833 Quotes by Marie Lu

No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.

Teren smiles at me. He takes a step closer. "Ah, mi Adelinetta," he says. His eyes soften in a way that surprises me. "I have missed you. You, more than any other abomination, understand what we truly are." He shakes his head. "Had I known you when I was a young boy..." He lets that sentence die, leaving me curious.

I pledge myself to the Rose Society until the end of my days, to use my eyes to see all that happens, my tongue to woo others to our side, my ears to to hear every secret, my hands to crush my enemies. I will do everything in my power to destroy all who stand in my way.—The Rose Society Official Initiation Pledge, by Adelina Amouteru

You are not an abomination. You are not merely a malfetto. That is why they fear you. The gods gave us powers, Adelina, because we are born to rule.

I keep a fair distance between Raffaele and myself as we walk. He seems to do the same, and we don’t look at each other as we make our way down the long steps of the Tamouran palace’s main gates, where horses are waiting for us. From there, we ride underneath a cloudy sky that threatens more rain.

Be true to yourself, Violetta once told me when I was trying in vain to win Father over. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.

Even the warmth of the sun cannot make the darkness in my stomach go away.

Stop. Stop. STOP. I will destroy everything in order to make it stop. I will destroy all of you. I grit my teeth as my fury swirls around me, seething and relentless, yearning to burst free. Through the whirlwind, I hear my father’s harsh whisper. “I know who you really are. Who will ever want you, Adelina?"My fury heightens. Everyone. They will cower at my feet, and I will make them bleed.

Something blackens your heart, something deep and bitter. It has festered inside you for years, nurtured and encouraged. I’ve never felt anything like it.