Moira Young Quotes & Sayings

We're on our own. An I feel calm. It seems crazy ... but I'm calm. Because now I see what I gotta do. An what I ain't gotta do, which is waste time thinkin that anybody's gonna help us. That somebody's gonna come along an rescue us. I cain't count on nobody but me. — Moira Young

I'm alert, full of purpose, free. An few the first time in a long time, I can breathe. — Moira Young

He'll banish the shadows. He'll silence the whispers. An the wounds of my soul will heal. — Moira Young

I push him off, sit up an start puttin my clothes to rights. He's made a heroic effort to undress me.
You work fast, I says.
Yer a moving target, I hafts. Here, he says, lemme help.
I button, he unbuttons. I tuck, he untucks.
I slap his hand. I'll do it myself, I says. — Moira Young

Jack took a shot through the seat of his pants. He tells me next time I hold a target shoot he ain't available ...
Listen, Saba. We came, we had a look, there ain't nuthin here. But, hey. It ain't bin a complete waste of time. I got my butt shot. You must be pleased about that.
I'm sure you deserve it fer somethin, I says.
Oh, I most certainly do, he says. — Moira Young

Don't give in to fear. Be strong, like i know you are. An never give up, d'you unnerstand, never. No matter what happens.
I stare at him.
I won't, I says. I ain't no quitter, Pa.
That's my girl. — Moira Young

A buckle an bootlaces don't buy good advice — Moira Young

But tears don't bring back the dead. I learned that. — Moira Young

Like what you see,Angel? he says.
You ain't my type — Moira Young

They call me the Angel of Death.
That's because I ain't never lost a fight. — Moira Young

Whatever it is, I sure didn't go lookin fer it.
You don't hafta, she says. If it's meant to be, it'll find you. We like to think we're in charge of our own lives, but we ain't. Not really. — Moira Young

I'm a fever in your blood now, Saba. As you are in mine. — Moira Young

It'll happen if it's meant to happen, he says. It's all written in the stars. It's all fate. — Moira Young

Travelling men make wide detours just to be in the same room as her. That's the most that even the best of of them can hope for.
Molly Pratt, he says. Remind me, what's a heavenly creature like you doin in a dump like this?
Servin rotgut to scoundrels like you, she says. An if you call my place a dump again, I'll bar you. — Moira Young

Feeling sorrow is fine, he says. It's right. But you need to use those feelings, channel them into action. Just as you did with your brother. You have such strength, such courage, such power within you. — Moira Young

My heart breaks. I hear it break. I feel it. — Moira Young

They call me the Angel of Death. — Moira Young

There can be beauty anywhere. Even here. An if it ain't there, you can make it yerself. — Moira Young

We ain't got time fer you to yell at me or fer me to tell you everythin that's happened, so I'm jest gonna cover the main points real quick an then I'm gonna kiss you, he says. — Moira Young

Don't you dare walk away from this, Jack, don't you dare, Molly says fiercely. Most people don't ever feel what yer feeling. Be with her. An if it lasts one hour, one night, a week a month, it don't matter. Be with her, burn with her, shine with her ... fer whatever time's given to you. — Moira Young

Pretty dark in there, says Ash. Did you git lost? I feel a hot flush crawl up my neck. Lucky for me, Hermes trots over an I busy myself strokin his neck. It uh ... took us longer than we thought to put out the fire, says Jack. — Moira Young

Slim throws me a startled look. I aim my bolt shooter at him. Who am I, you sonofabitch?
Helluva time for a identity crisis, he says. — Moira Young

The power of a red dress. — Moira Young

Oh, don't sit there blushin, he says, git on with it. Life's too short. Take her off in the bushes, my friend, an make her yer own. If you don't, somebody else will. Hell, I might jest make a play fer her myself. That 'ud put a rocket in yer pocket. Ha ha! How's about it, Red? You an me? — Moira Young

We have a destiny, he says. Together, Saba. We're born to command, not obey. — Moira Young

I know it's selfish of me to even think of sayin this. You deserve a guy who'll ... pluck the stars from the sky and lay 'em at yer feet. I'm the kinda guy who'd step on 'em on my way out the door. I ain't got nuthin to offer you. He takes my hands in his. I jest want you to know that ... How I feel about you ain't changed. No. That ain't true. It has changed. It's grown stronger. He touches my face. You run deep in me Saba. — Moira Young

How could she resist them eyes?
She tries, says Jack. Man, did she try. — Moira Young

