I have no cause to love Mr. Morrell- far from it. But I know this about him: he is a magician first and everything else second- and Jonathan is the same. Books and magic are all either of them really care about.

— Susanna Clarke

It is the right of a traveler to vent their frustration at every minor inconvenience by writing of it to their friends.

— Susanna Clarke

It may be laid down as a general rule that if a man begins to sing, no one will take any notice of his song except his fellow human beings. This is true even if his song is surprisingly beautiful. Other men may be in raptures at his skill, but the rest of creation is, by and large, unmoved. Perhaps a cat or a dog may look at him; his horse, if it is an exceptionally intelligent beast, may pause in cropping the grass, but that is the extent of it. But when the fairy sang, the whole world listened to him. Stephen felt clouds pause in their passing; he felt sleeping hills shift and murmur; he felt cold mists dance. He understood for the first time that the world is not dumb at all, but merely waiting for someone to speak to it in a language it understands. In the fairy's song the earth recognized the names by which it called itself.

— Susanna Clarke

It might well appear to Sir Walter that there had been no quarrel. It was often the case that gentlemen did not observe the signs.

— Susanna Clarke

It seemed that it was not only live magicians which Mr. Morrell despised. He had taken the measure of all the dead ones too and found them wanting.

— Susanna Clarke

It was as if a door had opened somewhere. Or possibly a series of doors. There was a sensation as of a breeze blowing into the house and bringing with it the half-remembered scents of childhood. There was a shift in the light which seemed to cause all the shadows in the room to fall differently. There was nothing more definite than that, and yet, as often happens when some magic is occurring, both Draw light and the lady had the strongest impression that nothing in the visible world could be relied upon anymore. It was as if one might put out one's hand to touch anything in the room and discover it was no longer there.

— Susanna Clarke

I was always amazed at Cambridge how quickly people appeared to take offense at everything I said, but now I see plainly that it was not my words they hated - it was this fairy face. The dark alchemy of this face turns all my gentle human emotions into fierce fairy vices. Inside I am all despair, but this face shows only fairy scorn. My remorse becomes fairy fury and my pensiveness is turned to fairy cunning.

— Susanna Clarke

I was told once by some country people that a magician should never tell his dreams because the telling will make them come true. But I say that is great nonsense.

— Susanna Clarke

Magic, madam, is like wine and, if you are not used to it, it will make you drunk.

— Susanna Clarke

Most of us are naturally inclined to struggle against the restrictions our friends and family impose upon us, but if we are so unfortunate as to lose a loved one, what a difference then! Then the restriction becomes a sacred trust.

— Susanna Clarke