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Gaze Quote by Kathe Koja

“..."I know it is a trick, I mean a dupe, but still - Do you ever make him talk to you, alone? the two of you? No, that's silly, isn't it." "Not at all." Istvan pauses, considering, smiling, Rupert or Decca would recognize that smile. Finally "He sleeps," says Istvan, "with a black cloth across his…” quote by Kathe Koja
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““..."I know it is a trick, I mean a dupe, but still - Do you ever make him talk to you, alone? the two of you? No, that's silly, isn't it." "Not at all." Istvan pauses, considering, smiling, Rupert or Decca would recognize that smile. Finally "He sleeps," says Istvan, "with a black cloth across his face. It keeps his soul primed… Does that give you your answer?" and before she can give him hers, continues: "They are toys, philosophical toys, as we are puppets really, to our base desires. Don't you see the same, in that Blue Room of yours? What man owns his soul in there? Does he not instead give it into your hands, to manipulate as you do his prick?" "Turn it like a crank," says Lucy, suddenly grinning, a funny wolfish look Istvan has never seen her wear: it surprises him into laughter, both of them chuckling as "We are so much alike, you and I," he says, bending to kiss her cheek. "Both of us vendors of the art of the moment, the impermanent pleasure, the will-o'-the-wisp that lifts a man from the prison of time, and for just that moment sets him free...””

Kathe Koja

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Street of Crocodiles by Kathe Koja, 1991

The passage explores how people become tools for each other's desires, using philosophical toys as metaphors for manipulation and fleeting pleasure.

In simple terms: People manipulate each other for temporary joy.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and resist being used as a toy.

Themes

manipulation desire impermanence power identity

Mood

cynical introspective playful

Type

literary philosophical dialogue

When to use this quote

  • relationships
  • artistic collaboration
  • psychological games
  • self‑reflection

Key Concepts

philosophical toys puppet metaphor temporary pleasure

Questions to Reflect On

  • Do you ever feel like a puppet in someone else's game?
  • How can you maintain autonomy amid fleeting pleasures?
A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex human agency.

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