31 Quotes & Sayings By Soman Chainani

Soman Chainani is the author of the international bestselling book, The School for Good and Evil. The book was published in 2013 by Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers. The New York Times called it "a fun, fairy tale read with a very serious message." The School for Good and Evil was also named one of the best books of 2013 by the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Book Riot, BookPage, Bustle, Time Magazine, The Atlantic, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and many more.

1
She had always found villains more exciting than heroes. They had ambition, passion. They made the stories happen. Villains didn't fear death. No, they wrapped themselves in death like suits of armor! As she inhaled the school's graveyard smell, Agatha felt her blood rush. For like all villains, death didn't scare her. It made her feel alive. Soman Chainani
2
The thing Tedros liked about girls is that they always started the conversation. Most of the time, his job was just to listen, ask questions, and try to understand what in God’s name was going on in their complicated little heads. He rarely had any idea what girls were talking about or why they made everything so torturous in their logic, so playing the role of the strong, silent type usually gave him time to catch up. Soman Chainani
Only once you destroy who you think you are can...
3
Only once you destroy who you think you are can you embrace who you truly are. Soman Chainani
4
Sophie bristled. “About to die with your beloved prince and still thinking about me. My story will go on without you, Agatha. I don’t need you anymore or your pity, like one of your decrepit cats. I’m no longer your Good Deed.”“But I’m still yours, ” said Agatha. “Because without your love, I’d never have become who I really am. So even if I die, I’ll always be your Good Deed, Sophie. And no Evil in the world will ever erase that. Soman Chainani
5
Professor Manley begins his first day of Uglification class by explaining why villains must be ugly to succeed. Ugliness releases you from the surface - from the prison of vanity and youur own looks - and sets you free to embrace the soul within. Soman Chainani
I've been beautiful all along.
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I've been beautiful all along. Soman Chainani
7
And yet knowing all these mistakes were yours, beautifully yours, and you came out the better for it... the boy I left behind well on his way to becoming an extraordinary man and an extraordinary king." Merlin smiled. "If only from your choice of princess alone. Soman Chainani
8
I'm afraid I've already found my Ever After, Hort, " said Sophie."What? With who?" Hort asked, aghast." On my own, " she said, her voice sure and clear. "I'm happy on my own." And for the first time, she knew it was true. Soman Chainani
9
But as they grew closer and closer, Sophie had opened Agatha's wings to a love so strong she thought it would last forever. It was she and Sophie against the world. But on that first day of school, watching Sophie with a prince, Agatha realized how blind she'd been. The bond between two girls, no matter how fierce or loyal, changed once a boy came between them. Soman Chainani
10
Watching across the aisles, the Nevers' faces began to change. One by one, their scowls turned sorrowful, their eyes melted to hurt. Hort, Ravan, Anadil, even Hester...as if they too wished they could have such joy. As if they too wished they could feel as wanted. Gone was their will to fight, lost to broken hearts, and the villains shrank into silence, snakes drained of venom. Soman Chainani
11
You aren’t jealous that Agatha gets a boy and a crown and a kingdom and everything else?” Hort pressed in disbelief. “You aren’t jealous that Agatha’s a queen?” He saw her stop at the gates, faced away as students streamed past. “A tiny bit, of course, ” she said softly. “But then I remember . .  .” Sophie looked back, smiling bright as a diamond. “I’m me. Soman Chainani
12
To find a happy ending with someone else, first you have to find it alone. Soman Chainani
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But sometimes to keep Evil from getting in, you have to let Good out. Soman Chainani
14
Everytime you do a Good Deed with true intention, your soul grows purer. Soman Chainani
15
Sophie and Agatha locked eyes one last time but neither screamed for the other. Once true loves, the two girls now pulled apart like strangers, each in the arms of a boy, Good with Good, Evil with Evil...Both of their wishes granted. Soman Chainani
