--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All right, shadow-priest, you've been…" description: "\"“All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what? What state secrets have you learned watching me groom these horses?' 'Only that they hate you,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/steven-erikson-588_horses_all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spyi_79162.jpg" --- # All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what?… ![“All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what? What state secrets have you learned watching me groom these horses?' 'Only that they hate you, Daru. Every time your back was turned, they got ready to nip you — only you always seemed to step away at precisely the right moment-' 'Yes, I did…” quote by Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/steven-erikson-588_horses_all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spyi_79162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/steven-erikson-588_horses_all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spyi_79162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/steven-erikson-588_horses_all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spyi_79162.jpg) > ““All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what? What state secrets have you learned watching me groom these horses?' 'Only that they hate you, Daru. Every time your back was turned, they got ready to nip you — only you always seemed to step away at precisely the right moment-' 'Yes, I did, since I knew what they were intending. Each time.' 'Is this pride I hear? That you outwitted two horses?”” [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reveals that the horses' apparent hostility is a deliberate test, and his strategic retreat prevents conflict, highlighting cunning over brute force. **In simple terms:** Strategic retreat outsmarts aggression. Key Takeaway Cunning beats raw power. Themes strategy perception power dynamics trust pride Mood calm analytical confident Type dialogue philosophical When to use this quote - military negotiations - political intrigue - competitive sports - business negotiations - conflict resolution Key Concepts tactical deception animal behavior leadership psychological insight Practical Applications - leadership training - conflict management workshops Questions to Reflect On - How can restraint be more effective than direct confrontation? - When does pride become a liability? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horses/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I do not want to respond to leaks that concern things that have to do with state secrets of the first degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-shamir/i-do-not-want-to-respond-to-leaks-that-concern-things-that-have-to-do/) [Yitzhak Shamir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-shamir/) > [I have some state secrets I will take with me to paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-andreotti/i-have-some-state-secrets-i-will-take-with-me-to-paradise/) [Giulio Andreotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-andreotti/) > [“I can basically go to prison or at least be prosecuted for what I have revealed to you about the PAN programme investigation. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-pauw/i-can-basically-go-to-prison-or-at-least-be-prosecuted-for-what-i/) [Jacques Pauw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-pauw/) > [ Throughout \[Barack\] Obama's career, he promised to limit the state secrets doctrine which the Bush-Cheney administration had abused enormously. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/throughout-barack-obama-s-career-he-promised-to-limit-the-state/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ One of the saddest and most damaging legacies of the \[George W.\] Bush administration is the increased assertion of the "state secrets" privilege, which… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/one-of-the-saddest-and-most-damaging-legacies-of-the-george-w-bush/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Despite a campaign that was based on a very powerful promise of transparency, President Obama, and again in my view quite correctly, has used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayden/despite-a-campaign-that-was-based-on-a-very-powerful-promise-of/) [Michael Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayden/) > [I value my ability to keep state secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/i-value-my-ability-to-keep-state-secrets/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [Googling is not spying. It's social networking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah/googling-is-not-spying-it-s-social-networking/) [Sarah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah/) > [“You were spying on me?" I repeated, this time my tone was stern. "Nonsense! I was making sure you were safe." He answered, fluttering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-fiorre/you-were-spying-on-me-i-repeated-this-time-my-tone-was-stern-nonsense/) [Grace Fiorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-fiorre/) > [I think a lot of people like hidden-camera shows where they think they're spying on somebody who doesn't know they're looking at them. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/i-think-a-lot-of-people-like-hidden-camera-shows-where-they-think/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) > [Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/spying-on-people-by-magic-is-the-same-as-spying-on-them-in-any-other/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [There's been spying for years, there's been surveillance for years, and so forth, I'm not going to pass judgement on that, it's the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/there-s-been-spying-for-years-there-s-been-surveillance-for-years-and/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [“We have to live without sympathy, don't we? That's impossible of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-to-live-without-sympathy-don-t-we-that-s-impossible-of-course/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“What the hell? Was I about to get off in a laundry room spying on the back of some cowboy I’d known for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/what-the-hell-was-i-about-to-get-off-in-a-laundry-room-spying-on-the/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [“Once while spying on my neighbors I solved for x.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-beckman/once-while-spying-on-my-neighbors-i-solved-for-x/) [Joshua Beckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-beckman/) ## More by Steven Erikson > [“No matter, they weren’t going anywhere. Never again. Two skeletons buried beneath a dead city. No more fitting a barrow for a warrior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/no-matter-they-weren-t-going-anywhere-never-again-two-skeletons/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I was reminded ... the way that wood crumbles into dissolution.’ ‘The release of energy. Perhaps a better way of seeing it.’ ‘Such release…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-was-reminded-the-way-that-wood-crumbles-into-dissolution-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I am here to arrest your manservant. The one named Bugg.’ ‘Oh, now really, his cooking isn’t that bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-am-here-to-arrest-your-manservant-the-one-named-bugg-oh-now-really/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [The more civilized a nation, the more conformed its population, until that civilization's last age arrives, when multiplicity wages war with conformity. 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I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-where-we-are-how-we-are-you-spit-on/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“Why do I hate spiders? Gods, who doesn't? What a stupid question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/why-do-i-hate-spiders-gods-who-doesn-t-what-a-stupid-question/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [It is an extraordinary act of courage,' said Tulas Shorn, 'to come to know a stranger's pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-is-an-extraordinary-act-of-courage-said-tulas-shorn-to-come-to/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I admit,’ said Spite, ‘to a certain melancholy when visiting vibrant cities, as is this Darujhistan. A long life teaches one just how ephemeral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-admit-said-spite-to-a-certain-melancholy-when-visiting-vibrant/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [All art is an intensely vulnerable gesture, and it is made with no small amounts of risk, and fear. So, I have plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-art-is-an-intensely-vulnerable-gesture-and-it-is-made-with-no/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“People who make up their minds about something never listen to advice - especially when it's to the contrary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/people-who-make-up-their-minds-about-something-never-listen-to-advice/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“The scars without are the scars within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-scars-without-are-the-scars-within/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) [Explore all 452 Steven Erikson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## More Gaze quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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