learns from her mistakes. Leigh Bardugo

The names they gave were false ones, though the vows they made were true. Leigh Bardugo

We put on our best clothes and die like heroes. Leigh Bardugo

What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. Leigh Bardugo

And the look they exchanged could have melted miles of northern ice. Leigh Bardugo

Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men. Leigh Bardugo

At that moment, the creature's back breached the waves, its body cutting through the water in a sinuous arch, rainbows sparking off the iridescent scales on its back. Rusalye. Leigh Bardugo

I miss a good cup of tea, dancing, boys- definitely not rain."" We dance, " Diana protested. Maeve had just laughed. "You dance differently when you know you won't live forever. Leigh Bardugo

I don't think-"" Clearly. Why start now? Leigh Bardugo

(...)And what did I want? (...)A chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. (...) There were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy's arms around me and WATCH THE WIND MOVE THE CLOUDS. (...) Leigh Bardugo

I think... sometimes when we find love we pretend it away, or ignore it, or tell ourselves we are imagining it. Because it's the most painful kind of hope there is. It can be ripped away so easily. By indifference. By death. Leigh Bardugo

I rolled my eyes. "For defending my honor, you dullard." He yanked me beneath a shadowed awning. I had a moment's panic when I thought he'd spotted trouble, but then his arms were around me and his lips were pressed to mine. When he finally drew back, my cheeks were warm and my legs had gone wobbly." Just to be clear, " he said, "I'm not really interested in defending your honor."" Understood, " I managed, hoping I didn't sound too ridiculously breathless. . Leigh Bardugo

That first winter, when it was time for her friends to leave, the girl ventured out into the show to say goodbye, and the stunning raven-haired Squaller handed her another gift. "A blue kefta, " said the math teacher, shaking her head. "What would she do with Leigh Bardugo

She righted herself, her balance returning. Had she really thought the world didn't change? She was a fool. The world was made of miracles, unexpected earthquakes, storms that came from nowhere and might reshape a continent. The boy beside her. The future before her. Anything was possible. Leigh Bardugo