16
Gently Agatha touched her face in the mirror, glowing from inside. A face no one recognized because it was so happy. There could be no turning back now. The bread crumbs on the dark trail were gone. Instead, she had the truth to guide her. A truth greater than any Soman Chainani
17
Is it really a Lie if someone is unwilling to see the Truth? Soman Chainani
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[B]eware trying to bend the Truth to fit your story instead of facing it head-on. That was your father's mistake. And that's how a Snake becomes a Lion and a Lion becomes a Snake. Because the more you bend the Truth to fit a story, the more it turns into Lies without you even realizing it. Soman Chainani
19
Dear girl, it will be a very long road if you spend more time looking backwards than forward. Soman Chainani
20
Sophie: "For the Create-A-Tale Competition, your story ended with Snow White eaten by vultures and Cinderella drowning her-self in a tub." Agatha: "I thought it was a better ending. Soman Chainani
21
Even fairy tales have limits, " said Sophie. "Three people can't have an Ever After. Not without me being alone. Soman Chainani
22
- You gave me a dead frog for my birthday! - To remind you we all die and end up rotting underground eaten by maggots so we should enjoy our birthdays while we have them. I found it thoughtful. Soman Chainani
23
Hester glowered at her. “The biggest mistake a villain can make is to get caught up in revenge. Hansel and Gretel were two hungry kids trying to survive in the Woods. Mother thought she’d captured another pair of greedy, gluttonous brats, only to grossly underestimate them. Hansel and Gretel killed her because they had to. It wasn’t personal.” She glanced back at the old siblings. “Doesn’t mean I can stand the sight of ’em, of course. But it also doesn’t mean their story has anything to do with mine anymore. Soman Chainani
24
Hold on to me! ” Tedros yelled, hacking briars with his training sword. Dazed, Agatha clung to his chest as he withstood thorn lashes with moans of pain. Soon he had the upper hand and pulled Agatha from the Woods towards the spiked gates, which glowed in recognition and pulled apart, cleaving a narrow path for the two Evers. As the gates speared shut behind them, Agatha looked up at limping Tedros, crisscrossed with bloody scratches, blue shirt shredded away.“ Had a feeling Sophie was getting in through the Woods, ” he panted, hauling her up into slashed arms before she could protest. “So Professor Dovey gave me permission to take some fairies and stakeout the outer gates. Should have known you’d be here trying to catch her yourself.” Agatha gaped at him dumbly.“ Stupid idea for a princess to take on witches alone, ” Tedros said, dripping sweat on her pink dress.“ Where is she?” Agatha croaked. “Is she safe?”“ Not a good idea for princesses to worry about witches either, ” Tedros said, hands gripping her waist. Her stomach exploded with butterflies.“ Put me down, ” she sputtered– “More bad ideas from the princess.”“ Put me down! ” Tedros obeyed and Agatha pulled away.“ I’m not a princess! ” she snapped, fixing her collar.“ If you say so, ” the prince said, eyes drifting downward. Agatha followed them to her gashed legs, waterfalls of brilliant blood. She saw blood blurring– Tedros smiled. “One . two . . three .”She fainted in his arms.“ Definitely a princess, ” he said. . Soman Chainani
25
My behavior last night was poor."" Poor?" Agatha coughed. "You pushed me through a window! Soman Chainani
26
To me, a king is a lighthouse. A guide who can cast his glow across his kingdom and bring every last one of us out of the shadows. A beacon who we can look up to when the world seems lost. A bridge who can unite us when our differences seem to stark to reconcile. Tonight, we need a king who is all of those things. A king who can look each of you in the eye and make you feel that you won't just fight for him or his kingdom, but you'll fight for our way of life. Soman Chainani
27
It's the problem with fairy tales. From far away, they seem so perfect. But up close, they're just as complicated as real life. Soman Chainani
28
Turns out all it takes to bring enemies to peace is a bigger enemy. Soman Chainani
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Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts. Soman Chainani
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Agatha: "If you say anything smug or stuck-up or shallow, I'll have Reaper follow you home." Sophie: "But then I can't talk! Soman Chainani