This Stone He went looking for a road that doesn't lead to death. He went looking for that road and found it. It was a stone road. He walked that road that doesn't lead to death. He walked on it awhile before he stopped, having turned to stone. Now he stands there on that road that doesn't lead to death not going anywhere. He can't dance. from his eyes stones fall. The rainbow people pass him crossing that road, long-legged, light-stepping, going from the Four Houses to the dancing in the Five Houses. They pick up his tears. This stone is a tear from his eye, this stone given me on the mountain by one who died before my birth, this stone, this stone.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Related ...stooping very low, He engraves with care His Name, indelible, upon our dust; And from t... PATRICIA ST. JOHN Roads Go Ever On Roads go ever ever on, Over rock and under tree, By caves wher... J.R.R. TOLKIEN How happy is the little stone That rambles in the road alone, And doesn't care about caree... EMILY DICKINSON By the Valg, three were made, Of the gate-Stone of the Wyrd: Obsidian the gods forbade SARAH J. MAAS What term do you employ when you speak of your progenitor?" I answered with the term I'd always... ERICH SEGAL He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, ... WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE where are we going?' I asked. 'I don't know,' he said. 'just driving.' 'But this road does... BRET EASTON ELLIS Where are we going?" I asked "I don't know," he said. "Just driving." "But this road doesn... BRET EASTON ELLIS Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it "Chops"... STEPHEN CHBOSKY A song she heard Of cold that gathers Like winter's tongue Among the shadows It ... ROBERT FANNEY I feel his arm Lightly Over me. He takes one of my outstretched hands. Draws i... STASIA WARD KEHOE But this road doesn't go anywhere,” I told him. “That doesn't matter.” “What does?... BRET EASTON ELLIS For five years I didn't think it was possible to be this happy. But then he forgot all those pr... TERRY MCMILLAN The Doors The End This is the end, beautiful friend This is the end, my ... JIM MORRISON As I saw it, all my mother's life, my father held her down, like lead strapped to ... LOUISE GLüCK he placed his hands on my mind before reaching for my waist my hips or my l... RUPI KAUR Percy wakes me (fourteen) Percy wakes me and I am not ready. He has slept all night ... MARY OLIVER The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on. He took a face from the ancient gallery THE DOORS The road to recovery may be tough, but I've closed all the doors that lead to giving up VIJAYA GOWRISANKAR Jesus, take the wheel Take it from my hands 'Cause I can't do this on my own I'm lett... CARRIE UNDERWOOD A Boat O beautiful was the werewolf in his evil forest. We took him t... RICHARD BRAUTIGAN England once there lived a big And wonderfully clever pig. To everybody it was plain ... ROALD DAHL Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of ... LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI A JEWELRY STORE NAMED INDIA If you hold this Dazzling emerald Up to the sky, SUZY KASSEM John's CURTIS BROWN Man, he wasn't going to need a stress test anytime soon. If his heart could get through a kiss from ... J.R. WARD THE MAXIMS OF MEDICINE Before you examine the body of a patient, Be patient to lear... SUZY KASSEM Buckley followed the three of them into the kitchen and asked, as he had at least once a day, “Whe... ALICE SEBOLD Now We Think Now we think as we fuck this nut might kill us. There m... ESSEX HEMPHILL When death captures me,' the boy vowed, 'he will feel my fist on his face.' Personally, I... MARKUS ZUSAK I have an iron lung, and the dog keeps me from getting too close to magnets. [...] I have ... JODI PICOULT Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen ... WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS I loved you, so I drew these tides of Men into my hands And wrote my will across the ... T.E. LAWRENCE THIS IS WHY He will never be given to wonder much if he was the mouth for some cruel... MICHAEL RYAN The Toys My little Son, who look'd from thoughtful eyes And moved and spoke ... COVENTRY PATMORE What are you smiling at?” I whirled, peering into the gloom. The Darkling’s voice se... LEIGH BARDUGO ~Posters with torn edges hanging from rotten walls~ The doctor told me something once DAVE MATTHES I that in heill was and gladnèss Am trublit now with great sickness And feblit with infir... WILLIAM DUNBAR The past has faded from memory, the present