Quotes & Sayings About Brisbane

For the first time in ten years, the March family gathered to perform the Twelfth Night Revels for the village of Blessingstoke, just as they had done in Master Shakespeare's day. The dragon breathed fire while the Turkish Knight brandished his sword at St. George, and when it was finished, the resurrected saint and his sad dragon stood in tableau while the white-robed chorus, of which Portia and I made two, sang of the blood-berried holly and the sweetly clinging ivy. Rather like Brisbane and myself, I thought fancifully. Both evergreen and hardy, one sturdy, one tenacious, and forever undivided. But now there was a new little branch grafted to our union. — Deanna Raybourn

It's called the kindness of a fellow human being. You should try it sometime, ya fuck. — S.A. Tawks

By the time I had gathered my wits sufficiently to press the point the lamps had guttered out and Brisbane was sleeping heavily fatigued by his effortshighly successful efforts I must confessto divert me from the investigation. I lay awake physically satisfied but deeply annoyed. Even after nine months of marriage I was still not entirely comfortable with my responses to his physical overtures. The merest touch from him and all reasonable though seemed to fly out of my head. It was most disconcerting and more so because he apparently knew it I thought irritable. — Deanna Raybourn

I'd developed an apology-is-much-better-than-asking-for-permission mentality. — S.A. Tawks

One thousand ways to say good-bye
One thousands ways to cry
One thousand ways to hang your hat before you go outside
I say good-bye good-bye good-bye
I shout it out so loud
Cause the next time that I find my voice I might not remember how. — Maggie Stiefvater

To Grace, these were the things that mattered: my hands on her cheeks, my lips on her mouth. The fleeting touches that meant I loved her. — Maggie Stiefvater

If I hadn't worked up the courage to talk to Christy, she most likely would have been a pretty face that disappeared back into the crowd. — S.A. Tawks

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor. — Deanna Raybourn

Someone who lives vicariously will never be truly happy because they're not happy with themselves. — S.A. Tawks

The best experiences can't be forced and they come when you least expect it. You don't find misadventure, it finds you. — S.A. Tawks

We smoked the joints down to the roaches and then relaxed beneath the stars to let the drug form dazzling constellations. — S.A. Tawks

I didn't appreciate the moment as much as I should have while living it, but I can attribute that to my poor emotional state and hindsight. — S.A. Tawks

What does a guy say to that? What does an inexperienced guy say to a beautiful, smart, proper girl who's not supposed to say things like that? — S.A. Tawks

Maybe I should have given more thought to her thoughts. — S.A. Tawks

Most would probably call it a dumb idea, but considering my wants it was a good idea. — S.A. Tawks

Sam: "You - you greatly overestimate my self-control."
Grace: "I'm not looking for self-control. — Maggie Stiefvater

Can I ask you a question?"
"You already have."
He paused, considering. "Can I ask you two questions, then?"
"You already have."
Sam groaned and threw one of the small sofa pillows in my direction. It arced through the moonlit room, a blackened projectile, and thumped harmlessly by my head. "So you're a smart-ass, then. — Maggie Stiefvater

Jane, who is much better at reading guide books than I am (I always read them on the way back to see what I missed, it's often quite a shock), discovered something wonderful in the book she was reading. Did I know, she asked, that Brisbane was originally founded as a penal colony for convicts who committed new offences after they had arrived in Australia ? I spent a good half hour enjoying this single piece of information. It was wonderful. There we British sat, poor grey sodden creatures, huddling under our grey northern sky that seeped like a rancid dish cloth, busy sending those we wished to punish most severely to sit in bright sunlight on the coast of the Tasman Sea at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef and maybe do some surfing too. No wonder the Australians have a particular kind of smile that they reserve exclusively for use on the British. — Douglas Adams

Among the aimless, unsuccessful or worthless, you often hear talk about 'killing time.' The man who is always killing time is really killing his own chances in life. While the man who is destined to success is the man who makes time live by making it useful. — Arthur Brisbane

