Quotes from book

Alanna: The First Adventure

“Stefan shook his head., he thought.”

“He's got courage," Alex said.
"Courage!" Raoul bellowed. "That coward almosthim and--”

“Stefan spat. "Oh, aye, he fell. O' course, Master Ralon helped him fall, several times. Poor li'l tyke didn't have a chance.”

“I--buy, and I sell."
"You're a thief.”

“I said I fell down.
Ah. The ground bloodied your nose, split yer lip, and punched ye in th' eye, all at once.
I said I don't want to talk about it.”

“If I say you're a goatherd's son, you say, 'Yes, Lord Ralon.'"
Alanna gasped with fury. "I'd as soon kiss a pig! Is that what you've been doing-kissing pigs? Or being kissed?”

“I'm sorry," she said humbly. "I haven't wanted to lie to you."
"I should hope so. You're the worst liar I've ever met." He thought about it for a moment, then added, "--or the best. Now I'm all confused.”

“Alanna: All I know is that I'm to jump when I'm told and I have no free time.”

“Alan, you seem to think we won't like you unless you do things just like everyone else. Have you ever thought we might like you because you're different?”

“Excuse me," she said politely. "But you can't have him. Not yet. He's going to come back with me.”

“Well, laddie, if you've let an old buzzard like me hurt you confidence, you couldn't have had much in the first place.”

“Alanna didn't approve of lying, but in a pinch a lie was sometimes better than the truth.”

“I truly love our Code of Chivalry. We are taught that noblemen must take everything and say nothing. Noblemen must stand alone. Well, we're men, and men aren't born to stand alone.
-Myles of Olau”

“I wish you would thrash him. He deserves it."
She looked back at him. "I will one day, sir. I'm getting tired of falling down.”

“I believe in deeds, not words.”

“George looked at her for a long moment. Finally he replied, "And why do you find it so hard to think someone might like you and want to do things for you?”

“Moral issues rarely have yes or no answers.
-Myles to Alanna when she asks about the Gift”

“A bully fights people littler and weaker than he is because he thinks it's fun.”

“It's always better to attack than to defend," Coram had told her when they talked about fencing late at night. "Always. Ye don't win with defense--ye only hold the other feller off, or wear him down. Attack and have done with it!”