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First Day Quote by Maggie Stiefvater

“On the first day, he’d completed the stucco walls for a small structure the size of his stallion’s box stall, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the second day, he’d torn free a section of abandoned railroad and melted it into a beautifully intricate metal gate, and the other Sorias had…” quote by Maggie Stiefvater
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““On the first day, he’d completed the stucco walls for a small structure the size of his stallion’s box stall, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the second day, he’d torn free a section of abandoned railroad and melted it into a beautifully intricate metal gate, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the third day, he’d fired one thousand ceramic tiles with the heat of his own belief and installed a roof made of them, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the fourth day, the Virgin had appeared again, this time surrounded by owls; he’d carved a statue of her in this state to place inside the Shrine, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the fifth day, he’d made a rich pigment from some sky that had gotten too close to him and used it to paint the Shrine’s exterior turquoise, and the other Sorias had been pleased. On the sixth day, he’d held up a passenger train, robbed the passengers, killed the sheriff on board, and used the sheriff’s femurs to fashion a cross for the top of the shrine. The Sorias had not been pleased.””

Maggie Stiefvater

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, 2012-2016

A craftsman's escalating feats impress peers until a violent act breaks their approval, highlighting the limits of external validation.

In simple terms: Building skill impresses others until a violent act stops approval.

Key Takeaway

Seek intrinsic motivation over external praise.

Themes

creativity pride consequences validation violence

Mood

reflective tense

Type

narrative cautionary

When to use this quote

  • artistic projects
  • building structures
  • personal challenges
  • ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

hubris moral limits peer pressure

Questions to Reflect On

  • What drives you to create?
  • When does ambition become harmful?
A Different Perspective

Even impressive achievements can be undone by unethical choices.

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