If they don't board and live by themselves, even in their second year they've got no lounge or kitchen table and it's a pretty lonely existence when you get home to an empty house. Homesickness is a key issue for kids who are drafted interstate, whether they are going to Melbourne or coming to Perth or going to Brisbane. All the kids we've drafted this year will all go through periods of homesickness, which can lead to worse things. — Trevor Nisbett

The commonest form, one of the most often neglected, and the safest opportunity for the average man to seize, is hard work. — Arthur Brisbane

My sense of misadventure took over and I began looking at my problems as challenges. — S.A. Tawks

While the fool is enjoying the little he has, I will hunt for more. The way to hunt for more is to utilize your odd moments ... the man who is always killing time is really killing his own chances in life. — Arthur Brisbane

At least I can say I once worked a day on a tea plantation in Far North Queensland. — S.A. Tawks

He was the captain of the rugby team and he was built like a fucking gorilla. He had the personality of a fucking gorilla, too. — S.A. Tawks

I folded myself against her body, breathing in the smell of my new life and matching my heartbeat to hers Sam, Linger — Maggie Stiefvater

They have different accents in America " Brisbane smiled. "Just as we do here." I waved a hand. "They all sound alike to me. — Deanna Raybourn

The fence around a cemetery is foolish, for those inside can't come out and those outside don't want to get in. — Arthur Brisbane

I wore no jewels save the pendant Brisbane had given me with its secret code - the code that had given me my first inkling that he loved me. It had not been so very long since he had given it to me, a year only; twelve leaves of the calendar torn away, a few dozen weeks from then to now. But how much change that year had wrought! — Deanna Raybourn

The leading characteristic of the savage state is its refusal or avoidance of industry. — Arthur Brisbane

Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting. — Arthur Brisbane

Some people clean the fridge to avoid studying. I go to Brisbane. — Melina Marchetta

I liked learning but the challenge was that my mother's need to turn education into a competition was ruining the experience for me. — S.A. Tawks

They had to be untrustworthy enough to buy a minor alcohol but trustworthy enough to not walk away with my money. — S.A. Tawks

Other times, when existential crisis mode kicked in, I flirted with the idea of giving up and drifting whichever way gravity and wind moved me. — S.A. Tawks

I think it's very, very important that people outside the capital cities, not just Sydney and Melbourne but also Brisbane Perth Adelaide and so on, have the greatest access to the best cultural experiences they can in both the performing arts and the visual arts. — George Brandis

I grew up in suburban Brisbane, so to say you wanted to be an actor was a ridiculous concept. — Matt Passmore

Or even tell me it's because you could not live without The Boy's stunning Boyfruits for another night ...
Sam's face was twisted into a weird shape at the mention of his Boyfruits. — Maggie Stiefvater

I know. Of course I know that. It is just that the calamities do seem to be piling up," I said, shivering a little as a goose walked over my grave.
Brisbane pinned me with a look. "You said once you would follow me to the ends of the earth in a white petticoat to be my wife, if that is what it took."
I pursed my lips. "You were not supposed to hear that. You were unconscious."
"Did you mean it?" I held that striking black gaze with my own. "You must know I did."
"That is why I know you will be there tomorrow, whatever calamities may come. As I will be." I looked down at the soaked, sooty gown. "I may have to wear a white petticoat, if it comes to it." Brisbane gave me a slow smile. "I wish you would. The sooner I can get you into just your petticoat - " "Ah, Brisbane! Good of you to come, my lad," Father said, rousing himself from his reverie. "Did you hear, we nearly lost poor old Crab. — Deanna Raybourn

A fight needs at least two fighters. Sometimes you can win straight away by not fighting. — S.A. Tawks

Honestly, if I stay on this gruelling path, I'm going to end up as another suicide statistic. — S.A. Tawks

If you're not happy with yourself, how can you even begin to figure out if another person makes you happy, annoyed, angry, sad and so on. — S.A. Tawks

But now I think he was trying to teach me to never feel entitled because life can be a cruel bitch at times. — S.A. Tawks

