Bearing fruit Quote by Seanan McGuire
““But believe me, Henry. You’re not the first Snow White I’ve seen, and you probably won’t be the last. You’ll do what you can with the resources you have, and you’ll serve your story by trying to save me.” Sloane dropped her head again. “I should be trying to save you. That would subvert the narrative. But instead here we are, you saving me, or dying in the process. Dying is a lot more likely.” “Only if you take things at face value,” I said. “I’m not going to eat anything you hand me, drink anything you’ve touched, borrow your comb, or put on any of your rings. You know what I will do?” “What?” asked Sloane, not sounding as if she believed that the answer could matter in the slightest. “I’ll shoot you in your goddamn head if I really and truly feel that you’ve become a danger to yourself and others. And then I’ll take your body down to the folks in Agricultural and ask them to use you to fertilize an apple tree. And when you’ve grown to a lovely size and started bearing fruit, I will sit underneath you and not eat a single one of your inevitably poisoned apples.” Sloane glanced at me through her hair, and for a moment I actually saw a wisp of a smile on her face. “You’d do that for me?” she asked.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Wicked King by Seanan McGuire, 2015
A character confronts the paradox of helping someone who may be dangerous, balancing self‑preservation with moral duty.
In simple terms: Helping risky people forces tough choices.
Weigh risk against compassion.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- survival decisions
- friendship crises
- medical ethics
- dangerous allies
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What limits would you set when helping a volatile person?
- How do you recognize genuine need versus manipulation?
The speaker’s extreme threat may undermine genuine trust.