is where I live. I travel on. Who knows wher... DR KARAN M PAI it's not his body that changes right away. it's something inside. he says h... DAVID LEVITHAN Roads go ever ever on, Over rock and under tree, By caves where never sun has shone, ... J.R.R. TOLKIEN Stone, steel, dominions pass, Faith too, no wonder; So leave alone the grass That I a... A.E. HOUSMAN In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like... CHRISTINA ROSSETTI What's the deal? Why can't he look into my eyes when I have words of appreciation lined u... TANYA GAMBHIR I visit him a few times downtown while he paints. We talk about how he's going to Spain SAMANTHA SCHUTZ The mind; it often clings to the road it knows, but there is a certain... NEENA H BRAR He who becomes the slave of habit, who follows the same routes every day, who never change... MARTHA MEDEIROS He was a strong and noble lord with piercing eyes of grey. He sat upon his noble throne shinin... LAUREL A. ROCKEFELLER (This is from a tribute poem to Ronnie James Dio: Former lead vocalist of the band Rainbow, Black Sa... MUNIA KHAN I am the slave of the Master of Prophets And my fealty to him has no beginning. I am... يوسف النبهاني And then his noise falls completely silent- And he stops struggling- And looki... PATRICK NESS He was a friend to man, and lived in a house by the side of the road. HOMER There are hermit so... SAM WALTER FOSS She lends her pen, to thoughts of him, that flow from it, in her solitary. LANG LEAV He could not stand. It was not That he could not thrive, he was born With everything but t... TED HUGHES LITTLE DOGS RHAPSODY IN THE NIGHT (PERCY THREE) He puts his cheek against mine ... MARY OLIVER Mr. Bradford," she said. "I'm not going to propose to you." The twinkle in Mr. Bradford's... HEATHER DIXON He had the most popular diet that ever existed, ... He was not just a doctor, he was CATHY NONAS We're not really intruding," he called down. "This is all a big misunderstanding." "Stop right ... DEREK LANDY In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone;... CHRISTINA ROSSETTI I held out the rune for Hearthstone. ‘I know what it feels like to be an empty cup, to have everyt... RICK RIORDAN Wait,” he said. “That’s not a word.” I looked down to where, in a moment of despe... RICHELLE MEAD Oh telescope, Keep your eye on my only hope, Lest I blink and be swept off the narrow road... OWL CITY Mr. Fogg accordingly tasted the dish, but, despite its spiced sauce, found it far from palatable. He... JULES VERNE Two of us in this room, Ace, two keycards," he said and my eyes went to him. When they did, he jerke... KRISTEN ASHLEY He is deaf, and keen to accept, any economical operation, that will correct his situation.... JASLEEN KAUR GUMBER I gave, at first, attention close; Then interest warm ensued; From interest, as improvem... CHARLOTTE BRONTë It has rained for five days running the world is a round puddle of sunless water... AUDRE LORDE The little boy was looking for his voice. (The king of the crickets had it.) In a drop of ... FEDERICO GARCíA LORCA SORTING HAT: "Albus Potter." He puts his hat on Albus’s head — and this time he seems... J.K. ROWLING A POCKET-SIZED GIRL He keeps me in his pocket for a rainy day; he swears I'm ... COCO J. GINGER Sabbaths, 1982—IV (“A gardener rises out of the ground”) Thrush song,... WENDELL BERRY So, have we solved the secret of happiness? "I believe so," he said Are you go... MITCH ALBOM Come on, Iko.” Iko was still hiding, hugging herself self-consciously. “Is he looking?” MARISSA MEYER It's beautiful," said Mort softly. "What is it?" THE SUN IS UNDER THE DISC, said Death. TERRY PRATCHETT Everyone says he can't run the bases, and he can't play left field, ... Obviously he's not the playe... PETER MAGOWAN The word was born in the blood, grew in the dark body, beating, and took flight through the... PABLO NERUDA From CATS ARE KIND "I saw a dog pursuing automobiles; On and on he sped. HENRY N. BEARD Just look at what is spelled: Hal Jordan BrUce Wayne Victor Stone Clark KenT... ME Coincidences undeniably imply meaning. I am rereading Hart Crane. I notice the date<... DAVID MARKSON The Knowing Afterwards, when we have slept, paradise- comaed and woken, we lie a l... SHARON OLDS She gave me the dog-eye and moved slightly back. “Are you concerned about your weight,... EDDIE OWENS The Son of God perishes that we may not perish. He rises that we may rise. Tha... DAVID HOLDSWORTH Fireworks. Snowflakes. Sunstroke and frostbite. It was all that I could ask for an... ELLEN HOPKINS Before you came, things were as they should