As a teenager in Brooklyn Quentin had often imagined himself engaged in martial heroics, but after this he knew, as a cold immutable fact, that he would do anything necessary, sacrificing whatever or whomever he had to, to avoid risking exposure to physical violence. Shame never came into it. He embraced his new identity as a coward. He would run in the other direction. He would lie down and cry and put his arms over his head or play dead. It didn't matter what he had to do, he would do it and be glad. Lev Grossman
About This Quote

The idea of running away from bullies is very cliché. We all know that bullies are cowards and that they will not last a minute in a real fight. However, the idea of a teenager thinking that he would run away from a bully is something that comes from a time long ago. Running away from a bully is not only cowardly but it is also a very stupid move.

The reason that bullies are cowards is because they don't have the strength to keep fighting. They are too weak to keep fighting and will always run away from an opponent who has the strength to fight back. In this quote, Quentin fears the consequences of taking on a bully but he still does what he must to protect himself from physical violence, which shows how much he respects himself and other people's rights.

It also proves how much he loves his mother and how much he wants to follow her teachings about protecting others rather than himself. Sometimes we have to do things that we may or may not want to do just to protect other people from harm.

Source: The Magicians

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