Source: His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995), Ch. 1 : The Decanter of Tokay
Quotes from work
His Dark Materials trilogy
His Dark Materials is an epic trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass . It follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes. The novels have won a number of awards, including the Carnegie Medal in 1995 for Northern Lights and the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year for The Amber Spyglass. In 2003, the trilogy was ranked third on the BBC’s The Big Read poll.His Dark Materials has been marketed to young adults, though Pullman wrote with no target audience in mind. The fantasy elements include witches and armoured polar bears; the trilogy also alludes to concepts from physics, philosophy, and theology. It functions in part as a retelling and inversion of John Milton's epic Paradise Lost, with Pullman commending humanity for what Milton saw as its most tragic failing, original sin. The series has attracted controversy for its criticism of religion.
Will and Mary in Ch. 33 : Marzipan
His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass (2000)
Context: "When you stopped believing in God, did you stop believing in good and evil?"
"No. But I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are. All we can say is that this is a good deed, because it helps someone, or that's an evil one, because it hurts them. People are too complicated to have simple labels."
“I don’t suppose that was a good thing for them to say. You might not have believed in angels.”
Will and Mary in Ch. 33 : Marzipan
His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass (2000)
Context: They lay back, well fed and comfortable in the flower-scented night, and listened to Mary tell her story.
She began just before she first met Lyra, telling them about the work she was doing at the Dark Matter Research group, and the funding crisis. How much time she’d had to spend asking for money, and how little time there’d been left for research!
But Lyra’s coming had changed everything, and so quickly: within a matter of days she’d left her world altogether.
"I did as you told me," she said. "I made a program — that’s a set of instructions — to let the Shadows talk to me through the computer. They told me what to do. They said they were angels, and — well…"
"If you were a scientist," said Will, "I don’t suppose that was a good thing for them to say. You might not have believed in angels."
"Ah, but I knew about them. I used to be a nun, you see. I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn’t any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all."
“Argue with anything else, but don't argue with your own nature.”
Source: His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997), Ch. 15 : Bloodmoss
Context: "You fought for the knife?"
"Yes, but — "
"Then you're a warrior. That's what you are. Argue with anything else, but don't argue with your own nature."
Will knew that the man was speaking the truth. But it wasn't a welcome truth. It was heavy and painful. The man seemed to know that, because he let Will bow his head before he spoke again.
"There are two great powers," the man said, "and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
"And now those two powers are lining up for battle. And each of them wants that knife of yours more than anything else. You have to choose, boy. We've been guided here, both of us — you with the knife, and me to tell you about it."
Source: His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995), Ch. 18 : Fog and Ice
The Master of Jordan College to the Librarian, in Ch. 2 : The Idea of North
His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995)
“On, said the alethiometer. Farther, higher.
So on they climbed.”
Source: His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997), Ch. 15 : Bloodmoss
Source: His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995), Ch. 18 : Fog and Ice
Sir Charles to Mrs. Coulter in Ch. 9 : Theft
His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997)
Source: His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997), Ch. 15 : Bloodmoss
Source: His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995), Ch. 21 : Lord Asriel's Welcome
Source: His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass (2000), Ch. 26 : The Abyss
“Then you have already taken the first steps toward wisdom,” said Xaphania.
Source: His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass (2000), Ch. 37 : The Dunes
Dr. Mary Malone, in Ch. 4 : Trepanning
His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997)
The Master to the Librarian, in Ch. 2 : The Idea of North
His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995)
Source: His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997), Ch. 4 : Trepanning
The alethiometer to Lyra, in Ch. 4 : Trepanning
His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife (1997)
Source: His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass (2000), Ch. 36 : The Broken Arrow
First line, introducing Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue), in Ch. 1 : The Decanter of Tokay
His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995)