be: the sky was the dead-end of sight, th... FAIZ AHMAD FAIZ The captain put his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache. “So, let me get this straight.... RICHELLE E. GOODRICH And once more given to inaction, Empty in spirit and alone, He settled down – to the dis... ALEXANDER PUSHKIN The Cat and the Moon The cat went here and there And the moon spun round like a top... W.B. YEATS To harden the earth the rocks took charge: instantly they grew wings: the rocks<... PABLO NERUDA You have heard about the reindeer that pull old Santa's sled. But mostly I hate Rudolph and wi... MARK W. BOYER There was a very cautious man Who never laughed or played He never risked, he never tried,... JOHN C. MAXWELL Across the Reich, the Gestapo recorded increased the activity of anti-state elements. It’s ki... ANTON SCHULZ Maple. Maypole Catch and carry. Ash and Ember. Elderberry. Woolen. Woman. M... PATRICK ROTHFUSS And then that voice from behind her said her name again. "Celaena." They had d... SARAH J. MAAS I'm ending this.' 'No. Come on. It's not worth it.' 'You are,' he said fiercel... RAINBOW ROWELL THE OLD MAN IN THE CORNER The man in the corner Is dying with words He's crying... SUZY KASSEM Casually, out of the view of Ronan, making sure Adam was still sleeping, Gansey dangled his hand bet... MAGGIE STIEFVATER Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the bo... LEWIS CARROLL It was two weeks after the day she turned eighteen All dressed in white Going to the churc... CARRIE UNDERWOOD Is there a problem, Ms. Parker? Something you want to say to me?" Reaching for his tie, he began to ... RACHAEL WADE But not you, O girl, nor yet his mother, stretched his eyebrows so fierce with expe... RAINER MARIA RILKE
More Ursula K. Le Guin
To light a candle is to cast a shadow. URSULA K. LE GUIN It had never occurred to me before that music and thinking are so much alike. In fact you could say ... URSULA K. LE GUIN If you want your writing to be taken seriously, don't marry and have kids, and above all, don... URSULA K. LE GUIN As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we a... URSULA K. LE GUIN To oppose something is to maintain it. URSULA K. LE GUIN When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep. URSULA K. LE GUIN In so far as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, th... URSULA K. LE GUIN The artist deals in what cannot be said in words. The artist whose medium is fiction does this in wo... URSULA K. LE GUIN Great artists make the roads; good teachers and good companions can point them out. But there ain... URSULA K. LE GUIN There are no right answers to wrong questions. 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URSULA K. LE GUIN The fish in the creek said nothing. Fish never do. Few people know what fish think about injustice, ... URSULA K. LE GUIN We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel...... URSULA K. LE GUIN A profound love between two people involves, after all, the power and chance of doing profound hurt. URSULA K. LE GUIN What is an anarchist? One who, choosing, accepts the responsibility of choice URSULA K. LE GUIN And the strangest thing about the nightmare street was that none of the millions of things for sale ... URSULA K. LE GUIN I believe that all novels, ... deal with character, and that it is to express character – not to p... URSULA K. LE GUIN «I am tired,» he said. «I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever d... URSULA K. LE GUIN In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and ... URSULA K. LE GUIN To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: t... URSULA K. LE GUIN The duty of the individual is to accept no rule, to be the initiator of his own acts, to be responsi... URSULA K. LE GUIN The individual cannot bargain with the State. The State recognizes no coinage but power: and it issu... URSULA K. LE GUIN I know who I was, I can tell you who I may have been, but I am, now, only in this line of words I wr... URSULA K. LE GUIN As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation, just as a cellist... URSULA K. LE GUIN So maybe the difference isn't language. Maybe it's this: animals do neither good nor evil. They do a... URSULA K. LE GUIN What are we so afraid of? Why don't we let 'em tell us we're afraid? What is it they're afraid of?" ... URSULA K. LE GUIN Why are men afraid of women?" If your strength is only the other's weakness, you live in fear,"... URSULA K. LE GUIN But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again... URSULA K. LE GUIN I have given my love to what is worthy of love. Is that not the kingdom and the unperishing spring? URSULA K. LE GUIN Orr had a tendency to assume that people knew what they were doing, perhaps because he generally ass... URSULA K. LE GUIN I don’t like making the rest of the world live in my dreams, but I certainly don’t want to live ... URSULA K. LE GUIN They made love. Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made al... URSULA K. LE GUIN Praise God from whom all blessings flow, including good-natured men. URSULA K. LE GUIN The quality of the will to power is, precisely, growth. Achievement is its cancellation. To be, the ... URSULA K. LE GUIN An irrelevant and poignant sensation of pleasure rose in him, like a tree that grew up and flowered ... URSULA K. LE GUIN A person is defined solely by the extent of his influence over other people, by the sphere of his in... URSULA K. LE GUIN A machine is more blameless, more sinless even than any animal. It has no intentions whatsoever but ... URSULA K. LE GUIN On top of pique, umbrage, and ennui. Oh, the French diseases of the soul. URSULA K. LE GUIN He never spoke with any bitterness at all, no matter how awful the things he said. Are there really ... URSULA K. LE GUIN George, it's impossible to correct a defective reality-orientation overnight. URSULA K. LE GUIN I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It... URSULA K. LE GUIN It was more than dignity. Integrity? Wholeness? Like a block of wood not carved. The infinite possib... URSULA K. LE GUIN He had grown up in a country run by politicians who sent the pilots to man the bombers to kill the b... URSULA K. LE GUIN Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made... URSULA K. LE GUIN But now his dry and silent grieving for his lost wife must end, for there she stood, the fierce, rec... URSULA K. LE GUIN You don't speak of dreams as unreal. They exist. They leave a mark behind them. URSULA K. LE GUIN Current-borne, wave-flung, tugged hugely by the whole might of ocean, the jellyfish drifts in the ti... URSULA K. LE GUIN A person who believes, as she did, that things fit: that there is a whole of which one is a part, an... URSULA K. LE GUIN Saying that, he was suddenly himself again, despite his lunatic hair and eyes: a man whose personal ... URSULA K. LE GUIN We're in the world, not against it. It doesn't work to try to stand outside things and run them... URSULA K. LE GUIN Current-borne, wave-flung, tugged hugely by the whole might of ocean, the jellyfish drifts in the ti... URSULA K. LE GUIN You have to help another person. But it's not right to play God with masses of people. To be God you... URSULA K. LE GUIN The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means. URSULA K. LE GUIN Men call women faithless, changeable, and though they say it in jealousy of their own ever-threatene... URSULA K. LE GUIN There's a good deal in common between the mind's eye and the TV screen, and though the TV se... URSULA K. LE GUIN I never knew a person who reacted so wholly and rapidly to a changed situation as Estraven. I was re... URSULA K. LE GUIN We make sense of the world intentionally. Faced with chaos, we seek or make the familiar, and build ... URSULA K. LE GUIN There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that di... URSULA K. LE GUIN We have inhabited both the actual and the imaginary realms for a long time. But we don't live in eit... URSULA K. LE GUIN Truth is a matter of the imagination. URSULA K. LE GUIN If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell you it again when you're fifty, tho... URSULA K. LE GUIN So the first step out of childhood is made all at once, without looking before or behind, without ca... URSULA K. LE GUIN He said after a little while, 'I see why you say that only men do evil, I think. Even sharks are inn... URSULA K. LE GUIN Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibi... URSULA K. LE GUIN For discipline is the channel in which our acts run strong and deep; where there is no direction, th... URSULA K. LE GUIN I am tired of safe places, and roofs, and walls around me. URSULA K. LE GUIN In Enlad," said Arren after a while, "we have a story about the boy whose schoolmaster was a st... URSULA K. LE GUIN But when we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire b... URSULA K. LE GUIN What is evil?" asked the younger man. The round web, with its black center, seemed to watch them bot... URSULA K. LE GUIN To see a candle’s light, one must take it into a dark place. URSULA K. LE GUIN Yet we were rescued by that fancy, and saved by a myth. URSULA K. LE GUIN