“We shall have no more prophets or sages from the ancient quarter, which is why the devotions of today are only the echoing repetitions of yesterday, sometimes ratcheted up to screaming point so as to ward off the terrible emptiness.””
“Christophe peeled the shrimp slowly and carefully: that was his way around her, and it was the exact opposite of his usual demeanor. She knew it for what it was: love.””
“Wards,” said Oromis, “rely upon the strength of your body. If that strength is exceeded, you die. No matter how many wards you have, you will only be able to block attacks so long as your body can sustain the output of energy.””
“They landed with a crash that split paving stones and jarred the nearby houses. Something cracked in Thorn’s left wing-shoulder, and his back arched unnaturally as Murtagh’s wards kept the dragon from crushing him flat.Saphira could hear Murtagh cursing from underneath Thorn, and she decided that it would be best to move away before the angry two-legs-round-ears started casting spells.She jumped up, kicking Thorn in the belly as she did so, and alit on the peak of the house behind the red dragon. The building was too weak to support her, so she took flight again and, just for good measure, set the row of buildings on fire., she thought, satisfied, as the flames gnawed hungrily at the wooden structures.””
“I’ll give you some new wards as well.”“No, save your strength. I can take care of myself.”Eragon insisted, but Roran kept refusing. Finally, Eragon said, “Blast it! Listen to me. We’re about to go into battle against Galbatorix’s men. You have to have protection, if only against magic. I’m going to give you wards whether you like it or not, so you might as well smile and thank me for them!”Roran glowered at him, then he grunted and raised his hands. “Fine, as you wish. You never did know when it was sensible to give up.”“Oh, and you do?”A chuckle came from within the depths of Roran’s beard. “I suppose not. I guess it runs in the family.”“Mmh. Between Brom and Garrow, I don’t know who was the more stubborn.”“Father was,” said Roran.“Eh…Brom was as--No, you’re right. It was Garrow.”They exchanged grins, remembering their life on the farm. Then Roran shifted his stance and gave Eragon an odd, sideways look. “You seem different than before.”“Do I?”“Yes, you do. You seem more sure of yourself.”“Perhaps it’s because I understand myself better than I once did.”To that, Roran had no answer.””
Christopher Ward was a British author, journalist, editor, and publisher known for his contributions to literature and his insightful biographical works. He was the grandson of Jock Hume, a violinist ...
“In Graham Ward’s helpful formulation, “The presupposition of [Christian] hermeneutics is that universal meaning exists independent of but accessible through, all local expressions of meaning.”10 The universal is not reached by leaving the local but through the local or, in Timothy Keller’s expression of the same truth, “While there is no culture-transcending way to express the truths of the gospel, there is nonetheless only one true gospel.”11””
“The news continues, informing us that English writer Christopher Isherwood, an Austrian citizen named Clarimal Stein, and Lucy Harker, the daughter of Dracula’s slayer, perished tragically in a single-vehicle accident in rural Prussia.””
“History is not a conversation with the past, Instead, in Warburg, memory is carried forward to us, objectively, by the sequence of pathos-formulas. We do not choose our past, it chooses us. This was not an entirely direful story. The pathos-formulas register danger but they also ward it off, apotropaically. Art creates the psychic distance that gives mankind a chance in its struggle with hostile nature or with the gods.””
“Daredevils aren't the answer; spinal rehab wards are full of daredevils. Fearlessness doesn't really help, either: when your car breaks down, you don't want the mechanic to say, 'I've never done this before, but I'm willing to die trying.' What you want to hear is 'Don't worry. This is right up my alley.' Heroism isn't some mysterious inner virtue, the Greeks believed; it's a collection of skills that every man and woman can master so that in a pinch, they can become a Protector.””
“The fear of poverty is never far away from the working-class mind, and all the plasma TVs, PlayStations and iPhones are just talismans warding off that darkness.””
“[T]he Secretary of State wants to avoid giving the impression that while the United States is willing to intervene actively to protect its commercial interests, it is not willing to move on behalf of the Christian minorities.” Dulles went on to complain about the agitation in the U.S. on behalf of Armenians, Greeks, and Palestinian Jews. “I’ve been kept busy trying to ward off congressional resolutions of sympathy for these groups.””
“The evidence of grave emotional and mental suffering is clear to see in the growing number of mental health units, “re-habs” and overflowing psychiatric wards as people try to find relief in compulsive drinking, drug abuse, gambling, over-eating, under-eating, chasing prestige, hoarding money, “retail therapy” and over-indulging in pornography and sex.””