Jack lifts his mug. Me an Ike do the same.
To Molly Pratt, says Jack.
Ike scowls at him. Watch yer mouth, he says.
Jeez, Ike, says Jack. All I'm sayin is ... to Molly Pratt.
Ike looks sly. Leans in an waggles his eyebrows. To Molly Pratt, he says, an her frilly red bloomers.
One helluva woman, says Jack.
One helluva pair of undies, says Ike.
Then they throw their drinks down their necks. — Moira Young

Lugh shines like the sun.
That must of made it easy fer them to find him.
All they had to do was follow his light. — Moira Young

It's always bin a bloody world, she says. Only nowadays, some people's blood is better than others. — Moira Young

Until next time, DeMalo says softly. — Moira Young

The heartstone burns, fierce an true. I bin missin him so deep. It hurts my heart to see him agin. I open my mouth to call his name. I stop myself. His head snaps in my direction. Like he knows I'm here. — Moira Young

You don't fool me, he says in a low voice.
Is that right?
Yea, he says. I see it in yer eyes. All you care about's yer precious brother.
That aint true, I says.
If it'd been Emmi they took, he says, Emmi an not Lugh ... would you of gone after her?
I take in a breath to say of course I would but the look on his face stops me. there ain't no point in lyin when he already knows the truth.
He leaves go of me an steps back.
I thought so, he says. Yer sister'll be safer with me than she could ever be with you. You jest ride along on yer high horse an leave her to me. — Moira Young

Move fast, travel light, an never tell 'em your real name. — Moira Young

I weep fer the livin. I weep fer the dead. I weep fer the yet to be born. — Moira Young

Love makes you weak. — Moira Young

Lugh goes first always first an I follow on behind.
An that's fine.
That's right.
That's how it's meant to be. — Moira Young

G'bye, Saba, he says.
You sonofabitch, I says. — Moira Young

He knows how Molly grieves. Once he's gone, she'll lock the place up. Then she'll cry some and drink some. And she'll do that, over and over again, until the skin over this latest wound has grown tough enough for her to carry on. — Moira Young

I never knew. Didn't know everythin could be fine one moment an then the next moment so bad that it 'ud be like the time before that moment was all a dream. — Moira Young

Whatever's broke, he says, I can fix it. I'll fix it all. I promise. — Moira Young

There are some people, she says, not many, who have within them the power to change things. The courage to act in the service of somethin greater than themselves. — Moira Young

Well, we all gotta die. You jest gotta hope you die good. — Moira Young

Jest becuz I'm nine, don't mean I'm a stupid little kid. — Moira Young

Pa? You never said. What'm I gonna be? Good or bad?
He kisses the top of my head. Whispers in my ear, so's only him and me can hear. You, my darlin daughter, are gonna be somethin else entirely. — Moira Young

Yer in my blood, Saba, he says. Yer in my head. Yer in my breath, yer in my bones ... gawd help me, yer everywhere. You have bin since the first moment I set eyes on you. — Moira Young

The Sword the burning decieved rising the science fiction the betrayed the spy the souls — Moira Young

No, you need to listen, she says. This ain't Silverlake, an you ain't the daddy. Out here in the real world, the person who knows what they're doin is the daddy an right now, that's me. So. Do like daddy says an shift that tasty butt of yers. Unless, of course, you want it shot off. — Moira Young

I've climbed the high mountains an sailed the wide seas Fair faces a-plenty I've gazed on But with one glance, her beauty sent me to my knees, O hard-hearted Annie I never shall please. I've roved an I've rambled all o'er the wide world And kisses a-plenty I've tasted But it's her wine-sweet lips that I'm still dreaming of O hard-hearted Annie, cruel Annie my love. I've loved many women an wooed many girls And many soft arms have embraced me If only she'd lie with me one fleeting night With hard-hearted Annie I'd die of delight. Oh many fine beauties did beg me to stay But none until Annie did snare me Though she hurts me an shuns me an makes my heart bleed My hard-hearted Annie I never shall leave. I — Moira Young

Anyways, settin so much store in one person ... it's dangerous. — Moira Young

Marry me, he says. I got all my own teeth, I wash twice a year an I'll cut you in fer half the business here. — Moira Young

You got three seconds, he says, then they're comin down. He starts to count. One ... two ...
I turn and run.
I can still hear him laughin when I'm halfways back to camp. — Moira Young

It towers above us, dark an jagged an dangerous. Behind it, more mountains stretch as far's the eye can see.
Is this th'only way to Freedom Fields? I says.
No, says Jack. I brought you this way because I thought you'd enjoy the scenery. — Moira Young