So much to do but so many incompetent workers," I said, playing to his take-no-shit-get-in-and-fucking-do-it attitude. — S.A. Tawks

Would I come off as a creepy-stalker-kind-of-guy or would it demonstrate that I cared? — S.A. Tawks

What does that quote mean to you? Can you explain the concept behind it and not just repeat the pretty phrase to me? — S.A. Tawks

The situation was saved; Brisbane was going to tell a story. — Francis Marion Crawford

It was an impossible achievement but that didn't stop me from trying and having fun. — S.A. Tawks

After spending the previous night the way I had, I felt I could afford to lose some of the daytime to sleep. — S.A. Tawks

I matched my heated tone with one of pure ice. "I believe I did attempt to relate to you the facts of my calls and you interrupted me with a rather magnificent display of temper much as you are doing now. If you do not have all the facts of the case perhaps you have no one but yourself to blame." Brisbane opened his mouth and shut it with a snap. His mouth remained closed but I could hear him muttering under his breath. "What are you saying?" "I am counting. To one hundred. In Cantonese. — Deanna Raybourn

I fell for her in summer, my lovely summer girl,
From summer she is made, my lovely summer girl,
I'd love to spend a winter with my lovely summer girl,
But I'm never warm enough for my lovely summer girl,
It's summer when she smiles, I'm laughing like a child,
It's the summer of our lives; we'll contain it for a while
She holds the heat, the breeze of summer in the circle of her hand
I'd be happy with this summer if it's all we ever had. — Maggie Stiefvater

Portia countered with something cutting and I left my sisters quarrelling over the details whilst I mooned about, waiting for a letter from Brisbane. While Olivia had wanted a smart town wedding, the rest had mercifully overruled her and decided I would be married from the church of St. Barnabas in Blessingstoke, the village nestled at the foot of our family seat at Bellmont Abbey, surrounded by friends and family. — Deanna Raybourn

Afterward, Isabel drove me home and I shut myself in the study with Rilke, and I read and I wanted.
And leaving you (there arent words to untangle it)
Your life, fearful and immense and blossoming,
So that, sometimes frustrated, and sometimes
understanding
Your life is sometimes a stone in you, and then, a star
I was beginning to undertand poetry. — Maggie Stiefvater

The false hope I filled myself with is fleeing and I'm beginning to feel scared again. — S.A. Tawks

It seemed, at that point, my greed and cunningness were being rewarded. — S.A. Tawks

Counter Girl (in candy shop): You two are cute. Seriously. How long have you been going out?
Sam: Six years. — Maggie Stiefvater

A misadventurer's greatest fear is their mother. — S.A. Tawks

Now comes the hard part. Peyton, Peyton, Peyton. Just say Peyton. — S.A. Tawks

The acceptance of just one person is enough to silence the rejection of thousands. — S.A. Tawks

I might grow old in Brisbane, but I would never grow up. — David Malouf

You live by whatever rules you need to govern your life the best you think. Let's just try not to encroach. — S.A. Tawks

It is possible to be in love with you just because of who you are. — Maggie Stiefvater

I realised I got anxious because my true aspiration wasn't to become the chief of a multi-billion dollar, multi-national company that created widgets or some shit. — S.A. Tawks

I think-I need to ask an embarrassing question. Do you think I could borrow a pair of scrubs? I-uh-my pants-"
"Oh!" Cried the poor nurse. "Yes. Absolutely. I'll be right back."
[ ... ]
"Thanks," I mumbled. "I'll just change here. He's not looking at anything at the moment." I gestured toward Sam, who was looking convincingly sedated.
The nurse vanished through the curtains. Sam eye's flashed open again, distinctly amused.
He whispered, "Did you just tell that man you went potty on yourself?"
"You.Shut.UP." I hissed back furiously. — Maggie Stiefvater

Where's your sense of misadventure? — S.A. Tawks

I saw my first gig here actually (Festival Hall in Brisbane) Duran Duran. — Bernard Fanning

