Madeline Miller Quotes That Will Inspire You to Live Your Best Life

1. But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me. Circe

2. Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.But what if he is your friend? Achilles had asked him, feet kicked up on the wall of the rose-quartz cave. Or your brother? Should you treat him the same as a stranger?You ask a question that philosophers argue over, Chiron had said. He is worth more to you, perhaps. But the stranger is someone else’s friend and brother. So which life is more important?We had been silent. We were fourteen, and these things were too hard for us. Now that we are twenty-seven, they still feel too hard.He is half of my soul, as the poets say. He will be dead soon, and his honor is all that will remain. It is his child, his dearest self. Should I reproach him for it? I have saved Briseis. I cannot save them all.I know, now, how I would answer Chiron. I would say: there is no answer. Whichever you choose, you are wrong. The Song of Achilles

3. Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.But what if he is your friend? Achilles had asked him, feet kicked up on the wall of the rose-quartz cave. Or your brother? Should you treat him the same as a stranger?You ask a question that philosophers argue over, Chiron had said. He is worth more to you, perhaps. But the stranger is someone else’s friend and brother. So which life is more important?We had been silent. We were fourteen, and these things were too hard for us. Now that we are twenty-seven, they still feel too hard.He is half of my soul, as the poets say. He will be dead soon, and his honor is all that will remain. It is his child, his dearest self. Should I reproach him for it? I have saved Briseis. I cannot save them all.I know, now, how I would answer Chiron. I would say: there is no answer. Whichever you choose, you are wrong. The Song of Achilles

4. Have you no memories?'I am made of memories.'Then speak. The Song of Achilles

5. He is half of my soul, as the poets say. The Song of Achilles

6. He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none. Circe

7. I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away from me, giddy with freedom. This, and this, and this, I said to him. I did not have to fear that I spoke too much. I did not have to worry that I was too slender, or too slow. This and this and this! I taught him how to skip stones, and he taught me how to carve wood. I could feel every nerve in my body, every brush of air against my skin. The Song of Achilles

8. I have done it," she says. At first I do not understand. But then I see the tomb, and the marks she has made on the stone. A C H I L L E S, it reads. And beside it, P A T R O C L U S."Go," she says. "He waits for you."In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun. The Song of Achilles

9. I will never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me. The Song of Achilles

10. In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun. The Song of Achilles

11. It is mostly will. Will and work. Circe

12. Name one hero who was happy."I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back."You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward."I can't.""I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret.""Tell me." I loved it when he was like this."I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it.""Why me?""Because you're the reason. Swear it.""I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes."I swear it," he echoed.We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned."I feel like I could eat the world raw. The Song of Achilles

13. Name one hero who was happy."I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back."You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward."I can't.""I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret.""Tell me." I loved it when he was like this."I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it.""Why me?""Because you're the reason. Swear it.""I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes."I swear it," he echoed.We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned."I feel like I could eat the world raw. The Song of Achilles

14. That is — your friend?" "Philtatos," Achilles replied, sharply. Most beloved. The Song of Achilles

15. When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him. The Song of Achilles

16. And as we swam, or played, or talked, a feeling would come. It was almost like fear, in the way that it filled me, rising in my chest. It was almost like tears, in how swiftly it came. But it was neither of those, buoyant where they were heavy, bright where they were dull. The Song of Achilles

17. And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone. The Song of Achilles

18. Odysseus inclines his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another." He spread his broad hands. "We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory. Who knows?" He smiles. "Perhaps one day even I will be famous. Perhaps more famous than you. The Song of Achilles

19. where there was greed there was hope. The Song of Achilles