“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
―
Becky Chambers,
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“Ninety percent of all problems are caused by people being assholes.”“What causes the other ten percent?” asked Kizzy.“Natural disasters,” said Nib.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“The truth is, Rosemary, that you are capable of anything. Good or bad. You always have been, and you always will be. Given the right push, you, too, could do horrible things. That darkness exists within all of us. You think every soldier who picked up a cutter gun was a bad person? No. She was just doing what the soldier next to her was doing, who was doing what the soldier next to her was doing, and so on and so on. And I bet most of them — not all, but most — who made it through the war spent a long time after trying to understand what they’d done. Wondering how they ever could have done it in the first place. Wondering when killing became so comfortable.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“We don’t have to fall into the same category to be of equal value.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“I can wait for the galaxy outside to get a little kinder.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“You’re an animal, Sibling Dex. You are not separate or other. You’re an animal. And animals have no purpose. Nothing has a purpose. The world simply is. If you want to do things that are meaningful to others, fine! Good! So do I! But if I wanted to crawl into a cave and watch stalagmites with Frostfrog for the remainder of my days, that would also be both fine and good. You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“We cannot blame ourselves for the wars our parents start. Sometimes the very best thing we can do is walk away.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“That’s not the same. What happened to you, to your species, it’s . . . it doesn’t even compare.’ ‘Why? Because it’s worse?’ She nodded. ‘But it still compares. If you have a fractured bone, and I’ve broken every bone in my body, does that make your fracture go away? Does it hurt you any less, knowing that I am in more pain?” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship – to teach, if we are called upon; to be taught, if we are fortunate.” ― Becky Chambers, To Be Taught, If Fortunate
“People can do terrible things when they feel safe and powerful.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“Do you not find consciousness alone to be the most exhilarating thing? Here we are, in this incomprehensibly large universe, on this one tiny moon around this one incidental planet, and in all the time this entire scenario has existed, every component has been recycled over and over and over again into infinitely incredible configurations, and sometimes, those configurations are special enough to be able to see the world around them. You and I—we’re just atoms that arranged themselves the right way, and we can understand that about ourselves. Is that not amazing?” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“You don’t have to have a reason to be tired. You don’t have to earn rest or comfort. You’re allowed to just be.” ― Becky Chambers, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
“Humans’ preoccupation with ‘being happy’ was something he had never been able to figure out. No sapient could sustain happiness all of the time, just as no one could live permanently within anger, or boredom, or grief.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“The people we remember are the ones who decided how our maps should be drawn. Nobody remembers who built the roads.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“I think there’s something beautiful about being lucky enough to witness a thing on its way out.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“Mosscap considered. “Because I know that no matter what, I’m wonderful,” it said.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“Do not judge other species by your own social norms” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“At some point, you have to accept the fact that any movement creates waves, and the only other option is to lie still and learn nothing.” ― Becky Chambers, To Be Taught, If Fortunate
“Ninety percent of all problems are caused by people being assholes.”“What causes the other ten percent?” asked Kizzy.“Natural disasters,” said Nib.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“The truth is, Rosemary, that you are capable of anything. Good or bad. You always have been, and you always will be. Given the right push, you, too, could do horrible things. That darkness exists within all of us. You think every soldier who picked up a cutter gun was a bad person? No. She was just doing what the soldier next to her was doing, who was doing what the soldier next to her was doing, and so on and so on. And I bet most of them — not all, but most — who made it through the war spent a long time after trying to understand what they’d done. Wondering how they ever could have done it in the first place. Wondering when killing became so comfortable.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“We don’t have to fall into the same category to be of equal value.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“I can wait for the galaxy outside to get a little kinder.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“You’re an animal, Sibling Dex. You are not separate or other. You’re an animal. And animals have no purpose. Nothing has a purpose. The world simply is. If you want to do things that are meaningful to others, fine! Good! So do I! But if I wanted to crawl into a cave and watch stalagmites with Frostfrog for the remainder of my days, that would also be both fine and good. You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“We cannot blame ourselves for the wars our parents start. Sometimes the very best thing we can do is walk away.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“That’s not the same. What happened to you, to your species, it’s . . . it doesn’t even compare.’ ‘Why? Because it’s worse?’ She nodded. ‘But it still compares. If you have a fractured bone, and I’ve broken every bone in my body, does that make your fracture go away? Does it hurt you any less, knowing that I am in more pain?” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship – to teach, if we are called upon; to be taught, if we are fortunate.” ― Becky Chambers, To Be Taught, If Fortunate
“People can do terrible things when they feel safe and powerful.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“Do you not find consciousness alone to be the most exhilarating thing? Here we are, in this incomprehensibly large universe, on this one tiny moon around this one incidental planet, and in all the time this entire scenario has existed, every component has been recycled over and over and over again into infinitely incredible configurations, and sometimes, those configurations are special enough to be able to see the world around them. You and I—we’re just atoms that arranged themselves the right way, and we can understand that about ourselves. Is that not amazing?” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“You don’t have to have a reason to be tired. You don’t have to earn rest or comfort. You’re allowed to just be.” ― Becky Chambers, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
“Humans’ preoccupation with ‘being happy’ was something he had never been able to figure out. No sapient could sustain happiness all of the time, just as no one could live permanently within anger, or boredom, or grief.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“The people we remember are the ones who decided how our maps should be drawn. Nobody remembers who built the roads.” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“I think there’s something beautiful about being lucky enough to witness a thing on its way out.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“Mosscap considered. “Because I know that no matter what, I’m wonderful,” it said.” ― Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built
“Do not judge other species by your own social norms” ― Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
“At some point, you have to accept the fact that any movement creates waves, and the only other option is to lie still and learn nothing.” ― Becky Chambers, To Be Taught, If Fortunate
Read More! Learn More!