Nyree taught me not to trust anyone but Steve quickly corrected that lesson and taught me not to trust everyone. — S.A. Tawks

A newspaper is a mirror reflecting the public, a mirror more or less defective, but still a mirror. — Arthur Brisbane

Hang your idea on a peg that all can read. — Arthur Brisbane

The red haired waitress arrived with their drinks, dancing about the table as she placed their orders in front of them. "Hiya, keeds. Peachy place, ain't it?" Before anyone could respond, she kicked her heels in the air and flitted off again.
Waldo lit up a cigarette and tasted his drink. "Listen, I don't think we ought to stay here very long...."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Brisbane chortled. "But first I want to have a little fun. I think I'm gonna talk to some of these guys."
The fredneck left the table and walked over to a group of five men, all of them clad in the old baseball uniforms that were apparently quite popular at The One Year Wonder And All-Around Oddity Bar. They were huddled together on one side of the bar, and Brisbane broke into their conversation with a burst of fredneck chutzpah. — Donald Jeffries

My anger tempted the act of delinquency and it felt good to dabble. — S.A. Tawks

But this month is all about CITY OF JASMINE which I hope you already have in your hot little hands. My favorite review snippet? KIRKUS REVIEWS said it's "part screwball comedy".
I can't tell you how much time I spent with Carole Lombard and William Powell and Irene Dunne when I was writing it. I adore the 30s comedies for their light-hearted take on relationships and adventure - and the glamorous settings and occasional dash of intrigue only heighten the magic. (Did you know that Nicholas Brisbane from my Lady Julia series was named for THE THIN MAN's Nick Charles? And apologies to Dashiell Hammett, but I fell in love with the film long before I read the book and appreciated how much it had been lightened in the adaptation!) So when you're reading CITY OF JASMINE, give some thought to who you'd like to see playing Evie and Gabriel - I'd love to hear who you'd cast in your own production. — Deanna Raybourn

Acting with confidence, but inside lacking certainty, I'd told her I could. — S.A. Tawks

That tank," Bucktooth pointed at the gas gauge on the dashboard of the decidedly unfredneck-like '65 Dodge Dart, "is almost empty. We ain't going much farther."
"Indeed it is." A solemn Phosphate agreed. "I suggest we stop the car and weigh our options."
"What options?" Professor Buckley asked. "Why do-that is- we've been traveling up and down this path for over an hour without seeing anyone or encountering anything. Even the doughnut shop cannot be relocated. In light of this, what options do we have?"
It was difficult to argue with the ex-history teacher's typically alarmist position. Brisbane's reliable old automobile had indeed been expending its remaining fuel supply in what seemed to be a hopeless effort to exit the unnamed dirt path. After leaving the doughnut shop and the blonde presidential descendant who worked there, they'd been unable to find DeMohrenschildt Lane again, or any other side street. — Donald Jeffries

Do you feel better?" I asked Sam as he opened the door to the Volkswagen for me.
"Yes," he said. He was still a terrible liar.
"Good," I said. I was still a fantastic one. — Maggie Stiefvater

Your days are only important if you decide to make them important. — S.A. Tawks

Misadventure was my primary compass and I followed it without caring if I pissed off one person or a whole bunch of people. — S.A. Tawks

Did you mean what you said? You will pursue this?'
Brisbane sipped at his tea. 'I suppose. I have a few other matters that I must bring to conclusion, but nothing that cannot wait. And I have no other clients questioning either my integrity or my courage at present. — Deanna Raybourn

In a world of differing opinions, mentally unstable people and complete psychopaths, it was the type of simplistic notion that some people wouldn't want to follow or ignorance would just simply not allow them to understand. — S.A. Tawks

He slouched back in his seat, looking tired, and leaned his face on his shoulder to look at me while he played with my hair. He started to hum a song, and then, after a few bars, he sang it. Quietly, sort of half-sung, half-spoken, incredibly gentle. I didn't catch all the words, but it was about his summer girl. Me. Maybe his forever girl. His yellow eyes were half-lidded as he sang, and in that golden moment, hanging taut in the middle of an icecovered landscape like a single bubble of summer nectar, I could see how my life could be stretched out in front of me. — Maggie Stiefvater

