Scythe Quotes
"Perhaps the universe should have deigned to provide such warnings, but scythes were no more supernatural than tax collectors in the grand scheme of things."
"A scythe, Citra knew, could choose the color of his or her robe—every color except for black, for it was considered inappropriate for their job."
"Hope in the shadow of fear is the world’s most powerful motivator."
"The past never changes—and from what I can see, neither does the future."
"It’s hard for most of us to imagine a world so unsafe, with dangers lurking in every unseen, unplanned corner."
"Once we had possession of infinite knowledge, it suddenly seemed less important."
"An apology isn’t necessary. It’s refreshing to be challenged. You have no idea how tedious it gets; the pandering, the obsequious flattery, the endless parade of sycophants."
"They say even the winters were colder and the summers were warmer in those days."
"To live between the prospects of an unknown eternal sky and a dark, enveloping Earth must have been glorious—for how else could it have given rise to such magnificent expression?"
"If you do not cry yourself to sleep on a regular basis, you are not compassionate enough to be a scythe."
"To be a scythe meant that one had to be well-versed in all methods."
"I am an accomplice to the world’s oldest crime."
"The sanctity of the law... and the wisdom to know when it must be broken."
"I shudder to think how many more scythes it would take, and how many gleanings would be required, if we ever need to curb population growth altogether."
"We have mastered this world, and yet protected it in a way that our forefathers could scarcely have dreamed."
"Perhaps next time you’ll think before touching things that don’t belong to you."
"We are not the same beings we once were."
"It's to prepare you for writing an official scythe's journal."
"We must always be vigilant, because power comes infected with the only disease left to us: the virus called human nature."
"Rowan did not hesitate in his response. He shrugged and said, ‘I don’t fear anything.’"
"‘You’re an idiot!’ she whispered to him."
"‘But I’m afraid that no one is entirely fearless, so your answer, as I’m sure you must know, is unacceptable.’"
"‘Maybe Scythe Curie will see what I did as noble,’ Rowan suggested."
"‘Motives can easily be beaten into weapons.’"
"‘The Thunderhead is the world’s best listener.’"
"‘The threat of gleaning will ensure that the best applicant comes out on top.’"
"‘The moral fabric of the Scythedom should be our guidelines!’"
"‘We are in the business of gleaning, but you and Scythe Goddard and all of his disciples—you would turn this into a blood sport!’"
"‘This flies in the face of everything we are! Everything we do!’"
"‘I won’t do it,’ Citra finally said. ‘They can’t make me do it.’"
"‘We never heard the will of the Scythedom,’ Rowan reminded him, ‘because there was never a vote.’"
"‘The life of a scythe would be dreadful if we didn’t allow ourselves the guilty pleasure of a hobby. Mine is cooking.’"
"‘I propose,’ said Scythe Rand, with the slickness of a deathstalker scorpion, ‘that upon the confirmation of the winner, the first order of business will be for that winner to glean the loser.’"
"‘I will go out alone today. The two of you will attend to your studies.’"
"‘You think I don’t know why you did that?’"
"‘I am disturbed by those who revere us far more than those who disdain us.’"
"‘Immortality has turned us all into cartoons.’"
"‘Traditionally, when a mentor scythe self-gleans, anyone bound to an apprenticeship is unbound.’"
"‘We are now a force greater than nature.’"
"‘Rightmindedness is overrated,’ Goddard said. ‘I’d rather have a mind that’s clear than one that’s right.’"
"‘This is, after all, the consequence of your decision to take on two apprentices when one would have been sufficient.’"
"The fork resounded so powerfully, she could feel it in her teeth and her bones."
"We believe that flames were not meant to burn forever."
"We believe in the Great Vibration, and that it will free us from being stagnant."
"That’s primordial ooze! It’s brimming with microbes!"
"The business of the Thunderhead is no business of mine."
"The Thunderhead’s purpose is to sustain humanity. Mine is to mold it."
"I am the highest power I know, and I like it that way."
"Is it not the job of the gardener to shape the tree as much as possible?"
"We are wise but not perfect, insightful but not all-seeing."
"Human nature is both predictable and mysterious."
"Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him.
"I am your completion! I am your deliverance! I am your portal to the mysteries beyond this life!"
You fell right into my trap," he said. "Now you get what you deserve.
"He’s not who you think he is anymore," Scythe Curie said slowly.
"The smallest part of Rowan’s day, just before dinner, was spent in book learning."
"Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy."
"You will know your history, your biochemistry, and your toxins ad nauseam to impress at conclave."
"I am legend. Yet every day I wish that I was not."
"We lost our ancients. We lost our elders. We lost our living lifeline to the past."
"Would the Thunderhead grieve our passing, I wonder?"
"Yesterday you were gods. Today you are mortal. Your death is my gift to you."
"For your sake, Rowan, I hope you come to love killing as much as Goddard does."
"We should all be on the same side. The side of humanity."
"I wouldn’t trust your friend Rowan anymore."
"I’ve come too far to have my position jeopardized! I won’t be blackmailed by a snot-nosed apprentice!"
"The world has a talent for rewarding bad behavior with stardom."
"It takes a strong man to draw a line in the sand."
"Experiencing all there is to experience, and enjoying the company of others."
"We wouldn’t want everyone to be a celebrity, would we? They’d do nothing but fight!"
"The commoners love us not because of the way we glean, but because of the way we live."
"I have no intent of submitting you to tor-turé. That is only a last resort."
"To this day, I still can’t understand why."
"I love the way it rains here. It reminds me that some forces of nature can never be entirely subdued."
"We become settled in the inconsequential drudgery of our lives, until suddenly we look at ourselves in the mirror and see a face we barely recognize."
"I do believe mortals strived more heartily toward their goals, because they knew that time was of the essence."
"You have excelled beyond my wildest expectations."
"My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human."
"If the conscience of the Scythedom fails, replaced by the avarice of privilege, we could become our own worst enemy again."
"I have faith in your ability to shine in the final test without knowing what the test is."
"It is my honor to be gleaned by you, Scythe Anastasia."
"I choose to be known as Scythe Anastasia, after the youngest member of the family Romanov."
"I’m terrified that it might be true—but more terrified that I might want it to be true."
"If she was chosen today, Citra would not defy the edict to glean Rowan—but she did have a plan that might save both of them."
"It was an accident." But there was a twinkle in her eye that said otherwise.
"And if ever Scythe Lucifer comes my way, I hope he’ll see me as one of the good ones. The way he once did."
"We need this ban to protect us from tragic accidents in the future," insisted Xenocrates.