Never destroy without thought your enemy's pretences; they are usually your best weapon against him. — Mary Renault Enemy Copy Share Image
Everything is change; and you cannot step twice into the same river. — Mary Renault Change Copy Share Image
Love is a boaster at heart, who cannot hide the stolen horse without giving a glimpse of the bridle. — Mary Renault Boasters Copy Share Image
An audience of twenty thousand, sitting on its hands, could not have produced such an echoing silence. — Mary Renault Audience Copy Share Image
“All these years you have made a boy of him. But with me, he shall be a man” — Mary Renault Years Copy Share Image
Often beauty grows dull or common when speech breaks the mask. — Mary Renault Beauty Copy Share Image
There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare. — Mary Renault Expected Copy Share Image
It gives me no joy to be praised at the expense of a better artist, by someone who does not know the… — Mary Renault Art Copy Share Image
“We are weary of ourselves, and have dreamed a king. If now the gods have sent us one, let us not ask… — Mary Renault Dreamed Copy Share Image
“It is the mark of little men to like only what they know; one step beyond, and they feel the black cold… — Mary Renault Feel Black Copy Share Image
“The school discussed friendship often. It is, they learned, one of the things man can least afford to lack; necessary to the… — Mary Renault Friendship Copy Share Image
At the stair-foot Hephaistion was waiting. He happened to be there, as he happened to have a ball handy if Alexander wanted… — Mary Renault Awareness Copy Share Image
“He kept telling me I was queer, and I didn't like it. The word, I mean. Shutting you away, somehow; roping you… — Mary Renault Queer Copy Share Image
The perpetual stream of human nature is formed into ever-changing shallows, eddies, falls and pools by the land over which it passes.… — Mary Renault Accidents Copy Share Image
“As i was beginning to understand, this kind of love was foreign ground to him. I may add that he never did,… — Mary Renault Historical-novel Copy Share Image
Power is the test. Some, once they have it, are content to buy the show of liking, and punish those who withhold… — Mary Renault Care Copy Share Image
“It is better to believe in men too rashly, and regret, than believe too meanly. Men could be more than they are,… — Mary Renault War Copy Share Image
“His mouth felt cold to mine ; he neither opened his eyes, nor spoke, nor moved. I said in my heart, "Too… — Mary Renault Alexias Copy Share Image
One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once. — Mary Renault Forever Copy Share Image
Clouds of black birds rose up wailing and screaming, like the thoughts of my heart. — Mary Renault Bird Copy Share Image
There is nothing like despair to make one throw oneself upon the gods. — Mary Renault Despair Copy Share Image
We Persians have a saying that one should deliberate serious matters first drunk, then sober. — Mary Renault Drunk Copy Share Image
In all men is evil sleeping; the good man is he who will not awaken it, in himself or in other men. — Mary Renault Ethics Copy Share Image
One might have supposed that the true act of love was to lie together and talk. — Mary Renault Acts of love Copy Share Image
It is something, I thought, when a king can put a courtesan to the blush. — Mary Renault Blush Copy Share Image
Miss Searle had always considered boredom an intellectual defeat. — Mary Renault Boredom Copy Share Image
“I could not tell what I should fill even this one day with; and there were years ahead. She” — Mary Renault Ahead Copy Share Image
“Alexander could transmit imagination as some other could transmit lust.” — Mary Renault Alexander Copy Share Image
It is better to learn war early from friends, than late from enemies — Mary Renault Enemy Copy Share Image
The rightness of a thing isn't determined by the amount of courage it takes. — Mary Renault Courage Copy Share Image
But it is not for the perfect vase or the polished gem to choose their owners. — Mary Renault Gems Copy Share Image
“What is honour? In Athens it is one thing, in Sparta another; and among the Medes it is something else again. But… — Mary Renault Alexias Copy Share Image
“They say women forget the pain of childbirth. Well, they are in nature's hand. No hand took mine. I was a body… — Mary Renault Childbirth Copy Share Image