It was as if I was automatically one of them because I smoked. — S.A. Tawks

My newfound motivation had me feeling confident in my ability and I headed to Mackay with a plan. — S.A. Tawks

Time is the one thing we possess. Our success depends upon the use of our time, and its by-product, the odd moment. — Arthur Brisbane

This is your chance. Are you going to cower and make excuses or are you going to do what you really want to do? — S.A. Tawks

And yours? What is your opinion? Truly?" She turned to face me, her green eyes brilliant in the lamplight. "Would it matter?"
"No. I love him and, damn the world, I will have him."
She grinned. "Good girl. And since my opinion doesn't matter, I give it freely: Brisbane is worth twenty Marches and dearer to me than most of my own brothers. If you do not marry him, I will do so myself, simply to keep him in the family."
I turned away quickly. "Are you weeping?" she asked.
"Don't be absurd." My voice was muffled and I swallowed, blinking furiously. "I have a cinder in my eye." Portia dropped a swift kiss to my cheek. "Happiness is within your grasp now, pet. Hang onto it, and do not let it go, whatever you do. — Deanna Raybourn

Opportunity comes like a snail, and once it has passed you it changes into a fleet rabbit and is gone. — Arthur Brisbane

It was odd but I couldn't jump the chasm of missing evidence to the conclusion Todd was making. — S.A. Tawks

Brisbane and I passed a thoroughly satisfactory and entirely private evening in the solitude of our room. "Thank God for stout stone walls," he said at one point, and I heartily agreed. — Deanna Raybourn

I think the last thing you should do to someone willing to put your penis in their mouth is give them criticism. — S.A. Tawks

I let my initial stance on her prettiness stand and didn't let any superficial thoughts hobble it. — S.A. Tawks

Even freedom needs some rules to keep it from being complete chaos. — S.A. Tawks

Wine is the most noble and beneficial of alcoholic drinks. Wine is for the sedentary whose work is thinking. Natural wines have been used without drunkenness by the millions of human beings for ages. They supply with iron, tannin and vitamins. — Arthur Brisbane

She loved all the wolves behind her house, but she loved one of them most of all.
And this one loved her back. He loved her back so hard that even the things that weren't special about her became special: the way she tapped her pencil on her teeth, the off-key songs she sang in the shower, how when she kissed him he knew it meant for ever.
Hers was a memory made up of snapshots: being dragged through the snow by a pack of wolves, first kiss tasting of oranges, saying goodbye behind a cracked windshield.
A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam's smile.
It was a life I didn't want to leave behind.
It was a life I didn't want to forget.
I wasn't done with it yet. There was so much more to say. — Maggie Stiefvater

There were no snooty commuters at this late hour. They were home snug in their beds where they should be. — S.A. Tawks

He'd only been gone two seconds, but the room got brighter when they were together, as if they were two elements that became brilliant in proximity. At Sam's clumsy efforts to carry the vacuum, Grace smiled a new smile that I thought only he ever got, and he shot her a withering look full of the sort of subtext you could only get from a lot of conversations whispered after dark.
It made me think of Isabel, back at her house. We didn't have what Sam and Grace had. We weren't even close to having it. I didn't think what we had could get to this, even if you gave it a thousand years. — Maggie Stiefvater

That Edison or Lincoln could have been Edison or Lincoln after four years of Harvard is improbable. — Arthur Brisbane

I didn't let what I wanted to do become a made up memory that I looked back on years down the road and wished it was real. — S.A. Tawks

A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling. — Arthur Brisbane

I started down but Sam caught my arm and knelt down himself to look.
"For crying out loud," he said. "It's a racoon."
"Poor thing," I said.
"It could be a rabid baby-killer," Cole told me primly.
"Shut up," Sam said pleasantly. — Maggie Stiefvater

I'm not looking for self-control. — Maggie Stiefvater