Jack grins. Anyways, Saba likes to look at my bare chest.
Lugh looks at me. Frowns. Is that a fact? he says.
I feel myself go bright red. It is not a fact, I says. You stinker, Jack. — Moira Young

You can trust me, he says.
You would say that. How do I know you ain't lyin?
You don't. But I ain't. — Moira Young

We like to think we're in charge of our own lives, but we ain't. — Moira Young

All the time I've knowed you, Jack, you kept the door to that heart of yers locked up tight an the key hid away. Looks like she found it.
He says nothing. Molly waits. Then:
Keys ain't her style, he says. She kicked the door down. — Moira Young

Thing is, he says, in my line of work, you spend a lot of time sittin. A dress lets the breeze up ... cool yer dingles down. There's a lot to be said fer a skirt. — Moira Young

There's some wounds that run too deep to be seen. They're the most dangerous. — Moira Young

Yer timin stinks, he says. — Moira Young

I ain't never seen a creature like that before, she says. He's so smart, he's-
More, like a person than a bird? I says.
Yeah, she says. That's it.
Whatever you do, I says, don't tell him that. I'll never hear the end of it. — Moira Young

The lies that lurk in the shadows of truth. — Moira Young

I'm gonna hafta kiss you, Jack, I says.
I wish you would, he says. — Moira Young

He's seen enough to know that you can't kill all the badness in the world. You cut it down in front of you only to find that it's standing right behind you. — Moira Young

His Chosen Ones. What a lie. They're slaves too. You jest cain't see their chains. — Moira Young

Lugh's decided to stick with bein mad at me. It's like traveling with a storm cloud. One of them that hangs low an heavy. The kind that builds an broods an keeps on buildin an brood in till everybody's got a sick headache. — Moira Young

You look at me with them eyes of yers, an I look at yer lips ... an all I can think about is what it'ud be like to kiss you. — Moira Young

I'm sorry, I says.
Fer what? he says.
Fer always bein ... you know ... so-
Ungrateful? he says.
Yeah, I says.
Ornery?
I guess so.
Rude? Pig-headed? Violent?
I ain't violent!
Oh yes, you are. Very. But I like that in a woman.
I laugh. Yer crazy, I says.
I was fine till I met you, he says. — Moira Young

What does it look like I'm doin? If yer the shy type. I'd advise you to turn around.
Oh! I turn ny back on him quick. — Moira Young

He turns around, all impatient. Now what? I wanna say something to you. I wanna say ... I dunno ... more. I could bust apart with all I'm feelin inside of me right now. What with fightin off the hellwurms an gittin my shoulder tore open, an how I felt when I woke up an seen you an, now, here I am, being so close to findin Lugh an I dunno what's gonna happen an
Jack's lookin at me, frowning. What's the matter with you, Saba? he says. I grab his face an kiss him on the lips. — Moira Young

The Free Hawks is fighters, I says.
Warriors, she says, like you. An occasional highway robbers. — Moira Young

Yer lucky it was me you hijacked. — Moira Young

Some things are jest too big to fergive. — Moira Young

You have a rare fire within you. The power to change things. The courage to act in the service of something greater than yourself. — Moira Young

Who am I?
What do I believe?
Never lose sight of what I believe in. Never, no matter what happens.
What one person does affects all of us.
We're all bound together. We're all threads in a single garment of destiny.
I make my destiny myself.
By the choices I make. — Moira Young

I ain't no soft girl. I don't know no soft words. — Moira Young

Fleas plague you, she says. Swamp skitters can kill you, an a little thorn- so small you hardly notice- it can work it's way unner the skin an bit after bit, yyer hand's infected. Maybe you loose a couple fingers, maybe the whole hand. Maybe yer blood goes bad an you die. Tiny things can cause plenty of trouble. — Moira Young

Ike! Jack yells, pointin at the villains at the table. Look! He's takin seconds!
Oh no, he ain't! — Moira Young

Life ain't black an white. People ain't neether. Family, friends, lovers. It's all a lot more complicated. The longer I live, the more I see, the less I know fer sure. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart. So dry yer tears. Whoever he is, he won't be cryin over you. Men never do. That's the one thing I do know fer sure. Now, muck up them boots a bit. — Moira Young

I close my eyes. My bones sob. Throb. I'm so weary with tryin to hold myself together. Tryin to hold back the darkness. — Moira Young

He looked to the sky for answers. I look at what's in front of me, what's around me, what's inside of me. — Moira Young

An when Ike walks through that door- after I finish kissin him to death- I'm gonna tie him to that chair an never let him go, cux life's too gawdamn short an it's about time I start takin my own advice. I might need yer help, of course, but I'm sure you won't mind, seein how-
Molly! Jack grabs her hand. Stop, Molly, please. Dammit Moll. Ike ain't gonna walk through the door.
She goes still. Very still. Her smile fades. Please don't say it, she whispers.
He can't bear to. But he has to. Ike's dead, he says. He's dead, Molly. I'm sorry. — Moira Young

I hold up the heartstone. It's burnin hot now. He's on th'other side. The sound of a heartbeat. In my head, all around me, everywhere. So loud. — Moira Young

I turn to Slim. Do I smell? I says. He throws me a startled look. Uh - Ohmigawd, I do. I smell bad. How bad? Go on, you can tell me. Well, he says, you don't smell as bad as some. But you don't smell as good as some neether. I knew it, I says. What'm I gonna do? Yer askin me fer advice? He shakes his head as he says, I'd remind you that I'm wearin a lady dress with no unders. — Moira Young

Sometimes the strong give birth to the weak. An sometimes the weak grow to be strong — Moira Young

I never knew that missin somebody could hurt, I says. But it does. Deep inside. Like it's in my bones. We ain't never bin apart till now. Never. I dunno how to be without him. It's like ... I ain't nuthin. — Moira Young

Molly an Slim an Mercy perch, uncomfortable, on barrels and whatnot. They're tryin to eat, but without much success.
Emmi's in the grip of giddy excitement. She jigs an hops all around 'em, with her tongue goin clickety clack.
They smile an nod. The fools. They don't know not to give her encouragement. They'll be trapped now till she tires or death takes 'em. — Moira Young

How did you find me? The heartstone? he says.
I look into his eyes. His silver moonlight eyes. The still calmwater heart of him.
I don't need no stone to find you. I'd find you anywhere, I says. — Moira Young

I think of what we might say. Him to me. Me to him. I ain't no soft girl. I don't know no soft words. Be with me, Jack. That's what I'll say. Burn with me. Shine with me. — Moira Young

If yer after a husband, forget it, he says. I seen what you did to the last one. — Moira Young

Why'd you come after me? he says. Back at Hopetown. That cellblock was on fire. You'd hafta be crazy to go in there. But you did. You risked yer life to save mine an you didn't even know me. — Moira Young

No, I says, He stole it agin. He's a thief an a menace an I'm gonna trade him in fer a umberella. — Moira Young

Believe it or not, missy, back in my salad days, I was what we called a gay blade, he says. Had a fine manly figger. I had dash an charm an ... oh, I was devilish handsome, no word of a lie. Females flocked to me, helpless moths to my deadly flame.
There you go, says Em. You jest need to scrub up some. — Moira Young

I drop back a bit. I listen while they chatter on an Lugh makes us laugh. He always does.
We're together agin.
Lugh goes first, always first, an I follow on behind.
An that's fine.
That's right.
That's how it's meant to be.
Lugh turns around. Smiles.
Hey, he says, what're you doin back there? I ain't got a clue where we're goin. Git on up here an lead the way.
So I do. — Moira Young

Friends don't owe ... Friends don't repay. — Moira Young

Well, says Mercy, maybe it's time you started makin up your own mind about things. As far as I'm concerned, stars is just ... stars.
She tips her head back. She stares at the sky so long, it's almost like she's up there with the stars an the moon an the planets, like she's fergot we're here. I clear my throat. She gives a start. Smiles at us.
Of course, she says, there's always a chance I could be wrong. — Moira Young

Did you know, he says, every time you make somethin, any time you make anythin, a little bit of yer spirit goes into it? — Moira Young

I stare at his chest. I can't seem to make my eyes move away. When I seen him without his shirt before, back at Hopetown, all I noticed was the scars. But now all I can see is how lean an strong he is. With wide shoulders an arms roped with muscle. He ain't got no hair on his chest, not like Pa an Lugh. My fingers itch to touch it. Find out if his skin feels as smooth as it looks. — Moira Young

She's packed her topside fundamentals so tight into her low-cut dress that it's only a matter of time before she busts her banks. — Moira Young

How can you make light of it? I says.
What should I do? She says. Cry fer the rest of my life? Molly of the Many Sorrows? ... You got battle scars. This is mine, she says. You know what it tells me? I'm a survivor. — Moira Young